The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-07
Nine MangIed by the Walls of 6. The
ater and the other Two Shocked
LifeIess by Live Wires.
YORE'S OPERA HOUSE BURNED
LOCAL TALENT HAD PLAYED ga
FACTORY GIRL" SATURDAY,
And Fire Was Discovered Soon After
the Performance Was Over-In-
cendiarism Suspected.

BENTON .HARBOR, l1ich., Sept. e-This
pretty city, across the lake from Chicago.
was the scene of calamity last midnight
that has saddened the homes of a score
of people here and in St. Joseph. Eleven
fremen were shocked to death by live wires
or crushed and mangled by the falling
walls of a burning theater Five of the
brave "laddies'' met instant death and six
succumbcd to their wounds in a few hours.
after great suffering. Others were bruised
and burned but not seriously. One of the
victims, boy, was volunteer The dead
are:
FRANK WATSON, of st. Joseph, legs
broken ard skull crushed; leaves wife;
JOHN HOFFMAN, of Benton Harbor,
crushed into an unrecognizable mass;
leaves a wife and five children.
THOMAS KIDD, of Benton Harbor, un-
married. killed by live wires.
FRANK WOODLEY, of Benton Harbor,
killed by live electric wires; leaves a wife
ED II. GANGE. of ST. Joseph, drayman.
head crushed and legs broken.
SCOTT RICE. bellboy at the benton no.
lived but few minutes.
WILL l. MITTEN, of Benton Harbor,
both legs fractured and internal injuries;
lived two hours; leaves wife and seven
fIOI1IS HOFFMAN. of Benton Harbor,
head mashed and thigh crushed; widower;
leaves two small children.
ARTHUR c. HILL. of ST. Joseph, fore
and terribly injured; lived one hour.
FRANK SEAVE2, of St. Joseph, leg
broken, badly cut and burned; 1ved three
ROBERT L. RoFE, of St. Joseph, com
round fracture of the left leg, burned and
internal injuries; lived one hour.
JOHN A. CRAWFORD, ex-chief of the
Benton Harbor fire department. overcome
by heat and smoke and burned about head;
will rec over.
WILL FREUND, of st. Joseph, cut about
the head.
FRANK PAGET, of ST. Joseph, leg
bruised by falling brick.
Frank Woodley 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 half
off while another was protected by tele-
phone pole.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
Last evening local talent gave perform
| ance in Yore's Opera House, the play be-
| ing "A Factory Girl Soon after the thea
| ter had been closed for the night fire was
discovered. and before the fire department
| ment to the fourth story, filled with
| suffocating smoke. A minute later the
| inside of the theater was mass of flames.
| There was some confusion at the outset
| owing to lack of hook and ladder facli-
| ties, although the local fire companies had
| that day closed a two days tournament,
exhibiting much skill in quick work. st.
Joseph was called on for assistance and at
once responded. The fremen approached
the building through alley unloading
ladders in the rear of the building and,
while hosting them, the upper walls fell
over without a seconds warning covering
the men with bricks and mortar. The dis
aster was witnessed by hundreds of spec
| tators The work of removing the debris
was soon begun and the mangled firemen
| were removed in a few minutes, except G.
| A. HILL whose body was recovered at
| o'clock this morning. 1t was believed that
| several more bodies were under the pile
! of brick and search was continued till
| every doubt was removed.
| Another account says: Soon after the dis
| covery of the fire flames broke through the
| roof and Illuminated the sky and streets
| with a lurid glare that served to make
vivid the general scene of confusion and
| excitement. AS soon as the flames broke
| through the windows and walls and let in
| the draft the burning block was known to
/ be doomed 1t soon became fiery furnace.
! The falling walls proved to be not only
| a death trap for the fire fighters but dan
| gerous to every one who was trying to help
| stay the progress of the flames or assist in
| saving goods. The first to go down was
| the top part of the alley wall, which buried
| in it's crushing descent with tons
| of debris fifteen men. This terrible sight
| was witnessed by hundreds of horror
/ Vxthn ctr halr 1pSS 1tr
| looking at the heartrending catastrophe
| and many of whom rushed in regardless of
| fire and smoke to help the shreking and
struggling men. Just before the wall fell
| the firemen were trying to raise the lad
ders and had them placed against the
| building when the wall tumbled, sweeping
everything before it. One could see por-
| tions of human bodies through the fallen
| bricks Parties going in to save the i'm
| prisoned men were overcome by heat.
| The injured and dead were taken from
| the ruins as fast as possible and at 5
| o'clock the last man had been removed
| The dead were removed to the City Hall
| to be identified. Many were the heart
| rending scenes as wives. parents and chill
dren scanned the distorted and multilated
remains of those lying cold in death upon
the floor. The physicians of this city were
! unable to care for the injured and the ST.
| Joseph doctors responded promptly to the
call. Both St. Joseph and Benton Harbor
! are draped in mourning to-day and the
| business houses are closed. Words cannot
express the appalling force of this great
horror, the sorrow in the stricken homes or
| the shadow of grief that rested on these
| peaceful communities this Sunday morning
| SUSPECT ARRESTED.
| The cause of the fire is mystery. several
theories, from cigar stub to a lamp ex-
plosior. being given. Guy Prescott is under
arrest as being one who knows the cause
/ but when asked by a reporter, he remarked
| that he not going to give anybodv y
/ away" thus leaving the impression that
| he was in possession of facts as to the
| fires origin.
The building was comparatively new.
! having ben erected seven years ago at a
| cost of $40 600 by Patrick Yore, a wealthy
| farmer, who had since leased it to j.
1 xaylo hos ot,a