Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-03-27
MICHIGAN. THURSDAY. MARCH 27. 1890.
UNDER FALLING WALLS.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE AT AN IN
DIANAPOLIs FIRE.

The Book and Stationery Store of Bowen
a Merrill Ina Ashes - A Falling Wal
During the Progress of the Blaze
Hurls Many Firemen Into tho Blazing
Ruins.
indianapolis Qnd.) dispatch: The
shocking catastrophe during the fire AT
Bowen & Merrills book store has thrown
pail Of gloom over the entire city.
One more dead body has been taken
from the debris and this incre ases. the
number Of killed to eleven. Others are
thought to be buried under the pile of
masonry that fell into the alley. Many
people were standing I'm the opening be-
hind the Brunswick billiard hall wheu
the crash came and it Is said that some
| of them were buried under the falling
mass. Search is now being made for
| them.
Shortly after midnight the searching
party discovered man in the ruins,
and as large beam had fallen across
his body he was somewhat protected
| from the piles OF brick and stone that
came down with the wall. He was pin
loned TO the ground, but the weight
upon him was not sufficient to crush out
his life. He could not be reached, how
| ever, on account of the pile Of stuff that
was above him, and life would surely be
| extinct before he could be rescued If he
did not receive some bodily strength A
| peculiar device was resorted to. A rub
ber tube was lowered to the unfortunate
mans mouth, and In this manner he was
fed with whisky.
For over fourteen hours he lay in his
dangerous position. Every minute it
was expected that the huge piece Of
timber would sink and crush out what
life remained In the man, and the res
cuers worked heroically to release him.
At intervals of half hour the mar was
given little whisky through the tube,
and he was able to bear up until he was
released.
1t was 9:45 o'clock Tuesday morning
when he was taken from the ruins, and
a cheer went up from the crowd when
they saw that ho was alive and would
probably live.
The excitement was intense during the
many hours the rescuing party was
working hard to get at the man. All
this time he was conscious, and he look
cd up pleadingly at the men who finally
succeeded In saving him.
The building occupied by the book
company was a four-story and basement
marble front, facing Washington street
just west of Meridian. The fire started
shortly before J o'clock, near the fur
mace OF the sub-basement, and the de-
partment, when IL arrived, seemed at
loss to locate the flames and began pour
ing water into the front of the building.
For two hours the fight had continued
in this way until a majority of the spec
tators had left, under the impression
that the fire was out.
was a terrfnc crash and the entire build
lng,w the exception of the front wall.
fell inward. At the time a number of
lremen were on the roof and were bur
led In the debris, which was piled forty
feet high within the walls Of the burned
building.
Inc work OF rescuing the living and
extrlcating the dead was immediately
begun by at least five hundred volun-
teers. AT late hour the following ten
men had been taken out dead;
GEORGE FAULKNER.
ULYSSES GLAZIER.
AL HOFFMAN.
THOMAS S. BURKHARDT.
EPSEY STORMER.
RICHARD LOWRIL.
CHARLES JENKINS.
THOMAS A. BLACK.
ANDREW CHERRY, superintendent NJ
fire alarm system.
An unknown man.
The injured are:
ANTHONY VoLTz plpeman.
LEW RAFERT. fireman,
THOMAS BARRETT, fireman.
A.C. MERCER captain fire deDartmant-
THOMAS A. BLACK, pipeman.
WEBB ROBINSON, DiDphdAn,
WILLIAM PARTkE pipeman; internally |
hurt; may die.
HENRY WOODRUFF, pipeman badly hurt.
EBENEzER LEECH. pIpeman; cut and
bruised
Tom TALENTYRE, foreman engine No. .;
fatally crushed.
WILLIAM LEoNG, pipeman; slightly hurt
CHARLES JENKINS. pipeman; badly bruised.
WILLIAM HEINsLEY, pipeman; badly hurt.
JOHN BURKHART. pipemani badly hurt
about the head.
The Bowen Merrill Company carried a
stock valued at 1925, 900, on which there
was an insurance Of S7O,O The build
ing was owned by Sias L. Bowen, and
.he loss on the structure will be $50, 900.
Il. p. Was son, dealer In dry goods, suf-
Iered loss OF $4,000 by smoke and
water, and Byram e. Sullivan lost half
hat amount. Several smaller stocks
ire badly dama0ed