Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-03-18

Toledo, O., March 1.-THE round
house of the Wabash Railroad Com
pany in this city, located at the foot of
South street, on the dock front, burned
to the ground between ten and eleven
o'clock this morning. Three-Quarters
of an hour after the first alarm was
sent in the southwest wall of the
building, sixty feet in circumference,
fell in, burying twelve men under
meath it. Two of them were instantly
killed, a third died a short time after
being taken out of the debris, and the
others were all badly hurt, one prob
ably fatally. All but one, John Bow
en-, We're employees of the Wabash.
THE DEAD ARE:
r. II. BOHLMAN, aged 56, painter,
married, seven children, skull crushed,
internally injured.
J. j. PRESTON, aged 50, car inspec-
tor, six children, back broken, skull
crushed, killed instantly.
JOMN BOWEN, aged IS, specta-
tor. skull crushed, internally injured,
killed instantly.
THE INJURED:
F. II. HOWARD, general foreman,
Eastern Division, head bruised, face
cut, slightly burned, will recover.
JOHN LEARY, machinist, leg brok-
en-, arm crushed skull fractured, may
die.
PATRICK MDONOUGH, fireman,
skull fractured, shoulder broken, will
recover
MARTIN GREENBURG, car inspec-
tor. head cut, will recover.
RRYZIMMERMAN, painter legs
sprained body bruised.
LOUIS BECKER, painter, head
bruised, shoulder sprained.
HENRY GERDING, car repairer,
head bruised and cut.
T. c. LAUER, truck foreman, head
cut and neck sprained.
CASPER BECKER, painter, head
and shoulders cut.
THE FIRST ALARM
for the fire came by telephone to the
district offices at 1910 a. m. A few
minutes previously a resident of the
neighborhood of the round house saw
a small flame burst out of the cupola
of the building and he ran to the of
flee of the general foreman, directly
across from the round house, and nOti-
fed those in charge. General Fore
man Howard summoned the compa-
ny's private fire department, consist
ing of fifteen men, to the scene, and
stream was directed towards the blaz-
ing cupola. A heavy wind was blow
ing and the fire soon ate its way down
to the roof of the round house.
When Fire Chief Mayo reached the
fire, he saw that there was danger of
the flames reaching the oil house, re-
pair shops and the Wabash elevator,
all in close proximity, and he immedi-
ately sent in
A GENERAL ALARM.
Meanwhile the roads fire company
had directed its efforts towards
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 already ablaze and threatened to
collapse every moment, but the falling
of the walls was not at this time an
ticipated. The iron braces support
ing the roof expanded in the intense
heat and the frail frame covering
gave way with a muf1led roar, falling
in on the stalled engines.
At this moment the southwest wall,
eighteen feet high and eighteen inches
thick. was seen to totter outwards
from the lateral pressure of the falling
roof and a yell went up to apprise the
fifteen men at work at this pOrion OF
the building of the danger. The warn
ing came too late, and twelve of the
men were buried in pile of brick sew
eral feet high. That only two were
killed outright was nothing short OF
miraculous, and as soon as possible
THE WORK OF RESCUE
began. Preston and Bowen were bur-
led completely and were dead some
time before their bodies were reached.
They were badly crushed, Bowen S
features being unrecognizable. Bohl-
man was taken out in an unconscious
condition and removed to his nome,
where he died few hours afterwards.
By this time half dozen physicians
had reached the scene and attention
was directed towards caring for the
injured. Ieary, 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 probably all recover.
The firemen had a stubborn fight
with the now doomed round house, the
heavy wind greatly aiding the stub
horn flames. At noon the fire was
practically under control. after de-
stroying all that was infammable Of
the building. ,
The property loss is estimated at
SIM OOO. probably insured. The round
bonse which had capacity of twenty
locomotives. contained only six en-
zines and these are all badly dam
sged Wheeling and Lake Erie coal
csr and \ B. & o. box car were con-
sumed.
Tate tonight two more men were
fonnd who were injured by the falling
wall They are J. Finley. an engineer
" Andrews. Ind. and George Towers,
= machinist. both in the employ of the
Xvahash Finley is quite seriously
bnrt His chest was crushed and he
sustained a severe scalp wound. Tow
s,,s has a fracture of the left leg and is
more or less bruised.
A BIG ST. LOUIS BLAZE.