Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-18
Victims Of the Indianapolis Horror
Heard in the Ruins.
TWENTY-FIVE DEAD AND HURT
Lieut. SteeTs Court-MartiaI Opens
Today at Chicago.
VISITORS APPLAUD HIS DISCONTINUE
THE INDIANAPOLIS HORROR.
Stories Of the Two Survivors and the
Narrow Escape of Others.

until that is done there is no estimating how
many lost their lives in yesterdays ire The
firemen who escaped think it is possible that
there may be several bodies in the cellar, as a
few minutes before the crash came several men
we're in the rear lower floor room of the build
ing attempting to get out some of the FIRMS
books that had not been burned. 1t was re-
ported that three little newsboys had been
standing very near the wall which collapsed,
watching the actions of the fremen. If this is
so there is little hope of their being taken out
alive. Fire Chief Daugherty is being very Sc
verely criticised for ordering the firemen into
the building when it was in such an unsafe
condition. Five minutes before the crash
came the firemen were warned by citizens to
leave the building. but the warning was un-
needed
A fund has been started for the relief
OF the injured firemen and the families of the
dead and injured. Mayor Sullivan has issued
proclamation calling for subscriptions The
coroner has been investigating and will hold
an inquest today. Wells Robinson. who was res
eued with badly cut and bruised leg, gave the
following account of the disaster: II was work.
ing in the cellar when the crash came and was
knocked down and must have lost conscious
ness for moment When I recovered found
that piece of timber had lodged across my
leg and held me fast. Eshay Stormer / could
hear calling for help about ten feet away. He
was IN a worse place than was and he became
quiet after time. l struggled hard to get free,
as it was terribly hot and the burning timbers
we're all around me. jerked my leg free at
last and crawled out between the wall and the
ruins"
Thomas Barrett, the driver Of No. 6, was Wis.,
tied at his home, 275 South West street He
was found sitting up talking to host of friends
who had gathered to ascertain the extent of
his injuries and was about to give his own &C.
count OF the affair. Said he: TONY Voltz was
twenty feet away from me. l was on the lad
der on the Court street side and around me
we're Bloomer, Billy Reisner, McGinniss and
Jones. could not say how the wall fell, but
1t seemed to give way all at once just as the
floors gave in, probably because the supports
In the cellar were gone. did not lose con-
seriousness, but was pinned down and could
not get loose until they took me out"
Thomas Dillon, superintendent Of the Brush
electric light company, and William Long had
miraculous escape. They were on the roof
OF the burning building cutting the electric
wires when the crash came. By quick jump
ing both succeeded in reaching an adjoining
roof and escaped injury.
VOICES STILL HEARD.
An army OF workmen ia busily engaged cart
ing away the debris to exhume the bodies of
the dead and injured buried in the ruins Of the
Bowen-Merrill book company building. The
voices of several person yet in the
ruins can be family heard and an
excited throng of friends of the
missing ones are anxiously waiting the clearing
away Of the piles Of brick and broken timbers
that hold imprisoned, alive or dead, the missing
fremen- The injured number eighteen. The
fire originated in the basement from the fur
mace, but in what manner is not known. The
furnace was recently refitted and was supposed
to be in good condition
TwENTY-NINE IN ALL.
The list Of dead by the falling of the Bowen
Merrill companys building has not been
changed since last night. Up to noon today
eight dead bodies have been taken out and two
more have been found, but have not yet
been unloosed from their pinions. The
one body taken out this morning was
that of Tony Volz of hook and ladder
company 2. Henry Woodruff and Espy
stormer, pipemen, are missing and they
are supposed to be the men whose bodies have
been reached. 1t is feared that there are some
citizens under the ruins, as there were several
young men on the roof Of the building just
before it went down. Altogether twenty mine
persons have been taken out of the ruins. At
least half Of those taken out alive are danger
! ously hurt and two of them are not expected to
live. The work Of clearing away the debris
goes steadily on, but it will be couple of days
before the entire wreckage can be removed.