The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-11-12
TERRIBLE
Forty Killed and Twenty Wounded
Two Boilers Exploded in a Base
ment at DetrOit--The Journal
III L. nnnh.a-.a
Building Destroyed.

Two Boilers Exploded in a Base
ment at Detroit--The Journal
Building Destroyed.
DETROIT, Nov. 6-At 8 o'clock this
morning one of the steam boilers CON
nected with the Journal plant exploded
with terrific force snd terrible results.
The boiler was located in the southeast
corner of the building No. 40 West
Larned street. The first floor was &C.
cupied by the Journal mailing depart
ment, IN which a force of fifteen men
and boys are usually employed. The
second floor was occupied by the Rog-
ers' Typographical Supply Company,
employing or eight men: the
third floor by Killers Book Binderv.
which employed fully twenty-five girls
and men; the fourth was occupied by
W. KOhlbrand, an engraver, and on
the fifth floor was the stereotyping de-
partment of the Journal. Only three
men were at work in this department.
when the explosion occurred.
The building No. IS, occupied by
Jno. Z. Davis q Co, grocers' supplies,
was also completely wrecked. ONLY
five or six persons were at work there.
however, when the disaster occurred.
and the loss of life in that building will
be small. In an instant the buildings
were a mass OF ruins, under which was
buried many human beings.
The explosion shook the surrounding
buildings and glass in the radius of a
block was shattered in all directions,
many employees of adjoining establish
ments beng severely cut by the flying
glass.
Half an hour after the explosion oc
CURED fire broke out in the debris and
the fremen had to suspend the work
of rescu9R and devote their attention to
putting out the flames. just before the
flames started one poor fellow was
found with the lower part of his body
piniOned tightly. He was conscious
end begged the rescuers to get him out.
Tney worked like fends to release the
unfortunate victim, but all to no avail.
The flames suddenly shut up around
him and he had to be left to his fate.
Up to noon eight bodies Lad been
taken from the ruins and two more
were in sight. Most of the bodies had
been burned beyond recognition. The
deaths will probably reach 80.
The Rogers typographical supply
plant, which had just been leased by
the M~ergenthaler Go. to VIM. Dunlap,
and which was located on the second
floor of the wrecked building, was en-
Tirely destroyed and the loss cannot be
estimated. The destruction of the
plant cuts eff all supplies to papers
using the Rogers typograph machines.
The list of casualties continues to
grow and it is now supposed that at
least forty persons were killed and
twenty wounded. The money loss will
reach $50, 900.
The Detroit Journal was located at
Shelby and Larned streets, occupying
for it's main offices a 20 foot front on
L rned street Next east of this build
ing and in part of the same block were
two twenty foot fronts, which consti,
tuted the scene of the dis 4ster. One
of these, No As, was wholly occupied
by John Davis & Co, saleratus manu-
facturers and dealers in grocers' sup.
| plies, while in the basement were the
two boilers which exploded. just above
the boilers was the Journals mailing
room. The second f)or was occupied
by the KOhlbran Engraving Company
and w. w. Dunlap's agency fer Rogers
typograDh supplies. On the third and
fourth floors were J. George Killers
book bindery, and the top floor was the
Journals stereotyping room.
There were three s5ereotypers al
work on the Journals floor, about
thirty girls in the book bindery, be.
sides the proprietor, a machinist, and
several others in the typographical
supply shop, several engravers and as
sistants in the Kohlbrand Co. 3 rooms
and a force of clerks on the ground
floor, the mailing room There were
six persons in the Davis building. In
the basement were the engineer, fire
man and several pressmen.