The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-11-07
A FATAL FIRE AT DETROIT
Boiler Explodes in a Newspaper
Office.
Nearly Forty People Were in the Build.
Ing at the Time, Many of Whom Are
stiii onaccounted For-The Editorial
Force Escaped without Injury-List
OF Dead and Injured.

DETROIT, Mich, Nov. Cat about o
o'clock this 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 several people in the ruins.
Many girls and women were EMPLOYED
in the building. Shortly after o o'clock
the ruins broke out in flames and great
clouds of sitting smoke seriously i'm.
peded the fremen in their work OF
rescue.
The dead thus far taken from the
ruins are: Lizzie Tapley, aged 30; Henry
Walsh, John j. Reuter-, George ri.
Soule, George Shaw. Willie Halves.
James Ross, VIM. W. Dunlap, Henry
Larivere, an unknown boy, and Carrie
Baver. Eighteen people were seriously
injured. Some thirty tenants and en-
ployes in the building are still missing,
and there can be no doubt that most Of
these are lying under the debris.
On the third story had been an electro.
type foundry, in which there were some
half dozen men. In the top story was
the Journals stereotyplng department.,
where four or five men were busy. The
portion of the building directly above
the boilers, on the first floor, was occu-
pied by the Journals mailing DEPART.
ment. About FIVE men and bows were
there at work. In the second story was
George Killers book. bindery, in which
a couple OF men and about score of
girls were employed. All of these peo-
pie, boys and girls, were precipitated
into the horrible chaos of ruins and es.
Gaping steam.
The fire department was summoned
at once. and, with the aid Of many per.
sons who were attracted to the sno.' At
once began the work of rescuing the
victims.
The large building was cut clearly in
TWO from front to rear by gap of forty
feet, at the bottom of which Is an almost
solid pile OF timbers, brick and debris,
into which the fret hour or two's work
OF searching for bodies made but little
progress, The John Davis COMPANY.
dealers in grocers' sundries, occupied
tho ground floor and basement of one
end Of the building. The firms list of
employees is not large, but 1t is doubtful
whether all escaped.
The Journals mailing department. on
the first floor was demolished and the
few employees who were there at the
time are not yet accounted for. At least
a dozen persons are believed to have
been at work in Killers book bi dery
on the second floor. Some of these who
escaped from the wreck report that thew
heard the screams Of some of the bind
cry girls as they fell and were pini oned
In the wreck.
The Habbin type foundry on the third
hoor and Journals sterotyping on the
nth floor each contributed human
forms. The members of the editorial
staff on the fourth floor, however, all
escaped.
The cloud of dust which blinded the
eyes OF the amszsd spectators OF the
horror was quickly succeeded by smoke
from the fires which started In the ruins
The work OF rescue was rushed to the
utmost all day and tonight, but pro-
gress has necessarily been very slow
The debris and brick are dumped into
an almost solid mass upon which ouap-
titles of water has been poured ana in to
which comparatively little Roadway has
been made.
VI those WIN are now in the ruins 1t
is I'm possible that any will be rescued
alive. Those who we're not killed out
right have undoubtedly persisted, either
from sufocatlon or exhaustion. The
only hope is that some OF those who
are reported missing may bs safe with
friends.
The total death rate will not be known
before to- morrow night 1t may be
even longer before the workmen reach
the basement floors of the Inflated
building and the total number OF lives
lost IS known to certainty. The work
of removing debris and search ing for
10 J.. Ia
lights. but the task Is q big one.
Carelessnees was undoub ,edly the
cause of the disaster, but where the
responsibility rests ia, as yet, prob
lemsticsi. Thomas Thorn oson. the
engineer, was painfully injured He
snid he could assign no reason for tho
explosion. City Boiler Inspector Nc
Gregor says he inspected the boilers
Last August, and had found them up to
the requirements. Some of the en-
ployes In the building assert that the
boilers were old and known to be- un-
safe. Still others have theory that
the explosion was caused by CHI. mic Is
owned by the Davis Company stored IN
the basement.
Another circumstance Is also consid.
| cred significant, namely, that carpen-
ters were engaged in Snoring up tho
Fl Dor of the second story DIR city ever
me boilers in order to sustain the
weight OF heavy machine which had
been placed in Dunlap's machine shop
The men who were az WORK a. this job
were buried in he ruins
Republican Mayor In Brooklyn.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Nov 6.-Brooklyn
city complete for MAYOR Wurster (Rep J..