The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-10
AWFUL CALAMITY.
Two Fatal Fires in Louisville ut
tho Samo Hour.
FOUR FIREMEN ARE KILLED
In Ono Bnildlns and n Number Of
Girls Burned TO Dcath In n Candy
Factory..Both Fires Caused by Ex.
plOsionS--Thc Work 0fEcscuinS tho
Wounded mud Recovering tho
Dead.

Dead.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Dec. 0.-While the
iircmcn were rnking away the ruins Of
tho Boone Paper Company at 1880 this
morning there came the sound Of Z ter
rife explosion In the building on tho
east OF them. That was the Bambcrger,
Strong 4 Co. building, four stories high.
On the instant flames broke from every
floor and shot out through tho roof.
Fire must have been smoulderihg for
several hours in the cellar and when
each OF tho four stories had become
filled with heated air and smoke IN ex-
plosion followed and the building was
one mass OF flame.
Before the fire could be extinguishcd
the wholesale boot and shoe house Of
Hamburger, Strong & Co.; Bliss, Wilson
q Co., furnishing and notions; Weller,
Voolfolk Il Payne, boots and shoes !;
Johan Doake & Sons, hats, had been de-
stroycd. The losses and insurance were
rs fol!ows Bambergcr, Strong 4 Co.,
loss Sl2j, 900; insurance 100000. Bliss,
Wilson Il Co., loss $4,000; insurance
$4,000; Weller, Voolfolk & Payne, loss
$4,000; insurance unknown. Johan
Boeke " Sons, loss $4,000; insurance
$4,000.
,sp,.r
1t was with great difficulty that the
tiremen prevented the flames from
Spreading further.
Later information shows that a-num-
Der OF tircmeu-al! hook and ladder men
were caught under the falling wall OF
Bambergrr, Strong II Co.'s building.
Fire Chief Hughes and Captain Wealth
erlord were injured, four dead fircmcn
lay under the walls and iour others are
badly hurt.
The dead iircmen are William Moore,
William Davis, Samuel Baker and Tony
Schlict.
MANY GIRLS BURNED.
ATS o'clock another fatal fire was
raging in Z. 4. 4Ienn & Co.'S wholesale
candy and fancy grocery housc,a square
above the Boone Paper Company's
building. The origin OF the fire is n
mystery. Forty girls we're ut work
wrapping candy OIL the fourth floor and
all were not able to escape. The fire
Was out at II o'clock and then the work
OF taking out the bodies began. The
bodies OF six girls were soon taken out,
burned beyond recognition. &. T..
Mem, brother OF the senior member OF
the firm, was burned 10 death, and the
tiremen think at least five other girls
will be found as soon us the hot cmbers
will permit thorough scrrch. The
fire cut off escape by the stairway lead
ing from the fourth story, where the
girls were at work; many jumped from
the windows TO Il second story proiec-
ton and escaped with broken limbs
and bruised bodies. Others got out un-
hurt.
The fire originating in the Boone
Paper Co.'S building was supposed to be
fully extinguished a little after o'clock
last night, and later all the engines
were withdrawn. The ladder men were
the only men left. They were watching
the adiacant buildings.
DoDIEs USRECoGNIZABLE.
Tho four men were in the Bamberger,
Strong & Co. building about twenty
minutes before o'clock this morning.
The fire in ATcnn & Co.'S store is sup
posed 10 have arisen from one OF the
candy furnaces, which possibly ex-
ploded. At any rate the flames COM
municatcd with the new and big stock
oi Christmas fireworks.
The bodies taken out are SO charrcd
and blackcncd that Identification is so
far impossible. Great confusion exists.
Main street, where the principal whole
sale traffic OF the city goes on, is block
AIDED andth business almost at stand
still.
The loss on AIenn & Co.'s building
and stock is placed at 5000, and the
total loss will be nearly thrcc-ouartcrs
oi 4 million. Tho flames were stopped
at Geo. W. Wicks & Co.'s cotton house.
The bodies OF tho girls were removed as
soon rs possible to the nearest under
taking establishment.
LArEH-Fivo bodies have been re-
covered. ThreD OF these recovered are:
Amelia Dickey, Mary Welsh, Barbara
Bell. Two not identified are supposed
to be Lou Kern. Clara Bausch.
LATER--EEcovERISG THE BODIES.
Gangs OF worlmcn have been busy
in the ruins oi the fire on Main street
since the flames were subducd and are
still busy. At AIcnn's, the candy
factory, 5l7 West Main, where ten
were entombcd by the crashing walls,
tho only unusual sight from without
is u pile OF wreckaSe in the street. In
side under the cdge dripping, broken
floors and raitcrs. Twenty feet from
the front OF the building laborers are
still! digging towards tho cellar and
searching for the bodies OF the missing.
Tho mass is still smouldering and there
is no hope for any. At 10 o'clock the
body OF Charles KENNEL, the partner
in the firm, was rescued at the candy
factory, and 4 little later two bodies
supposed TO be those OF Clara Rouch
anu Wm. 1lutzemeior. This leaves
three more supposed 10 be in the ruins
at that point.
The bodies as fast as recovered are
removed to the nearest undertaking
establishment, and there await idcnti-
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