Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-03-19
A HOLOCAUST.
FIFTEEN MEN FALL INTO THE
SETTLING FLAMES.
4 THRILLING SCENE OF HORROR
A Publishing House in indianapolis
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Victims Re.
covered OF Whom Twelve arc
Dead.

afternoon flre from furnace III the
basement of the large book publishing
establishment of the Bowen Merrill conf
pany reached some paper, and in an in
slant the flames were carried by the
elevator shaft to the fourth story. The
building, fine stone and iron struc-
ture fronting on Washington street,
was stored with books and stationary Of
all kinds. This large stock was con-
sumed and the building wrecked.
At $50 o'clock this loss of more than
Slj0,000 on building and stock was fol-
lowed by the falling of the roof, which
carried down more than twenty per-
sons, including those who were work.
ing Oh the various floors. The fire at
this hour had been driven to a corner
between the ceiling of the fourth story
and the corner.
Into the Seethin: Ruins
Part of the fire companies were on
the roof working their way down to the
fire. The roof seemed sound and the
walls substantial, but suddenly the
walls yielded. a man threw up his
arms and sank into the seething ruins
below. Another man dropped and then
the whole rear roof, with fifteen men
on it, fell OH the top floor where the fire
was raging.
Four men were on the upper floor
under the roof. These were crushed
beneath the grinding timbers and all
the men hurled through the falling
floor beneath, which gave way beneath
the weight of the mass. One of the
firemen on the top of the adjoining
building ran to the front of the build
ing and shouted to those below: "For
Gods sake throw water in the upper
windows. Twenty men are buried
there"
Scene of Horror.
Instantly ambulances were teleploned
for and presently the crowd below
moaned under the portentious develop
ments. The scene on the heap of debris
Immediately after the collapse was pitt
able and dreadful beyond the power of
description. The limbs of men here
and there were seen writhing, while the
trunks to which they belonged were
buried from sight. 4 ladder lay across
three men and was weighted down by
tons of brick and timber. Another
poor fellow, who was beyond all pain,
lay close beside his fellows, shapelesS
and mangled mass. The ladder lay
across the stomach of one man who
was screaming with agony. Another
man with broken arm and twisted
body lay next to him.
The Work of Rescue.
as fast as willing hands could hurl
away the bricks they were removed,
but the ladder was too firmly held to
Weld. The. man with the broken arm
was dragged free and carried away.
Under him, mute but breathing, ap-
peared the upturned face of poor fell
low not seen before. The mortar and
dust were cleaned from his lips, but he
was buried so deeply that no immediate
help could come to him.
On all sides blackened and bleeding
faces, distorted with agony or dreadful
in death, urged the crowd who had
scaled the heap to assist them to re.
double their efforts. The debris had
fallen so that it lay with valley shaped
surface and this made available space
for work very small. There was no
place to deposit the materials dug from
the bottom of the valley except to throw
them upon the side of the depression,
from which they continually rolled
down toward the center again.
still the Horror Grows.
All the work of relief was thus car
ried on with great ditfic ulty. One by
one the men nearest the surface were
extrlcated, but as the workers went
down further they discovered new VIC
TINS and the horror steadily grew. The
forward part of the building still stood
high and burning tiercely and threat
ened every moment to fall down and
bury the brave rescuers, but they gave
no heed to the peril. On either side the
walls lowered and seemed ready to fall,
but there was no time to think of them.
Names which men inquired after
were passed hurriedly from lip to lip
and people bent down to scan closely
the blackened and Scared faces. Per-
sons who had friends among the fire.
men, or among citizens who were sup
posed to have been near the fatal walls,
became frantic as time passed and they
could get no word. AS the wounded
were carried out of the ruins they were
met with embraces and tears of Joy,
but when the still, broken forms were
borne away. motionless and limp, then
it was when the full sadness and horror
OF the calamity came upon the waiting
crowd.
At this hour twenty-five men have
been taken from the ruins, twelve OF
whom were dead and the rest more or
less injured. Others are known to be
under the mass of debris, but have not
vet been reached.
The following Is as complete list Of
the killed and wounded as it is possible
to secure at this hour:
Killed.
George Glenn, George Faulkner, Andrew
Cherry, Albert Hoffman, Ulysses Glazer,
Richard Lowry, Thomas Black. Espy
Stormer, John Burkhoult, William Hinsley,
all firemen.
Charles Jenkins, pipeman. II
Samuel Neal, captain.
Wounded.
Anthony Voltz, pipeman. Lew Rafert, fire.
man. Thomas Barrett, fireman. A. G. Mer-
Ger, captain fire department. Samuel w.
Neal. pipeman. Thomas A. Black, pipeman.
Webb Robinson, pipeman. William P. Ar
tee, pipeman; internally hurt, may die.
Henry Woodruff, plpeman; oaoly nurt.
Ebenezer Leech, pipeman; cut and bruised.
Thomas T. Alentyre, foreman engine No. 2;
fatally. William Leong, pipeman; slightly
hurt. Charles Jenkins, pipeman; badly
bruised. William Heinsley, pipeman: badly
hurt. John Burkhart, pipeman; badly hurt
about the head.
Dick Lowrie. pipeman, is still under
The ruins, as is also Walter Jones, and
it is supposed that both are dead.
The Bowen Merrill company's loss Is
Sl25, 600; insurance, $4,000. Loss on
building $30,00 II. P. Wasson, dry
goods, suffered a loss of $4,000 by
smoke and water and Byram & Sulll-
van, dry goods, half that amount.