Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1895-11-15
FORTY WERE KILLED
FRleHTFuL RESULTS OF AN ExPLo-
SION IN DETROIT.

The Disaster Was Caused by Boiler FIX
pioding In The journal OfHco-Ths Build
ing Collapsed aud the Ruins Caught Firo.
Many Lives Lost.
DETROIT, Nov. IA gaping rent near
" 40 feet wide from top to bottom of n
ilve story business block, score dead
bodies recovered, score of persons iniur-
ed and more than that number missing,
with a certainty that many more dead
bodies arc beneath the ruins, such Is the
result of an explosion which startled the
city and totally wrecked about third Of
the building at the corner Of Larned and
Shelby streets, occupied by the Detroit
Evening journal and several other ten
ants The whole neighborhood was terri
fled by fearful shock, caused by the ex
ploding of the boilers in the basement Of
The journal building. Plate glass win
dows across the street and some of those
farther away were shattered by the con
cusson, and several persons were cut by
falling glass. At the same instant the
five floors and roof of that section of the
building collapsed and fell to the base.
ment, carrying with it at least 80 persons,
who had not the slightest warning of
their danger. The cloud Of dust which
blinded the eyes of the amazed 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, but progress has neces-
sarily been vcrv slow.
Partial List Of the Dead
The deau .aken IRON the ruins were:
Lizzie Tappley, aged 90, employed by
Davis & CO.
Henry Walsh, employed by Kohlbrand
Engraving company.
John j. Reuter- apprentice in the em-
p,oy of Dunlap & Co.
George II. Soule, engravor.
George Shaw, mailer, Detroit Journal.
Willie Hawes 16 years old, mailer, De-
trot Journal.
James Ross.
William W. Dunlap.
Henry Barivere, employed in the mail
ing room Of journal.
Unknown boy, remains found in'ruins;
features unreoog liable; supposed to be
John Bowman, employed by Kohlbrand g.
Co.
Carrie Bauer aged 49, bookkeeper in
Killers factory.
Emma Litchenberg, employee Of Hi.
Rosa Breta, remains frightfully burned
and mutilated.
Catherine Hitler, forewoman of Killers
bindery.
Adolph Schrieber, Jr., bookbinder in
Killers bindery.
John Gordon, elcotrotyper of Evening
Journal.
Kittie Leonard.
NJ. Rosa Morgan.
John Breitenbreher.
Jennie Niebauer, 16 years old, employ
ed in Killers bindery.
ThOra Wedbusch, 80 years old.
Lue Fretz, employee of Dunlap & Co.
Anna Wiedbush, employee Of Killers
bindery.
John F. Derby, carpenter.
Joseph Bradley, carpenter.
George J. Hitler, proprietor of Killers
bindery.
About 20 tenants and employees in the
building are still missing, and there can
be no doubt that most OF these are lying
dead under the debris.
The wrecked portion of the building,
which is owned by the Newberry estate,
was separated from the rest Of the struc-
ture by a fire wall The first floor of that
section was occupied by the John Davis
company, dealers in druggists specialties,
and by The journal mailing department..
The second, third and fourth floors were
occupied by the Davis company W. W.
Dunlap & Co., machinists and Hitler
bookbindery. The editorial rooms Of The
Journal are on the fourth floor, but situ-
ated beyond the fire wall, and the staff es-
capped injury. The journal stereotyping
room on the fourth floor was directly in
the path Of the explosion and went down
in the wreck A few had miraculous es-
capes and came staggering from the ruins
after the awful shock, scarce knowing
themselves what had hefallen them.
Twenty Girls In the building.
M. jacobs, paper dealer, who had been
in Killers bindery, had just left the
building when the crash came. He thought
there must have been 20 girls and four or
five boys in the bindery, besides George
J. Hitler, the proprietor, Of whom moth
ing has been seen or heard since the acQl-
dent.
Charles HAckett was found in the ruins
in the rear, to which approach was had
through the alley. Before he was removed
in the ambulance he reported there had
been four or five girls on the floor with
him. Charles Hergert, packer, employed
by John Davis q Co, was on the third
floor when the explosion occurred.
II felt the crash and was surrounded
by flying debris before could realize
what happened. The vinegar barrels and
acid oarhoys came down on us ] don't
know how got out. i know l breathed
the fresh air after scramble among tho
ruins and knew / had escaped. There
were four others in the building that !
know of-Alex Campbell, Annie Tapley,
Kittie Leonard and Joe Winter, the book
keeper. ] don't know who got out alive, "
From the lists of tenants and employees
secured 1t seems certain that 90 people in
all were in the collapsed section. There
are still 20 persons unaccOunted for, and
1t is more than fair to presume that most
Of them are among the dead. At every
hour reports are received Of others who
are missing and whose relatives and
friends have been unable to find any trace
Of thpm.
Official inspectors and competent engi-
neers have examined portions OF the
wrecked boilers and pronounced the cause
as low water, causing a superheated con-
dition of the tlues, which was followed by
the dangerous Injection Of oald water.