Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1895-11-14
90 KILLED In DETROIT
BOILERS IN THE JOURNAL Of
FICE EXPLODE.
Five-story Building Completely Wrecked
and About so Souls Carried Down In
the DebrIs-At Least 40 Were Killed
and "a Score Injured.
Horrible Holocaust at Detroit.


The five-story brick building occu-
pied by the Evening Journal, on the
corner of Larned and Shelby streets,
Detroit, was the scene of the most har-
rowing disaster that has ever been
witnessed in that city. The building
is divided into three sections by two
fire walls which run from the founda-
ton TO the roof. The two sections to
the west were occupied by the Journal,
principally while the eastern section
contained the ournal boiler rooms in
the basement, ana the journal stereo-
typing rooms on the fifth floor The
intermediate floors were occupied by
Hitler book bindery; John Davis ~
Co., manufacturing chemists; VIM.
Dunlap q Co, machinists; the journal
mailing rooms; Ii. G. Kohlbrand, en-
gravei; y. +. Collier, Detroit branch
of the New York publishing house and
McNair X Co., bookbnders. John
Davis & Co and Hitler employed
quite a number of persons and the en-
ployeS of the other firms would bring
the total number of people in that
section of the building up to about 80.
1t was about . o clock IN the morn
ing when without the least warning
there was sudden explosion in this
ward and an instant later the entire
five stories collapsed and crashed
down, down into the basement, carry
ing between 40 and 50 precious souls
down in the awful wreck and ruin. All
that could be seen was a frightful
mass of broken and twisted and tan
gled timbers, ironwork, bricks, stone
and plaster and in the midst of this
conglomeration were the dead, dying
and wounded. II seems miraculous
that the entire Journal building was
not carried down. If it had been the
loss of life would have been more than
doubled. As it was the walls were
badly cracked, the windows all
smashed and other damage done.
Surrounding buildings on all sides had
their windows broken by the concus-
sion and great many people were in
jured by broken glass.
Before the people in the vicinity OF
the disaster had recovered from the
shock cries of distress were heard from
the pile of debris and two or three
men were seen staggering out of the
edges of the mass. They were badly
dazed, cut and bleeding. These were
taken care of by the crowd which at
once began to swarm upon the street.
lances were called out and in a few
moment scores of rescuers were tear
ing at the ruins like mad in their en-
deavors to rescue those imprisoned in
the wreck. The terror of the situation
was increased by fire which soon broke
out and the smoke became so dense
that the workers were threatened with
sutfocation. Several streams of wa ter
were turned on, but the steam only
added to the difficulty of the rescuers
and presented the possibility of drown
ing the poor victims who might yet
have a spark of life. However, four
dead bodies were recovered within
three hours, three persons having been
previously rescued alive. 1t then
became apparent that there was no
possibility of saving any more alive,
but the force OF men was increased un-
til over 800 were at work and so teams
were hauling away the rubbish. Thus
the work continued throughout the
day and by o'clock the number of
bodies recovered had increased to 10.
Electric lights were provided and the
labor was carried ON during the
night Within as many hours IL
bodies had been taken from the ruins
and still there were - persons missing,
NIL uHhOuDNthiN lilNlli SUI w
their lives long before. As the efforts
OF the workmen progressed there were
many heart rending scenes as fathers,
mothers, brothers and sisters awaited
with pitiful grief for the remains of
their loved ones to be brought TO view.
The work was very difficult and as the
bodies were discovered one by one the
heavy tim bers often had TO be cut from
about them and in most cases the bod
les were horribly mutilated burned
and scalded. In some cases the only
means of identification was by small
portions of the clothing which re-
manned. When the men had been al
work about 80 hours their labors had
been rewarded with bringing TO light
"a bodies, but three were still missing
The list of the dead bodies recovered
of the missing is as following
The Dead.
John Francis Derby. carpenter. married two
children. Joseph bradley, carpenter, married
two children. Louis g. Riecker, machnlst
Dunlap q o. Rosa Brett. remains frightfullN
burned and mutlated identined by buckle
on belt Emma Llchtenberg. terribly mutt
lated. employed at Killers. Anna Wiedbusch
employed at Killers. katie Leonard. EN-
ployed by John Davis & Co: sole support o
widowed mother NJ Rosa Morgan aged 4
evidently died OF suffOcation John Breiten
becher aged 81 employed at Killers married
ployed in bmdery. Earnest Parkins, mai
clerk. Journal Jennie Neubauer. aged III
employed at Hitler 5. badly mutilated. Berthi
Wiedbusch employed at Killers James Ross
aged ~ sterotyper. Journal Henry Lariviere
aged 49, mailer. journal John BONNER. ageC
IL, employed by kohlbrand q Co. Walter y
Saxby. machinist. Dunlap Co Lizzie Tap
ley. aged ~. employed by Davis & Co. Henri!
Clou Walsh, aged 10, employed by kohlbrant
q Co. John j, Reuter-. aged ~, employed b.
Dunlap & Co, Geo. H. Soule, engrayer. Geo
Shaw. aged III, mailer. Journal. Willie Hawes
aged rs. mailer. Journal. Carrie NJ. Bower
aged & bookkeeper In Killers binderv. Hat
tie Hitler, forewoman In bindery. Michae
Ward aged ~. Journal stereotyper. Mimi
Liese. aged -, book binder. VIM. w. DUNLAP
of Dunlap a Co. machinists. Adolph Schrte
Der. Jr.. book binder at Killers. John Gordon
electrotyper. Catherine Hitler, forcwoman =
bndery. Lue retz, aged 49, employee OF Dun
lap 4 GO. Geo. J Hitler, owner OF bindery
Anna Uhlik presswoman in Killers bindery.
The Missing.
Chas. Lind. aged -, book binder at Killers
Jas. Is. Thomas. machnist with Dunlap a. CO
Lizzie Wiedbusch. employed at Hilltrs.
Frank Ayrcs accidentally shot an,
killed himself while hunting nea
Wheeler.