The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-18
UNDER A FALLING WALL
Twelve Men Instantly Buried In a
Mass Of Debris
SOME ARE INSTANTLY KILLED
others Are Rescued But In a Badly
Injured Conditional Hot Fire
In a Round House and Its
Tragic Results.

TOLEDO, Ohio, March l7.-Thc round
house of the Wabash company in this
city, located at the foot OF South street
on the dock, was burned to the ground
between 10 and II o'clock to-day. Three
quarters of an hour after the first alarm
was sent in the southwest wall of tho
building, 90 feet in circumference. fell in,
burying Il men underneath It. Two OF
them were instantly killed, third died a
short time after being taken out of the
debris. and the others were all badly hurt,
one probably fatally. All but one, John
Bowen. were employees of the Wabash.
The dead are: Il. III. Bohlman. j. j.
Preston. John Bowen. The injured are :
f. II. Howard, head bruised, face cut,
slightly burned, will recover; Joen Leary,
leg broken, arm crushed, sAull fractured,
may die; Patrick McDonough, skull
fractured, shoulder broken, will recover !;
Martin Greenburg, head cut, will recover I;
Harry Zimmerman. leg sprained, body
bruised; Louis Brccko, head bruised,
shoulder spraiued; Henry Gerdiug. head
bruised and cut; Il. {. Lauer. head and
neck sprained. head cut.
The first alarm of the fire came by tele-
phone 10 the district offices at l0:l0 n. m.
When Fire Chief Mayer reached the fire
he saw that there was danger of the flames
reaching the oil house, repair shops and
the Wabash elevator. all in close prox-
unity, and he Immediately sent in gem
eral alarm. Meanwhile the Roads Fire
company had directed its efforts toward
smothering the flames from the structure
which menaced the oil house, and the fire
at this point was held fairly in check.
The roof was already ablaze and threat
ened to collapse every moment, but the
falling of the walls was not at
this time anticipated. The iron braces
supporting the roof expended in the in
tense heat and the frail fir anne coverings
gave way with a mufil ID roar, falling III
on the stalled engines. At this moment
the southwest wall, 10 feet high and Is
inches thick, was seen to totter outward
from the lateral pressure of the falling
roof and yell went up TO apprise the Is
men at work in this portion of the build
ing of their danger. The warning came
too late and II of the men were buried in
a pile of brick several feet high. That
only two were killed outright was nothing
short of a miraculous.
Streams of water were poured on the
smoking debris, and as soon as possible
the work of rescue began. Bowen and
Preston we're buried completely and were
dead some time before their bodies were
reached. They were badly crushed,
Bowen's features being unrecognizable.
Bohlman was taken out in an uncon-
scious condition and removed to his home
where he died few hours afterwards. BY
this time half dozen physicians had
arrived, and attention was directed
towards carrying out the injured. Leary
was found 10 he the worst sufferer and 1t
was feared he would scarcely live out the
day. The others, though badly used mp,
will probably recover. The property loss
is estimated at 100000, probably insured.
The roundhouse, which had a capacity of
20 locomotives, contained only SIX en-
gines, and these are all badly damaged.