Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-03-18
UNDER HOT BRICKS
Twelve Men Of a Railway Fire
co. Company Caught,
Gushing OUT THE LIVES OF THREE,

Others Severely Wounded, One of Whom
May Die, and 800. 900 Worth Of Prop
erty Destroyed-ReckIess Use Of Coal
Oil and Gasoline to Kindle = Fire Has u
Terrible Result-valuable EIock Burned
at Cleveland-Infirmary Wiped Out.
TOLEDO, O., March lS-The round
house Of the Wabash Railroad company
In this city, located at the foot of South
street on the dock front, burned to the
ground. Three-quarters Of an hour after
the first alarm was sent in the southwest
wall Of the building, go feet in circumfer-
ence, fell in, buryiDg twelve men under
meath it. Two of them were instantly
killed, a third died 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:
r. H. Bohlman, skull crushed, internally
! injured; j. j. Preston, back broken, skull
uAhed killed instantly; John Bowen,
skull crushed, internally injured, killed
instantly.
Eight Others More or Less Hurt.
Following are the injured: f. Fl. How
ard, head bruised, face cut, and slightly
burned; John Leary, leg broken, arm
crushed, skull fractured, may die Patrick
McDonogh, skull fractured, shoulder
broken; Martin Greenburg, head cut;
Harry Zimmerman. legs sprained, body
bruised; Casper Becker, head bruised,
shoulder sprained; Henry Gerding, head
bruised and cut; L. G. Lauer, head and
neck sprained, head cut. When the first
alarm of ffre was given General Foreman
Howard summoned the companys pri'
vate fire department., consisting of fifteen
men, to the scene and a stream of water
was directed towards the blaze, but with
little effect, as heavy wind waf blowing.
Roof Falls in on the Engines.
When Fire Chief Mayo reached the fire
he saw there was danger of the flames
reaching the oil house, repair shops, and
the Wabash elevator. all in close proxim.
ity, and he Immediately sent in n general
alarm. Meanwhile the roads fire com.
pany had directed its efforts toward
smothering the flames 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 ablazc and threatened to collapse ev-
was not at this time anticipated But the
iron braces supporting the roof expanded
in the intense heat, and the frail frame
covering gave way with a muffled roar,
falling in on the stalled engines
Twelve out of Fifteen Caught.
At this moment the southwest wall,
IS feet high and Is inches thick, was seen
To totter outward from the lateral pressure
of the falling roof, and n yell went up to
apprise cf their danger the fifteen men at
work at this portion of the building. The
warning came too late, and twelve of the
men were buried i'll a pile of bricks sew.
eral feet high. That only two were killed
outright was nothing short of miraculous.
Streams of water were poured on the
smoking debris and as soon as possible
the work of rescue began. Preston and
Bowen were buried completely and were
dead scme time before their bodies were
reached. They We're badly crushed
Bowen's features not being recognizable
Property Loss Reaches SlOO.OOO.
The flremen had n stubborn fight with
the now doomed round-house, the heavy
wind greatly aiding the stubborn flames
1t was not practically under control until
it had destroyed all that was inflammablt
Of the building. The property loss is esti
mated at $40, 100, probably insured. Th.
round-house, which had a capacity OF
twenty locomotives, contained only six
engines and these are ell badly damaged.
a Wheeling and Lake Erie coal car and a
Baltimore and Ohio box car Were con
sumed.
Late last night two more men were
found who were injured by the falling
wall. They are: J. Finlay, an engineer
of Andrews, Ind; George Towers, a ma
Chinisi-both in the employ of the Wa
basil Finlay is quite seriously hut. Hi.
chest was crushed, and he sustained a Sc
we're scalp wound. Towers has frac
turcl leg and is more or less bruised.