The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-09-09
DIED UNDER a WAL.

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Eleven FIremen Killed at Benton Harbor,
Mich, Because of the Burning OF an
Opera House.
BENTON HARBoR, Mich, Sept. T.
Yore's opera house and adjoining build
ings were burned early Sunday morn
ing, causing the death of II fremen
and injury to number of others, and
entailing loss Of s65,O0O The killed
are:
Frank Watson, married
Edward II. Gange married
Arthur C. Hill married.
Frank Seaver, married.
Robert Rolfe, single All Of St Joseph.
John Hoffeken, married.
Thomas Kidde, single.
Frank woodley, married
Win Matten married
Scott Rice
Louis Hoffman, single. All OF Benton Harbor.
The seriously injured are:
Ex-Fire Chief John A. Crawford, of Benton
Harbor burned and overcome by heat and
smoke; seriously injured
Frank Paget leIs mashed by falling brick,
and Win Freund, cut about the head and
burned; both of St Joseph
Jack Mccormick of Benton Harbor legs
broken and internally injured. Several others
were injured by falling walls but will recover.
Shortly after midnight Yore's opera
house, large four-story brick struc-
ture, was discovered to be on fire. 1t
had gained much headway before the
alarm was given and when the city de-
partment arrived the building was a
mass of flames. The st. Joseph de-
partment was sent for and arrived
soon after The fire continued 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 a
stream into the mass of flames from a
second-story window. Hardly had they
arrived there than the wall with a
mighty crash came down upon them,
burying IS men under the red hot
bricks. Other portions of the wall
were weakening and the rescue of the
imprisoned fremen was deferred some
time, as it was expected everytmoment
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 mass of broken
bones and maugled flesh. The search
continued until o'clock, when the
last victim, Arthur Hill, was removed
They were carried to offices and pri-
vate houses, where doctors from both
cities were waiting to render aid. Two
, of them died en- route and others died
while their wounds were being cared
| for. The dead were taken to the city
hall, which was turned into Il 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 We're
carried through the streets they were
met by throngs of people eager to
learn whether any Of the victims were
relative or friend.
After the falling Of the rear wall,
which took with it the lives of at least
II men, the roof and other walls soon
| COlldpSSu. OuG u lnc SluG WullS 4S4l
upon two-story brick building owned
by William Frick and completely de-
molished it and its contents of shoes.
The fire had not been confined alone TO
the opera house, but had crept across
the alley and soon the rear of the two
story buildings were seething mass
of flames These, however, were got
ten under control before they reached
the front of the buildings. The FIRE
was under control at O. clock and the
search for more bodies was begun and
continued all day until last night, when
the exhausted fremen gave up the
search until to-day.
The origin of the fire is unknown,
but Guy Prescott, who stated Sunday
that he knew how the fire started but
was not going to give any one away,
was arrested and will be brought be-
fore the coroner's jury The wardrobe
of the Katie Putnam company, which
gave u performance for the benefit of
the fremen in the evening, was also
burned, rs was the wardrobe of the
Mexican Troubadors, who are spend
ing their vacation here. Several of
the dead fremen have large families.