Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-05-07
SEVERAL PEOPLE KILLED By
AN EXPLOSION.
SIX BODIES RECOVERED
\ Fiye-Story Building on Walnut
Street Blown UP by an Explosion OF
Gasoline. Exact Loss of Life IN
knoWn-Pitiful Scenes About the
Wrecked Structure


line, and a number of people were
killed and many injured. The shock
was so terrific that it was felt all over
the city and not one brick upon an
other was left in the front and rear
walls of the building, while the ad
jacent buildings were badly damaged
and the glass in the windows Of the
Gibson house and the large Johnson
building across the street, were all
broken. A passing street car was bad
! ly wrecked, but none Of the passengers
were seriously hurt. All the horses
in the immediate neighborhood broke
from their fastenings and ran away
and there was not only intense excite
ment, but also the greatest confusion.
Reports that other explosions were
likely to follow, as fireworks and
dynamite are stored in the building
caused stampede in which several
people were hurt. The ground floor
was occupied by Adolph c. Drach as
saloon. He owned that part Of the
building and the other part was owned
by M. Goldsmith, and the first floor Of
this building was also occupied by
saloon, run by Louis Fey. The upper
floors of the five-story building were
occupied as flats. It was not known
at 10 o'clock how many people were in
/ the flats or how many were in the sa-
| looms, but none escaped, as the build
ing Immediately collapsed. There is
no fire to consume the debris and make
certain death of all in the building
The work of rescuing the victims IS
now proceeding with great difficulty.
The saloons were said to have been
quite full Of people. One of the bar
keepers who was not on duty at the
time and escaped, lived in one of the
upper fats and is wild with grief be-
cause he knew his wife and four chill
dren were in the ruins. One of his
children was recovered dead soon after
the explosion. There are wild reports
about the extent of the loss of life. Six
bodies had been recovered up to $50,
and it is known that there are many
more. One of the children of Mr.
Drachs was recovered dead The body
of Mrs. Drachs was found soon after
the explosion but it could not be eX-
tricated from the timber and was still
in the debris at 10 o'clock. The excite
ment is the more intense because it
was not definitely learned for some
time what caused the explosion. 1t
was finally learned that the saloon had
put in it's own. electric plants for in
candescent lights and had just secured
a gasoline engine with which to run
the dynamo. The plant got out of or
der and flash was communicated to
the gasoline and caused the explosion.
1t is impossible to ascertain the ex-
tent of the loss. The loss in property
is quite large. holland Davit, travel
ing man for Columbus carriage COM
pany, who was walking along the
street at the time of the explosion, was
blown under street car and killed.
Cal. Grim, the we'll known detective of
this city, who worked up the evidence
against Jackson and Walling for the
murder of Pearl Bryan, is among those
known to have been in Drach's saloon
at the time and he is now among the
victims in the ruins. At 10 o'clock
twelve injured persons had been taken
to the hospitals. AS the night passed
the scenes about the wrecked building
became more distressing than ever.
Women whose husbands and sons had
not reached home came down to the
fountain square and filled up the space
about the government building where
they were weeping and crying about
their friends being in the wreckage.
There was quite number of men
among these weeping ones. At 1890
the three-year-old boy of Adolph
Drachs was taken from the ruins so
badly hurt that he is not likely to live.
Before midnight it was known that
six are killed and eighteen injured,
but the work of removing the debris
had proceeded so slowly that the gen.
eral estimate Of the killed and wound
ed greatly exceeded this number The
family Of Adolph Drachs suffered most
severely. Drachs and wife are num-
bered among the dead and, his five
year-old daughter is dead, and his
three-year-old boy, fatally injured !
holland Dewitt, a travelling man for
the Columbia Carriage company, of
Hamilton, Ohio, and two others I'M
identified, complete the list of those
known to be dead.
Among the injured are Sid Johnson,
barkeeper for Louis Fey, arm broken;
Bill Cook, waterworks employee, arm
broken; Barbara Huttleson, leg
broken; Joseph Hemmel not serious;
Harry Harwick, waterworks employee,
cut on the head; Fred Healy arm and
shoulder; Motorman Stoffel, Joseph
Sprague, porter; Conductor Pollard,
Fisheh, Huron, William Lauth, Will
liam Loheide, H. E. Hunwick, book
keeper; S. S. Wells, clerk; w D. Cros-
hey, paper hanger; Willard E. Cook, (
clerk; J. D. Ward, race horse man of
Toledo, Ohio.
among the missing who are believed
to be in the ruins are: R. A. Fricke,
Of Norwood; Joseph Worthner, bar
keeper: Louis Fey, wife and baby, also
two servant girls in families of Fey
and Drachs A most touching scene
occurred when John Mccarthy, fire.
man, found his brother pinioned IN
der heavy beam and begging the men
above him to kill him. Mccarthy said
there were three other men near him
and they are alive. Most heroic efforts
to lihrafp these sufferers are hni0o