The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-07
ELEVEN FIREMEN
ARE ROASTED
Terrible Tragedy at Benton harbOr,
Michigan.
YORE'S OPERA HOUSE BURNEI
During the COnfia grafton u High Wall
Fails in. Crushing the Life Out Of
Eleven Of the Victims and Wound.
ing Many MOre..Rescue Party at
Work.

Benton Harbor. Mich, Sept. 6.-Yore 5
opera house and adjoining buildings
were burned early this morning caus-
ing the death of eleven firemen and
injury to number of Others and en-
failing a loss of about $4,000. The
killed are: Frank Watson, married;
Edward II. Gange. married: Arthur
c. Hill, married.: Frank Seaver, mar
ried; Robert Rolfe, single, all of st.
Joseph; John HOFFMAN. married. Thos.
Kidd, single; Frank Wooiley. married;
Will Matten, married; Scott Rice, sim
gle: Louis Hoffman, single, all of Ben.
ton HarbOr.
The seriously injured are: Ex-Chief
John A. Crawford, Benton Harbor,
burned and overcome by heat and
smoke: Frank Paget, st. Joseph, legs
mashed by falling brick: VIII Freud,
st. Joseph, cut about the head and
burned; Jack Mccormack, Benton
Harbor legs broken and internally in
jured.
Several others were injured by fall
ing walls, but will recover. Shortly af-
ter midnight Yore's opera house,
large four-story brick structure, was
discovered to he on fire. 1t had gained
50 much headway before the alarm
was given that when the four city
departments were sent for aid ar
rived soon after, the fire continued tn
gain. and was spreading to other
buildings when the Hook and Ladder
company went to the rear of the
building. hoping to be able to direct a
stream into the mass of flames from a
second story window.
Hardly had they arrived there when
the wall with "a mighty crash came
down upon them. burying fifteen men
under red-hot bricks. other portions OF
the wall We're wavering and the rescue
of the imprisoned firemen was deferred
some time, as it was expected every mo-
ment the remainder of the wall would
fall. Finally some of the crowd rushed
into the mass to rescue the shrieking
and struggling men.
RESCUE OF FRANK WATSON.
Frank Watson. of st. Joseph. was the
first man rescued, but he was dead and
his body was mass of broken bones
and mangled flesh. The search con-
tinued until i've O'Clock, when the last
victim was removed. Three We're car
ried To offices and priva,e houses, where
doctors from both cities were in wait
ing to render aid. Some of them died
en- route. and others while being cared
for. The dead were taken to the city
hall. which was turned into u tempo
raty mOrgue. Some. of the men We're SO
badly manged that identification was
only had by letters and papers in their
pockets. After the falling of the rear
wall the roof and other walls soon col
lapsed one of the side walls falling up
on a tWo-story brick building owned by
William Frick. completely demolishing
II and its contents. The fire had not
been confined alone to the opera house
but had crept across the alley. and soon
the rear of the two-Story buildings were
a!lame. The fire. however. was gotten
under control before ii reached the main
part Of the buildings.
william Frick. block and stock Of shoes
sl0.0O0: Evening News plant S3OO0; j. A.
Simon, scenery in opera house $500, S.
NJ. Austin. building and grocery stock.
$1,000; d. Hunt. building and grocery
stock. $1,000. and many small losses.
The origin of the fire is unknown. but
Guy Prescott, who stated today that he
knew how the fire started but was not
going To give any one away, was arrest
ed. The two cities. st. Joseph ana Ben
ton Harbor, are draped in mourning in
honor of their dead.