The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-19
FIREMEN KILLED At A FIRE.
4 DOZEN OR MORE CAUGHT BY
FALLING WALLS AT WASH
INGTON.

Two of the Men Recovered From the
Ruins Die From Their Injuries
and the Condition Of Four Others
Critical-FOur More 3Ien known
TO BE Buried in the Debris and
Several others Missing.
washington, May 1S.-Fire swept away
a whole block Of commercial buildings
opposite the Smithsonian Institution to-
night, soon after S o'clock.
The lives Of at least three fromen were
crushed out by falling walls.
The loss viii exceed 100000.
The buildings covering the block ad-
joining the Center market held a large
part of the commission and wholesale pro-
duce business of Washington and while
not of great value, their contents burned
SO hercely that a great portion of the
residents from all portions of the city
We're attracted to the scene Of the con-
hagration.
From to o'clock the district was Wis
ited by one of the most terrific thunder
storms in years. and it is thought light
ming travelling on telegraph wires entered
a Postal telegraph sub-station, and start
ed the flames, which rapidly spread
through the highly inhammable materials
in the stores fronting on Louisiana avenue,
Ninth, Tenth and b streets.
In a few minutes, under general alarm
orders, the entire fire department com
menced its efforts to check the fires
spread, but exploding barrels of kerosene
and gasoline drove them off. and led them
to direct their energies to preventing the
flames from crossing the streets to the
neghboring square.
While the fireman Of No. s engine were
working a hose through one Of the old
buildings, the walls fell without any warn
ing. burning them in the ruins. Alarming
reports at once spread that dozen men
We're killed. The wrecked building at once
began burning furiOusly ana any attempt
at rescue was beyond question. Not un-
I'll an hour later had the names SuIlcleht-
ly subsided at this point for the nremen
to begin clearing away the CeDrls Incn
three men, Joe Mulhall Donaldson and
Kennedy, still alive but scOrched and
crushed beyond all hope of recovery, We're
taken out and removed to the Providence
hospital
Al midnight the fremen came upon an
other body. Others are sttll believed to
be in the ruins and are being searched Tor.
Among the principal sufferers are the
William H. Clark, agricultural ware
house No. 926 Louisiana avenue.
S. Pensitger, horse ana carriage auction
house NO. $40 Louisiana aVnue.
Compton Brothers, butter and eggs, No.
934 Louisiana avenue.
Roth & Geoghegan, pickles, No. 9S2 Lou
o. D. spicer, butter and eggs, 968 Lou
+. NJ. Walker & Co. $50 Louisiana ave
F. S. swaine & Son, $50 Louisiana ave-
The buildings on the B street side. which
were entirely destroyed, were occupied by
Edward Adams commission merchant;
Taylor Wade, dealer In butter and eggs;
Frederick Fishiere; J. A. Davis q Son;
w S Anderson, two stores; w. o.
Schreeves; Brown Brothers; AIatthewson
& Co, and William Semms.
Jewell Crowley, who keeps small res
taurant midway of the block, lost every
thing, and barely rescued his family alive.
Washington May 10, 2 a. m.-Later in
formation is to the effect that Firemen
Giles and Griffin are dead, and that FIRE.
man Mulhau, McElOrOy, Keppler and Ken
nedy are dangerously, perhaps fatally, IN
iured. Four others are known to be in
the ruins, and several others are missing,
and search is being continued late into
the night for them.
This fire is one of the direst calami-
ties and is the only one Of It's kind ever
since the notorious Knox fire of about
two years ago. The buildings that were
burned were comparatively of small val
ue though quite q whole block OF them
were swept out of existence.
The full extent Of the terrible calamltes
that attended the conflagration was not
known until a late hour, and the neigh
borhood surrounding the scene was
thronged up to long after midnight by ex-
cited and sympathiZing groups OF citt-
zens. many of whom were friends and
were burned in the wreck Of the walls
and ruins