Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-12-12
A BLOCK IN RUINS.
Another Chicago Building Wrecked
by an Explosion.
THREE MEN WERE KILLED.
A Family Barely Escaped From the
Flames Which Rapidly Followed the
Blow Up-Oatnleal Dust Did 1t.
Two Men Killed In Ohio.

CHICAGO, Dec ia terrific explosion
has shattered the building occupied by David
Oliver as an oatmeal mill at the corner of
Halsted and Fulton streets
There were but four men employed in the
mill Three were buried in the ruins They
were Ernst Cooper, John Schmidt and Charles
Miller. The only mill hand who escaped in
terment in the ruins is John Holmes, who
was blown out of a window. He was seri-
ously injured and was removed 10 the county
hospital
On the northwest corner of Fulton and
Halsted streets stood two story and base
ment frame building occupied by Charles
Murphy as a saloon and residence Next
north on Halsted street stood the two story
frame wagon shop and warehouse of Jacob
Press The next five lots were occupied by
the Oliver mill, three story and high base
ment brick building, facing the street, and
raised to four stories in the rear.
On Fulton street, next to Murphys saloon,
stood another large building owned by Press,
the wagon manufacturer All thess build
ings were totally demolished and the people
in the corner saloon building had an exceed
ingly narrow escape from death.
How the Murphy family escaped without
injury is remarkable There were in the
corner building asleep Charles Murphy, the
proprietor of the saloon; his father, George;
his brother, James; his mother and three
children, Lizzie, Joe and George, aged 10, s
and respectively. They had hardly been
awakened by the report of the explosion
when there came crash that almost turned
the building over on its side. The family,
who occupied the upper hoor were thrown
violently against the wall as brick and tim
ber came crashing through the roof, crushing
AlnN
slanted at an angle of forty-five degrees.
The entire roof Immediately took fire. and
then commenced fearful struggle on the
part of the family to escape from the wreck.
Charles Murphy seized his little boy, who
was sleeping beside him, just as his aged
mother came crawling into the room, half
blinded by smoke, to see if he was safe.
As she saw her son and grandchld she
tainted, and Mr.. Murphy had to carry both
his mother and son downstairs, and after
considerable difficulty made his way to the
street. The rest of the family escaped, with
few bruises, in a similar manner.
John Holmes, the man who was blown out
of the window, was fouSid about sixty feet
away from the mill. He was lying ON pile
of brick, with his face fearfully mangled,
and his body sickening mass of burns and
bruises. He was taken to the county hospi-
tai.
Adjoining the mill at the west was two
story frame building occupied by n p Law
son. The ground floor was used as a restau-
rant, while on the floor above lived the res
taurant keeper, his wife and baby, the cook
and the waiter. The explosion threw all of
these people out of bed and stunned them for
several seconds.
When they recovered sufficiently to make
off PORT fN fbaxv vaV,H fo fl,oI oh
stairway, but it had been blown down. and
they were Obliged to stay in the second story
of the building until the firemen took them
out on ladders The restaurant was wrecked
A large hole was blown in the roof, every
window in the building was shattered, the
chimney was toppled over, doors forced from
their hinges, and the plastering shaken to
dust
The streets for a block in every direction
were strewn with debris of every sort There
was not a whole pane of glass in any build
ing within a quarter of mile of the mill
What caused the explosion cannot be as
certaine6. Several people who claimed to
have been familiar with the interior Of the
mill thought it was a boiler explosion, but
Marshal Murphy is positive that it was an
explosion of oatmeal dust and that no boiler
could causs an explosion so terrific as to
cover the neighboring streets several feet
with debris. Marshal Gabriel put a force Of
thirty men at work digging at the ruins at
once, and they have uncovered the boilers
which have not exploded, showing that Mar.
shal Murphy's theory is the correct one.
The scene in the street in front Of the mill
is a chaos of the widest description. Tons
of bricks ara piled upon the car tracks and
the entire fire department is at work playing
- k,.-,% kf.z.c
Sensational rumors OF the exp.osion being
caused by dynamite are being circulated
AFTER the fire which took place was extin-
guished Marshal Gabriel commenced an in
! .vestlgation and satisfied himself that there
were only three bodies in the ruins-those Of
Earliest Caspar, John ChTistianson and
Charles Miller.
: Caspar was the cupoIa man, and he worked
on the top Of the mill The cupola was
J hurled 100 feet away, and the body Of the
victim is in the ruins: Christianson was the
kiln man, and his body is in the southwest
corner Of the mill, covered BIZ tons of debris.
: Miller is the engineer, and is no doubt buried
|, near the boiler.
= TR0wBRIDGE, o., Dec. IA terrible ex-
plosion occurred here in Stroll g. Haman's
feed mills AS the mill was about 10 start ur
tHenry Haman stepped up and trrned on the
steam when the boiler exploded killing him
and Albert Kline, who was standing near by
waiting to get some feed ground.
Wallace Stroll and one boy were badly
injured, and another boy slightly Every
thing IS a total wreck except the grinder.
The explosion set the straw stack and out
buildings on fire, but the prompt assistance
of the people Of the town prevented their de-
structi0n.
Ere in Furniture Factory.