The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-03-18
CRUSHED TO DEATH
Under the Walls of a Falling
Round House at Toledo.
THREE MEN DEAD, NINE INJURED.

The Twelve Men Were EndeavorIng TO Ex-
tinguIsh a Fire when, without a Mo-
ments Warning, the Walls Collapsed.
Two Crushed Beyond Recognition.
TOLEDO, o., March 1s.-The round house
Of the Wabash Railroad company In this
city, located at the foot of South street in
Dock front, burned to the ground between
10 and IL o'clock yesterday morning.
Three-quarters of an hour after the first
alarm was sent the southwest wall of the
building, sixty feet in circumference, fell
In, burying twelve men underneath it.
Two of them were Instantly killed, a third
died n 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 Wa
bash
The dead r H Bohlman, aged So,
painter, married, six children; ]. j. Pres
ton, aged 80. car inspector, married, six
children John Bowen, aged IS, inspector.
The injured-John Leary, machinist,
arm crushed and skull fractured, may die;
F. H. Howard, general foreman eastern
division, head bruised, face cut and slightly
burned, will recover; Patrick McDonough,
fireman, skull fractured and shoulder
broken, will recover; Martin Greenburg,
car repairer, head cut, will recover; Harry
Zimmerman, painter, legs sprained and
body bruised; Louis Becker, painter, head
bruised and shoulder sprained; Henry
Gerding, car repairer, head bruised and
| CUT r. G. Lauer, truck foreman, head and
neck sprained and head cut; Jasper
Becker, painter head and shoulders cut.
The first alarm of fire came by telephone
to the district offices at 1910 a. IN. Gen
eral Foreman Howard summoned the com
pany's private fire department. consisting
of fifteen men, to the scene, and stream
of water was directed towards the blazing
cupOla. A heavy wind was blowing, and
the fire soon ate its way down to the roof.
When Fire Chief Mayo reached the fire
he saw there was danger of the flames
reaching the oil house and repair shop and
the Wabash elevator, all in close proxim-
itv, and he Immediately sent in a general
alarm.
Meanwhile the roads fire company had
directed its efforts towards smothering the
flames in the southeast end of the struc-
ture which menaced the oil house. and
the fire at this point was held fairly in
check. The roof was already ablaze and
threatened to collapse every moment but
the falling of the walls was not at this
time anticipated. The iron braces sup
porting the roof expanded in the intense
heat and the frail frame covering gave
way with a muffied roar, falling in on the
stalled engines.
At this moment the southwest wall,
eighteen feet high and eighteen inches
thick, was seen to totter outward from the
lateral pressure of the falling roof, and a
yell went up to apprise of their danger the
| fifteen at work at this portion of the
| building. The warning came too late, and
| twelve of the men were buried in "a pile of
brick several 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 pos
sible the work of rescue began.
Preston and Bowen were buried com
pletely, and were dead some time before
their bodies were reached. They We're
badly crushed, Bowens features being un-
recognizable. Bohlman was taken out in
an unconscious condition and removed to
his home, where he died a few hours after
ward. By this time half dozen persons
had reached the scene, and attention was
directed toward caring for the injured
Leary, the machinist, was found to be the
worst sufferer, and it was feared he would
scarcely live out the day. The others,
though badly used up, will recover.
The firemen had stubborn fight with
| the now doomed round house. the heavy
wind greatly aiding the flames. At noon
the fire was practically under control,
after destroying all that was infiammable
of the building
The property loss is estimated at $780,
900; probably insured. The round house,
which had capacity of twenty locomo.
tives, contained only six engines, and
these were all badly damaged. A Wheel
ing and Lake Erie coal car and Baltimore
and Ohio box car were consumed.