The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-09-12
A MIDNIGHT HORROR.

Jus
lapse Deter the Bravest from Attempts
at Rescue.
BENTON HARBoR. Mich, Sept. =
Yore's opera house and adjoining
buildings were burned early yesterday
morning, causing the death of IL fire
men and injury to u number of others,
and entailing a loss of SIS, 900.
The Killed.
Frank Watson, married, st. Joseph.
Edward ii. Gange, married, st. Jo-
seph.
Arthur c. Hill, married, st. Joseph.
Frank Seaver, married, ST. Joseph.
John Hoffman, married, Benton
Harbor.
Thomas Kidd, single, Benton Har-
Dor.
Frank Woodley, married, Benton
Harbor.
Scott Rice, Benton Harbor.
Will Matten, married, Benton Uar-
Dor.
Louis Hoffman, single, Benton Har-
Dor.
The Seriously injured Are:
Ex-Fire Chief John A. Crawford,
Benton Harbor; burned and overcome
by neat and smoke.
Frank Paget, of st. Joseph; legs
mashed by falling brick.
Will Freund, of ST. Joseph; cut
about the head and burned.
Jack Mccormick, Benton Harbor;
legs broken and internally injured.
Several others were injured by fall
ing walls, but will recover.
Shortly after midnight YOre's opera
house, 4 large four-story brick struc-
ture, was discovered to be on fire. The
fore the alarm was given, and when
the city fire department arrived the
building was Il mass of flames. The
st. Joseph fire engines were sent for
and arrived soon after. The FIRE con-
tinued to gain on them, and was
spreading to other buildings when the
hook and ladder companies went to
the rear of the building hoping to be
able to direct Il stream into the mas
of flames from a second-story window.
Hardly had they arrived there, when
the wall, with Il mighty crash came
down before them, burying Is men un-
der the red hot bricks.
Other portions of the wall were
weakening, and the rescue of the i'm
prisoned tiremen was deferred some
time, as it was expected every moment
the remainder of the wall would fall.
Finally some of the crowd rushed into
the mass to rescue the shrieking and
struggling men. Frank Watson, of
St. Joseph, was the first man reached,
but he was dead, and his body was Il
mass of broken bones and mangled
flesh.
The search continued until five
o'clock, when the last victim, Arthur
Hill, was removed. They were car
ried to offices and private houses,
where doctors from both cities were
in waiting to render aid. Some of
them died EN- route and others died
while their wounds were cared for.
The dead were taken to the city
hall, which was turned into a tempo
rary morgue. Some of the men were
SO badly mangled that identity was
only had by letters and papers in
their pockets. AS the bleeding forms
were carried through the streets they
were followed by throngs of awe
stricken men and ONE eager to
learn whether the victims were friends
or relatives.
After the falling of the rear wall,
which took with it the lives of at
least IL men, the roof and other walls
soon collapsed, one of the side walls
fell upon a two-story brick building,
owned by William Frick, and COM
pletely demolished it and ruined the
contents of shoes.
The fire had not been confined alone
to the opera house, but had crept
across the alley, and soon the ear of
two store buildings were a seething
mass of flames. These, however, were
checked before they reached the main
part of the buildings. The fire was
under control at tive o'clock, and the
search for more bodies was begun and
continued all day. Last night the fire
men, exhausted, gave up the search
until to-day. The loss, as far as can
be ascertained, is: Patrick Yore, opera
house block, $4,000; insurance, sl0,-
OUO.
The occupants of the several build
iugs will lose several hundred dollars.
The origin of the fire is unknown, but
Guy Prescott. who stated that he knew
how the fire started, but was not
going to give any II away, was ar
rested and will be brought before the
coroner's jury. The wardrobe of the
Katie Putnam company, which gave
a performance for the benefit of the
tiremen in the evening, was also
burned, as was the wardrobe of the
Mexican Troubadours, who are SPEND
ing their vacation here.
Several of the dead firemen have
large families. Tie funerals will be
all held together tomorrow, n will
be under the auspices of the iremen
and fraternal societies, of which the
deceased were members.
WhoIesaIe Hall DeIiyery.