Evening star., 1894-04-13
LATE NEWS BY WIRE.
Twelve Supposed to Have Perished
in the Buffalo Fire.
SCENES ABOUT THE RUINS TODAY
Impossible to Begin Excavating
Among the Bricks.
THE LOSS ABOUT $500, 900

BUFFALO. NY, April 13.-The dawn OF
another day shed no light on the terrible
mystery surrounding the workmen on the
upper floors Of the American glucose works
which were wiped out by fire last night
How many men were working when the fire
broke out can be approximated. There were
eight injured. but how many escaped and
how many lost their lives by suffocation OF
by jumping to the earth, only to be buried
under tumbling walls, or leaping into the
canal, only to be imbedded in mud, never to
rise again. cannot be estimated
On Scott street the building rose eight
stories. On the canal side it was three
stories higher yet. The fremen reached
windows on the sixth floor by their ladders
in time to rescue a dozen workingmen. The
flames forced them to retreat, but they
know that above the sixth floor were be-
tween thirty and forty employees. Escape
by stairways or fire ladders being cut off,
their doom was sealed. Some perhaps half,
must have perished.
These laborers were Polish in the main,
thus making it all the more difficult to OBJ
tain names or prosecute inquiries as to the
number missing. Many a Pole employed in
the glucose night gang did not come to
breakfast this morning, and, as a conse-
quence, a handful Of weeping Polish wives
who early visited the hospitals, looking for
their husbands and finding that quest vain,
now stand fearful and tremulous about the
smoldering embers of the fire, waiting for
some news Of their loved ones.
Although heavy streams were pouring on
the ruins all night and half dozen en-
gines are pumping water on the steamirg
bricks this morning. it will be night or
alxyf
walton can be begun. Hundreds of specta-
tors stood about the scene of devastation
this morning and thousands passed to and
fro in hasty examination on their way to
work The loss. although overestimated In
the early reports, is still larger than this
city has experienced in five years. 1t is
now judged that the loss to the glucose
works proper will not exceed $500 900, fully
covered by insurance.
Just two men were seen to leap from
windows into the canal. They were res
cued unhurt. Frank Coyle, the mint en-
gineer, says that about four minutes after
he had discovered the fire and sounded the
alarm to the workmen on the upper floors,
he stepped to the east end of the main
building. He heard a whirring sound In
the air above him, and then some object
struck the ground with terrifi: force. He
thinks 1t was the body Of a nan who had
leaped from an upper window.
1T was all dark from the smoke. i did
not look. I couldn't have told who 1t was,
for he must have been knock I'd all to pieces.
and had not the heart"
This body, if it was such, is now buried
under fallen walls
Inquiries have been made by relatives
for the following twelve workmen. who are
and supposed to have been burned
or crushed to death:
John Biume, John Casker Michael Gin
tig, John Huber. George Jepka, Tony Hoff-
man, James Lobaik, Michael Maleski, Jno.
Odeska, Stephen Sinski, John Trube. John
Finger.
The supposed loss of life appalls the super
intendent of the works. He cannot ac-
count for the disappearance Of the men In
any other way except by death.