The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1895-11-15
Horrible Holocaust at Detroit.

Horrible Holocaust at Detroit.
The five-story brick building occu-
pied by the Evening Journal, on the
corner of Larned and Shelby streets,
Detroit, was the scene of the most har-
rowing disaster that has ever been
witnessed in that city The building
is divided into three sections by two
fire walls which run from the founda-
tion TO the roof The two sections to
the west were occupied by the Journal,
principally while the eastern section
contained the j ournal boiler rooms in
the basement, and the journal stereo-
typing rooms on the fifth floor The
intermediate floors were occupied by
Killers bookbindery; John Davis *
Co., manufacturing chemists; VIM.
Dunlap & Co., machinistS; the journal
mailing rooms; III. Z. Kohlbrand. en-
gravei; u. +. Collier, Detroit branch
of the New York publishing house and
McNair g. Co., bookbinders. John
Davis g. Co. and Hitler employed
quite number of persons and the en-
ployes of the other firms would bring
the total number of people in that
section of the building up to about so.
1t was about o'clock in the morn
ing when without the least warning
there was sudden explosion in this
east section. The floors heaved up
ward and an instant later the entire
five stories collapsed and crashed
down, down into the basement, carry
ing between 40 and so precious souls
down in the awful wreck and ruin. All
that could be seen was a frightful
mass of broken and twisted and tan
gled timbers, ironwork, bricks, stone
and plaster and in the midst of this
conglomeration were the dead, dying
and wounded. 1t seems miraculous
that the entire Journal building was
not carried down. If it had been the
loss of life would have been more than
doubled. As it was the walls were
badly cracked, the windows all
smashed and other damage done.
Surrounding buildings on ali sides had
their windows broken by the concus-
sion and great many people were in
jured by broken glass.
Before the people in the vicinity of
the disaster had recovered from the
shock cries Of distress were heard from
the pile of debris and two or three
men were seen staggering out of the
edges of the mass. They were badly
dazed. cut and bleeding. These were
taken care of by the crowd which at
once began to swarm upon the street.
The fire department and all the ambu-
lances were called out and in a few
moment scores of reScuerS were tear
ing at the ruins like mad in their en-
deavors TO rescue those imprisoned in
the wreck. The terror of the situation
was increased by fire which soon broke
ont and the smoke became SO dense
that the workers were threatened with
suffocation. Several streams of water
were turned on. but the steam only
added to the difficulty of the rescuers
and presented the possibility of drown
ing the poor victims who might yet
have d spark of life However, four
dead bodies were recovered within
three hours, three persons having been
previously rescued alive. 1t then
became apparent that there was no
possibility of saving any more alive,
but the force OF men was increased UNI
til over 800 were at work and so teams
were hauling away the rubbish. Thus
the work continued throughout the
day and by o'clock the number of
bodies recovered had increased TO 10.
Electric lights were provided and the
labor was carried on during the
night. Within as many hours 16
bodies had been taken from the ruins
and stin there were 25 persons missing,
all undoubtedly having surrendered
their lives long before. AS the efforts
of the worl1men progressed there were
many heart rending scenes as fathers.
mothers, brothers and sisters awaited
with pitiful grief for the remains of
their loved ones to be brought to view.
The work was very difficult and as the
bodies were discovered one by one the
heavy mbers often had to be cut from
about them and in most cases the bod
l., tl,l lot V,saA
and scalded. In some cases the only
means of Identification was by small
portions of the clothing which re-
NAMED When the men had been at
work about 36 hours their labors had
been rewarded with bringing TO light
"a bodies, but three were still missing
The list of the dead bodies recovered,
Of the missing is as following:
The Dead.
John Francis Derby. carpenter, married. two
children Joseph Bradley, carpenter, married,
two children. AouiS @. Rlecker, machinist,
Dunlap & Co. Rosa Brett, remains frightfully
burned aud mutilated identified by "a buckle
on belt Emma Llcntenberg, terribly mutt
employed at Killers. Katie Leonard en-
ployed by John Davis s. Coz; sole support of
widowed mother. M. Rosa Morgan. aged 81:
evidently died OF sufocation. John Breiten-
bccher. aged % employed at Killers, married
but nine months. John koerber aged H. emI
clerk. Journal. Jennie Ncubauer. aged Ii,
employedHt Killers, badly mutilated. Bertha
Wiedbuseh. employed at Killers. James Ross.
aged 20, sterotyper, Journal Henry Lariviere.
aged TO- mailer. Journal John BONNER. aged
10, employed by kohlbrand Co. Walter p.
SaXby, machinist. Dunlap a. Co. Lizzie Tap
ley, aged ~. employed by Davis q Co. Henry
Clou Walsh aged i6, employed by kohlbrand
* Co John j. Reuter-. aged 10, employed by
Dunlap a. Co, Geo. II. Soule. engraver. Geo
Shaw. aged rs. muller. Journal Willie Halves
aged IS, mailer Journal Carrie M. Bower
aged % bookkeeper In Killers bindery. Hat
tie Hitler; fOrewOman in bindery. Michael
Ward aged 2s Journal stereotyper Minnie
I.iese. aged - book binder VIM. w. Dunlap
OF Dunlap Co. machinists. Adolph Schrie-
Der Jr.. book binder at Killers. John Gordon
electrotypcr. Catherine Hitler, forcwoman n
binderv Lue FretZ, aged 80. employe OF Dun
lap a. Co Geo. j Hitler. owner of bindery
ANNA Uhlik. presswoman in Killers bindery.
The Missing.
Chas. Lind. aged %, book binder at Killers
Jas. Bvrhomas, machinist with Dunlap Co
Lizzie Wiedbusch. employed at Hilltrs.