St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-18
TWELVE BURIED.
Frightful Catastrophe at the
Wabash Company Ware
house, Toledo.
FALL OF A SIXTY-F00T WALL
a Dozen Men Carried Beneath
the Brick-and-Mortar
Debris.
THREE OF THESE ARE DEAD.
A Fourth Will Die and All the
Others Are Very Badly
Hurt.
THREE OF THESE ARE DEAD.
PHYSICIANS AT THE SCENE.
A Stubborn Fight With the
Flames--Loss on Property
Reaches 100000.

TOLEDO, O., March II. = The
round house of the Wabash Rail-
road company in this city, located
at the foot of South street on the
dock front, burned to the ground
between 10 and II o'clock this morn
ing. Three-quarters Of an hour
after the first alarm was sent in
the southwest wall of the building,
sixty feet in circumference, fell in,
Two of them were instantly killed,
a third died short time after be-
ing taken out of the debris, and the
others were all badly hurt, one
probably fatally. All but John
Bowen were employees of the Wa
bash.
THE DEAD.
r. H. BOHLMAN, aged fifty-six,
painter, married; seven children; skull
crushed, internally injured.
]. j. PRESTON, aged thirty-five, car
inspector; married, six children; back
broken. skull crushed; killed instantly.
JOHN BOWEN, aged eighteen, spec
tator; skull crushed; internally injured;
killed instantly.
THE INJURED.
F. H. Howard, general foreman East
ern division; head bruised, face cut,
slightly burned; will recover John
Leary, machinist, leg broken, arm
crushed, skull fractured, shoulder
broken; may die. Patrick McDonogha,
fireman, skull fractured, shoulder
broken; will recover. Martin Green
burg, car repairer, head cut; will re-
cover. Harry Zimmerman, painter,
legs sprained, body bruised. Louis
Becker, painter, head bruised, Shout
der sprained. Henry Gerding, car re-
pairer, head bruised and cut T. C.
Lauer, truck foreman, head and neck
sprained, head cut. Casper Becker,
painter, head and shoulders cut.
THE FIRST ALARM.
for the fire came by telephone to the
district offices at 1910 a. m. A few
minutes previously resident of the
ne1ghborhood of the round house saw
small flame burst out of the cupola
Oh the building, and he ran to the Office
OF the general foreman, directly across
from the round house, and notified
those IN charge. General Foreman
howard summoned the company's prf-
Vate hre department, consisting of fif-
teen men, TO the scene, and a stream
VI water was directed towards the
blazing cupola. A heavy wind was
pioWlhg' ana the ire soon ate its way
down to the roof of the round house.
ir,n
hre he saw there was danger of the
flames reaching the oil house, repair
shops and the Wabash elevator. all
In close proximity, and he Immediately
sent in a general alarm. Meanwhile.
the roads fire company had directed
It's Efforts towards smothering the
names in the southeast end of the
structure, which menaced the oil
house. and the fire at this point was
held fairly in check. The roof was now
all ablaZe, and
THREATENED TO COLLAPSE
every moment, but the falling of the
walls was not at this time anticinated
The iron braces supporting the room
expanded in the intense heat. and the
frail frame covering gave way with q.
: muffled roar, falling In on the stalled
engines. AT this moment the south
west wall, eighteen feet high and
eighteen inches thick, was seen to
totter outward from the lateral nres-
sure of the falling roof, and veil went
up to apprise of their danger the fif
teen men at work at this portion of
the building. The warning came too
late, and twelve of the men were bur-
led in pile of bricks several feet high.
Ihat only two were killed outright
was nothing short of miraculous
Streams of water were poured on the
smoking debris, and as soon as possi-
bic the work of rescue began. Preston
and Bowen were buried comnleteIv
and We're dead some time before their
bodies were reached. They were badly
crushed, BoWen'S features not beinp
recognizable. Bohlman was taken out
in an
UNCONSCIOUS CONDITION.
and moved to his home, where he died
a few hours afterwards. By this time
half a dozen physicians had reached
the scene, and attention was directed
towards caring for the injured. Learv.
the machinist, was found to be the
worst sufferer, and it was feared he
NOuiu SCdTcely I'VE out the Qay. The
others, though badly used up. will
probably all recover. The firemen had
stubborn fight with the now doomed
roundhouse, the heavy wind greatly
aiding the stubborn flames. At noon
the fire was practically under control
after destroying all that was inf1am-
mable of the building. The property
loss is estimated at 100000, probably
insured. The roundhouse, which had
a capacity of twenty locomotives. con-
tanned only six engines, and these are
all badly damaged A Wheeling &
Lake Erie coal car and a Baltimore e.
Ohio box car were consumed.
Late tonight two more men were
found who were injured by the falling
wall. They are: J. Finlay, an en-.
giucer, of Andrews, Ind; George Tow
ers, machinist. Both in the employ of
the Wabash. Finlay is quite serious
ly hurt. His chest was crushed, and
ho sustained severe scalp wound.
Towers has a fractured leg and is
more or less bruised.