Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-06
Bursting Boilers Cause a Building
to Collapse.
DISASTER IN DETROIT JOURNAL OFFICE
Many Girls and Women Were at
Work.
RESCUING THE VICTIMS

| CLOCK th-S morning the boilers in the
| Journal building, corner of Larned and
Shelby streets, exploded with terrific force.
A portion of the building about forty feet
wide Immediately collapsed, burying scores
of people in the ruins. Many girls and
women were employed in the building.
Shortly after o'clock the ruins broke
out in flames, AMI the great clouds of
sitting smoke seriously impeded the fire.
men in their work Of rescue.
| 1t is known that at the time of the col
lapse the steraotypers engaged on the fifth
floor were Michael Ward, Arthur Lynch,
| James Ross. All three OF them went down
| in the wreck.
In the third story was the Habbin electro
| type foundry, in which there were some
half dozen men.
In the top story was the Journals stereo-
typing department, where four or five men
| Were busy.
AS near as can be learned there were
from twenty-five 10 thirty at work in the
building exclusive of those who may have
been injured While passing on the street.
Three men We're carried into the News
| office in helpless condition within three
| minutes after the terrible explosion
Cries of others could be heard in the
ruins, but the confusion was too great to
secure details.
The people who were brought into the
News office were Martin Myer, an adver-
-tisirg solicitor of the Evening News, badly
cut in the neck and head; r. H. Foye, ad-
vei tis.ng solicitor on the News. cut about
the head; Frank G. Meiner artist in the
| Calvert Litilographic Company terribly
gashed in his forehead.
The portion of the building directly above
the boilers on the first floor, was occupied
by the Journals mailing department.
| About five men and boys were there at
work. In the second story WAS George
Killers bookbindery, in which a couple of
men and about score of girls were
employed. All of these people, boys and
girls, We're preciptated into the horrible
chaos of ruins ana escaping steam.
The fire department was summoned at
oi.ce, and with the aid of many persons
who were attracted to the spot at once
began the work of rescuing the poor VIC
TINS
Building Cut I'm Two.
The large building is cut clearly in two,
frcm frort to rear, by a gap of forty feet
at the bottom CT which is an almost solid
pile of timbers, brick and debris into which
the first hour or two work of search for
bodies made but little progress. The John
Davis Company, dealers in glocars' sun
dries. occupied the ground floor aad base
ment of one end of the building. The
firms list of employees is not large, but it
is doubtful whether all escaped The gap
| in the building extends through about half
of the Davis establishment.
| The Journals mailing department on the
| first floor was demolished and the few en-
ployes who were there at the time are not
yet accounted for At least dozen per-
sons are believed 10 have been al work in
Killers bookoindery on the second floor.
Some CT those who escaped from the wreck
report that they heard the screams of some
| of the binder girls as they fell and were
pinoned in the wreck
The Habbn type foundry on the third
floor and the Journals stereotypng de-
| DartmeQt the fifth floor firth cd
human victims to the wreck. The men,
bers of the editorial staff. on the fourth
floor, however, ell escaped. Many men are
scrambling in the bricks and debris, but
the fire which is burning underneath
makes it probable that some of the bodies
at least will be Moderated
VIM. Livingstone, manager of the Jour-
nal, said: The boilers although used as
part of the Journal plant, were not a part
of it. In the Journals lease of its building
from the Newberry estate. power was to
be furnished. and the power under the
contract was taken from the Newberry
| boilers"
The two boilers were looked over cas-
ually by an outside eng neer only Saturday.
He says they were each about fourteen
feet long and fifty inches in diameter, and
of the tubular pattern.
Hand fn the Rubbish.
About fifteen minutes after the explosion
those standing at the east side of the
wrecked building saw a movement in the
rubbish. A hand appeared, followed by an
arm, and helpers ran to the rescue. A
moment later john NJ. Winter, an employe
Of John Davis spice and mustard mills,
was dragged out.
Arthur d. Lynch, one OF the Journal
stereotypers, was taken from the ruins con-
scious, and is not seriously hurt. Several
| others were later rescued, with but slight
injuries.
ii
brand Engraving Company, whose rooms
| were on the third floor, said at IL o'clock
that two boys. each about sixteen years
old, who worked for him, We're in the
wreck. They are John Bowman and Henry
| Welsh. They were the only persons at
| work for him today.
Those known to be injured thus far are:
| Cornelius George, foreman Journal mail
room; Pressman Webber of the Journal,
both legs and arm broken; supposed to be
| fatally injured; Tom Williams assistant
foreman Journal, struck en- head by steam
| pipe; not seriously injured. Frank Gme:n-
| er. artist, seriously cut about head with
broken; taken out unconscious. Martin
| Meyer, advertising solicitor Evening News,
badly cut in neck and head
A Girls BODY Removed.
At 1870 the dead body of young girl
was taken out. Her name is unknown.
| body, supposed to be that OF VIM. Dunlap,
was dragged out about the same time.
Dunlap ran a small machine shop in the
building, the business being repairing of
| type-settng machines.
The cause of the explosion is a mystery.
Thomas Thompson, the engireer, came out
| of the wreck much injured. HIS clothes
| were all torn off and blood was running
from score of cuts. He said he knew no
reason for the explosion, and was too
| cited to talk coherently. The work of delv-
ing irto the ruins progresses slowly.
| NJ Jacobs, a paper dealer, who had just
left the bindery when the explosion
| Cured, says there were fully twenty en-
| ployes in the bindery.
The Evening News finds it impossible to
furnish a list of killed and injured, but
meanwhile is collecting a list of those who
were in the wrecked part of the building.
Five Fatalities Likely.
Up to II 80 three dead bodies had been
taken from the ruins, two men and girl.
all unidentified. There are three injured at
Emergency Hospital four at Harper and
one at Grace. At least two of the injured
! will probably die.