Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-04-12
AN EXPLOSION.
Fifteen Men Killed in q Fireworks
Factory.
MANY OTHERS FATALLY INJURED.
The Flames Spread to Adjoining Buildings
Two Men Crushed While Repair
ing an EIevator-One May
Recover.

PETERSBURG, Va, April 9.-Fully fif-
teen men were killed and half as many
more wounded by an explosion of pow
der in the fireworks factory of Romaine
Bros in this city Saturday afternoon
Just prior to the explosion Charles n.
Romaine, the senior member of the
firm; Mr.. John Bland, the senior MEM
Der of the tobacco firm of Bland Bros
& Wright; Capt j. Tosh, prominent
citizen, and Charles Bland, of the firm
of Bland Bros, were engaged in con-
versation in the Office of the fireworks
company. Fire was discovered in an
outbuilding, and these gentlemen went
to the assistance of the employees and
tried to extinguish it by throwing
buckets of water on it.
An alarm had been turned in and
just as Chief Engineer Farley of the
fire department turned into the yard
the explosion occurred. Messrs John
Bland and Charles Romano were killed
instantly and their bodies horribly
mangled. Both are members of the
city council. Chief Engineer Farley
was fatally injured and died in two
hours. Capt. Tosh's body was burned
beyond recognition. The other dead
are: Robert Roland, James Roland,
James Perkins, William Tyler, John L.
Harris, R Graves and five others not
identified.
Among the wounded are: Charles
Short, John Wells and several Italians
who will probably die, and whose
names cannot be ascertained. The
loss by fire will reach 500, 1000.
About fifteen minutes after the first
explosion there was a second These
explosions were heard for over a mile.
The fire originated in the building,
where powder for whistle bombs was
made. The flames were soon commun-
icated to the other buildings used for
making fireworks, and there were fire.
quent small explosions. It was re-
ported that a large quantity of pow
der was stored, exactly where no one
appeared to know, in these buildings
and kept the crowd from venturing
too near the fire.
On the opposite side of the street
from the fireworks building, all of
which were frame structures, was the
trunk factory of Messrs Romano Bros.
and close by were the large brick to-
bacco factory of Bland Bros. & Wright
and the old whisky distillery. now I'M
used. ALI these buildings, with stock
and machinery, were burned to the
ground, as was also a large stock of
lumber.
CRUSHED BY AN ELEVATOR
CHICAGO, April Crank Kennedy
was crushed to death and Frederick
Koenig, perhaps, fatally injured, be-
meath the elevator in the Columb bus
Cloak Co.'S store Sunday. The men
were making some repairs to the eleva
tor. They had been working half an
| hour when they were startled by see
| ing the elevator cable in motion They
| looked up and saw the cage coming
down upon them. Before they could
move the cage had cut off all means OF
| escape. Both Kennedy and Koenig
shouted for help, and then both were
crushed by the heavy cage which set
| tied down upon them
The mems cries were heard by other
men in the building, who ran to their
rescue. The heavy elevator was quick
ly raised from the bodies of the unfor-
tunate men, Kennedy was dead and
Koenig unconscious Koenig was ter
ribly crushed about the breast, shout
ders and legs, and in a precarious con-
dition. The attending physicians have
hopes. however, of his recovery. How
| the elevator started on its downward
course is unknown, as there was no
one but the unfortunate men abou I
the shaft Both were married.