Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-01
HORROR AT A FIRE.
Caught Unawares by a Falling
Brick Wall.
NINE MEN BURIED IN THE DEBRIS.

Injuries-A Thrilling Scene Described
Out of Danger-Quick Work at Rescu-
ing the Imperiled Men-Awful Risk
Taken by Their Comrades-List of the
Unfortunates.
CHICAGO. Oct. IA fire, which nearly
resulted in the death of nine firemen,
ragged last night in S. Frankln's picture
frame factory at III and l73 Canal street.
The injured men are: John Riley. engine
10, probably fatally; Andrew Nelson, en-.
CINE II, probably fatally; Richard Hal
version, Tom Cochrane, Charles Clexton,
Sylvester Higgins, William Kiley. Daniel
Tuomy; William Carey-the seven latter
| all of engine II, except Tom Cochrane,
| who belongs TO engine 10
Location OF the Fire.
The building is an old frame shanty
faced in brick and is hemmed in on the
south by the five story block occupied by
| the Emmerich Feather company. Just
| how the fire started no one seems TO know
| but within a few minutes flames were
bursting from al! parts of the building
| The ugly location of the fire prompted the
captain of engine 10. who was first to ar
| rive, to turn in a general alarm. Twenty
engines and as many hose carts responded.
A southeast wind, tapping around the
corner of the big Emmerich building,
| quickly famed the blaze into an immense
furnace, and rendered the open square in
the rear of the building veritable cal
dron.
The Firemen's Fight Begun.
| A huge mass of fame, reaching from
the ground to height of 100 feet, swirled
around in the open corridor, and even the
| tiremen hesitated at the entrance of mar
row alley leading from Adams street. A
dozen streams of water soon drove the i'm
mense tongue of fame into the building.
but flames still rushed from every aper-
and window, and sprang in hundred
tongues from the cement flooring where
the firemen stood. The force OF water at
the front of the building helped the
strong east wind and rendered the task of
those who fought the fire I'D the rear
doubly hazardous.
A Mad Rush for Safety.
Suddenly the believing of fire captain.
and the cracking of burning tim bers
were drowned by yell that could have
been heard block away. The crowd wa.
bawling to the firemen at the rear to rur
for their lives. Throwing down theil
noZZles the firemen made a mad rush for
place of safety. At the same instant
heavy wall toppled over and rolled
down into a broken mass in the caldrou
below. Quickly as they had retreated
L hah han ! n,
their comrades had been caught in the
falling ruins. A dozen willing hands
quickly extricated Fireman Riley from
burning heap, and half dragging, hall
lifting him through the labyrinth OF
pipes, the poor fellow was carried to a pa.
troll wagon. At first it was thou ght that
the man had been killed. His right eal
had been torn off, and an ugly wound In
the chest, from which the blood was flow
ing showed where he had been crushed
The second fireman taken out OF the ruin,
was Tom Cochrane, of Engine TO- but hi.
wounds were not serious
| Caught in n Basement.
| Meanwhile Il scene of still greater hor
ror WAS being enacted in the basement oil
the Emmerich building, where company
IL were engaged In beating back the
flames from the larger structure. AS the
north wall of the quadrangle fell the
lower portion of it bulged forward into
the basement of the Emmerich building
and the next moment shower of blazing
timbers had buried half dozen men,
pressing them down to what seemed GER
tain death With an effort born of the
fearful peril Firemen Halverson and
Higgins dragged themselves from be
meath the burning mass Their blazing
I IL. IL
men hurried off to get their wounds
dressed
Bravely Rescued.
| But the position of Fireman Clextor
was one of almost indescribs peril
Two beams had fallen across his shout
ders, wedging him firmly in the fiery
heap, while a few feet away the heavy
hose pipe was melting away in the flame
like so much solder To make an effort Il
save CleXton it was necessary TO cross tn,
| thin crust of the seethiug furnace. 4
false step meant a headlong plunge int,
the burning hole. But the slim chanc
was accepted by the comrades of the i'm
prisoned man. The wonderful disciplin,
of the brigade stood the men in goot
stead, and by united effort they succeed
ed i'll pulling Clexton from his perilou
predicament just as the flames beneath
had begun to burn his rubber overall Is
He was not badly hurt.
Under the Blazing Timbers.
Beneath the blazing timbers were Fire
men kiley and Carey. To turn hose oil
the burning heap was the work of few
seconds. and the flames were speedily ex
tinguished, when a hasty search wa
made for the bodies of the missing fire
men. When the searchers were rewarded
1 l.. Il !. Z l.
that in neither case was life yet extinct
kiiey had sustained severe injuries from
the falling ruins two of his ribs bens
} broken, but his comrade had by miracle
escaped bodily injury. and was simply I'm
conscious from suffocation.
An hour of hard work got the fame
under control The loss will be between
$35 900 and SO, 900; partly insured
. The DiIlpn -O'Rrirn Trial ~