The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-03
SAD HAVOC WROUGHT
A Terrible Explosion of Fire Works
Occurs in st. Louis.
SUFFERINGS OF THE VICTIMS
Three Men We're Killed Outright.
Two Fatally Injured. Thirty
One Badly Hurt and Four
More Are Missing.

st. Louis, Jan. Z-Ihsee persohs "eie
killed. two fatally injured. four more
are missing, and 81 received injuries
more or less serious as the result OF an
explosion that occurred this afternoon
at 309 Second street. Everybody for |
blocks around Second. Third and owe
streets was startled shortly before i
O'Clock to-day by three explosions that
demoralized the building in which 1t
occurred, badly damaging adjoining
structures and shattered thousands OF
panes of glass in the vicinity The |
building was set on fire in some man
ner. The flames communicated to
quantity of fireworks on the second
floor. These exploded with terrific
force, throwing burning brands, bricks
and debris in every direction. Inc
conclusion had rent the partition wall
to the south into the Levison d Blythe
Mucilage & Ink Manufacturing com
pany, and the Excelsior Wire q iron
Manufacturing company ADJOINING on
the north and the flames soon commu-
nicated to these buildings In which
considerable number of men and boys
were at work.
The whole downtown fire depart
ment responded, and the work or res
cuing the injured was performed In
courageous manner by the police ana
firemen. For some time six ambulances
were kept busy conveying the dead ana
wounded to the morgue and city dis-
pensary. Emmett Kennedy, boy, was
taken from a third story front window
of Levison & Blythe's establishment.
Kennedy said there were two other
men near the middle of the second
floor. The firemen hurried to the spot
and could hear the cries of the men
who were slowly burning to death. BY
this time a stream of water was turned
on the fire surrounding the men, VINO
were screaming piteously for help. AS
soon as the flames were subdueo
dozen firemen began to tear away the
wreckage around them with picks, axes
and saws Albert Steinmeyer was
taken out and soon after the crushed
and dead body of Frank Neihaus was
secured.
The most horrible incident of the fire
was the suffering of Steinmeyer while
J the fremen were removing the debris
which pinned him down in the wreck.
Both of his legs were fastened by the
timbers and a heavy iron ring encir-
cled his neck, while the fire was eating
into his flesh. He suffered the most
horrible agony as the rescuers pulled
away at the splintered timoers ana
twisted iron work. When he was ffn-
ally rescued, Steinmeyer was bleeding
from a hundred wounds, was burned
in many places and badly crushed.
Manager Moore of Levison & Blythe
Co, stated that Joe Kavarick was
missing, and that his body must be in
the wreck. The firemen again returned
to the wreckage and cleared away a
great portion of 1t without finding the
body Flames soon broke out afresh.
and II was decided to abandon the
search until the wreckage was soaked
with water. The hook and ladder COM
pany were then transferred to the rear
of the Excelsior wire and iron works,
where Is men were at work. How
many escaped cannot be learned. The
firemen soon cleared away the debris.
and after 30 minutes work two bodies
were brought to light. They were hor-
ribly mangled and burned and were
taken to the morgue. where they were
identified as Albert Mellier and Paul
Hauptner. The firemen kept at their
work clearing away the debris and
searching every foot of the ground for
the bodies of the other missing men.
They were unable to find any more
The missing, II Is thought, may still be
in the ruins, or may have escaped and
neglected to report their safety. Fol-
three hours the city dispensary physi-
clans were kept busy attending the in
jured victims.
e. c. Whitlock, foreman of a gans
of men in the Excelsior Wire Co, was
on the third floor of the building, a.
the rear, when ne saw lnC SinOhs
across the alley and, realizing the dan
ger, called to his men, and they all at
tempted to escape by the rear stairway
Before they could reach II the explo
sion came. Whitlock was buried unde
a mass of debris, and did not regain
consciousness until dragged out by :
fireman. He sustained fractured I'll
and was sent to the city hospital. MI
chael Stack, a teamster was across tn
alley from the burning building at tn
time of the explosion and was knocke'
senseless. A heavy timber fell acros
him, breaking his right leg. The build
ing in which the explosion occurred |
a complete wreck. The rear half wa
. blown to atoms and the whole front o
: The four-story building was blown out
The rear of the Excelsior Iron q Wir
Works and the rear of the Levison
Blythe company were entirely demon
! ished Fire completed the work OF de
! struction by licking up all the ligh
woodwork.
: Across the aGqey all the rear window
were blown out and bricks. mortar an
hying tinbers were hurled into tn
building. coating havoc and woundin
many employees. Little & Becker
printing establishment was situated
the rear. directly across the alley fror
the building in which the explosion oc
Cured A hail of bricks and debri
pied their type, wrecked their presse
and broke every pane of glass in the
: building. The Anchor Peanut COMPANY
1 Frey Stationery company. western Ell
I gazing company. the Detwiler & Stret
company, and Levinson x Blythe Mar
ufacturing company. are heaviest lo'
ers. The total loss is about $l2S.O00.
The 9ist of casualties is: Albert Me
r lier. laborer: Frank Neihaus, porter
!, Paul Hauptner. laborer. Missing
II Norman Macarthur. foreman Excelsi,
5 Iron Works; L. Lay. shipping eleri
: charlie Axiom, teamster: Joseph Cave
eek Fatally injued-Alays SchnSi ie
aged Is. burned internally; Charles
Amos. letter carrier. internally inJure
Thirty-one others received less serio'
injuries. caused mostly by taliIhs eld
ana bricks As near rs can be asce
n tanned. those most painfully hur; q