Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-09-10
CITIES In MOURNING.
BENTON HARBoR AND ST. 90
sEPH FiREMEN KILLED.
Eleven Meet Death Under rsii'ns
walls-catastrophe caused By tho
Burning Of Yore's Opera House-in-
csndiarism Thought to BE the Cause


A terrible calamity befell the twin cities
If 81. Joseph and Benton, Harbor at an
early hour sunday morning-the destrUc-
ton of Yore's Opera House and the loss
of eleven lives, members. of the 81. Jo-
seph and Benton Harbor fire department.
Only once In the history Of these two
places has there anything rivaled this dis
astcr, and that was when the Chicora was
lost.
The Dead.
Edward II. Cange, St. Joseph. dray-
man: head crushed. .syfa
Arthur G. Hill, st. Joseph, foreman
hose company; lived one hour.
John Hoffman Benton Harbor; crushed
into unacceptable mass.
" Louis Hoffman, Benton Harbor.
Thomas Kidd, Benton Harbor; unmar-
ried; killed by live wires.
Will Milton, Benton Harbor; leaves
widow and seven children.
Scott Rice, Benton Harbor. bellboy at
hotel skull fractured.
Robert l.. Rofe, St. Joseph; burned;
lived one hour. ff
Frank NJ. Seaver, st. Joseph; cut and
burned; lived three hours.
Silas Frank Watson, ST. Joseph; sknll
crushed; leaves widow.
Frank Woodley. Benton Harbor; killed
by live wires; widow and three children.
The Injured.
John A. Crawford, Benton Harbor;
burned about the head.
William Freund, st. Joseph; cut about
the head
Will Mccormick, Benton Harbor; an
klc crushed and leg broken.
Frank S. Paget. st. Joseph; bruised and
burned about legs.
AT midnight fire was discovered in the
rear of Yorc's Opera House Block There
was performance in the house Saturday
night and the audience had not been gone
more than three-quarters of an hour when
the fire was discovered. Its origin is
mystery, but it may have been caused
by gasoline stove in the basement OF
the building where a banana ripcning
room is located. Incendiarism also is a
widely-accepted suspicion. ~
The st. Joseph hook and ladder coin
pany was requested by Chief Johnson OF
Benton Harbor to assist fighting the fire
from the rear in order to save the build
ings across the alley. They began work
and had not more than got their laddere
raised when the top part of the alley wall
was noticed to totter, and yell went
up. but too late.
The crash came and the boys tried to
get away. bat nine were buried beneath
a wall that stood eighty feet high.
While the st. Joseph boys were getting
up their ladders the Benton Harbor boys
had line of hose in the alley keeping the
flames. Kidd and Woodley were killed
by live wires after the wall fol.
s +. Watson was the first man taken
out dead. He was crushed. John Hoff-
man was taken out alive. He was in
jured internally and died soon after. 4. III.
Gange was alive but badly mangled. He
died soon. Louis Hoffman was next res
cucl. His skull and thighs We're -frac-
tured. He died early Sunday morning.
Frank NJ. Seaver had two holes burned in
his back and was otherwise badly burned,
and died Mt . o'clock Sunday afternoon.
MIR. Gangc was senior member Of the
transfer and fruit buying firm of Gange
L. Badger. and well known Oh both sides
of the lake lie was an Odd Fellow and
Maceabec, carrying $4,000 insurance in
the latter order. He leaves wife.
Nc. Hill was manager of the ST Jo-
seph laundry. He was a Knights of Ply
thias and Maccabec, and carried $1,000
in each order. He leaves wife and two
small children.
Mr.. Seaver was member of the liquor
firm of kiblcr & Seaver He leaves "A
wife. 4
Mr.. Rofc was unmarried, but carried
Sc. 900 in the Modern Woodmen.
The two Hoffman boys were not broth
ers. but belonged TO and carried insurance
in the Modern Woodmen. John leaves n
wife and six children. Louis was unmar-
ried, as was Scott Rice and Thomas Kidd.
Mr.. Woodley leaves a wife and three
children. Mr. AIitten a wife and four
children. He was formerly of Buchanan
The ages Of those killed range from 20 to
30 years %
Building = Total Loss.
The stores under the opera house were
occupied by the News, n tailoring estab-
lishnent. bakery and barber shop. The
building is wreck, and all contents were
lost
Frank woodlcy and Thomas Kidd were
on top of adjoining buildings with hose
when they encountered live electric wires,
on which they were hanging when found.
Policeman Charles Johnson narrowly es-
capped, as falling bricks tore his coat of,
while another was protected by tele-
debris was commenced at once and those
pinned IN were removed in few minutes
except G.. A. Hill. ]. v. Howe lassoed
one Of the st. Joe frcmen, who was half
buried with bricks, and pulled him out of
the intense hca. that was cooking him.
Property Loss 10 $4,000.
Joseph tricks boot and shoe store. west
of The opera house. was partly burned
AMI demolished by the falling wallis. He
and his fnmily lived over the store. and
how they escaped being killed is mys-
terry.
The loss is estimated at 5000. as fol-
lows: Patrick Yore, opera house and
furnishings $4,000, insured for $4,000:
Evening News. 81 ,000 insured for $1,000
Joseph Frick. building, stock, and house-
hold effects $4,000, insured for $500:
other losses $1,000, partly covered by in
surance.
Inquest over The remaus was COM
menced and the examination continued
till the question of live electric wires WAS
reached, when an adjournment was made.
PUBLIC DEBT STATEMENT.
- Iucrc.s~ os e1o 1Ao UaA No~>a r..