The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-10-23
A DISASTROUS FIRE.
The Worst that Has Visited Mon
troal in Many Years.
Three firemen INSTANTLY Killed aud Sew.
eral Others seriously lnIured Forty
strea ms of Water Have No Apparent
Eject Upon tho Fierce ilames

lAo otk viz
at Thirty-drst and Peter streets, occu-
pied by Gilmore a. Co, importers of
chemicals. As IA result three lremen
are dead and IA dozen more or less seri-
ously injured. The dead are:
Firman Char pcntier, of station No. l.
Fireman King, station No. q.
Fireman Laporte, of station No. 7.
The njured are: Capt. Guthrie, of
station No L; Capt. MORN. OF No. 8,
Firemen Benoit and Reynolds, of No.
3; Gordon, of No. 5, and Mirault and
Caerst, of No IL.
1t is not yet possible to verify the
report that IL men We're in the loft
that went down, and possibly another
day will be reached before the all miss
ing are definitely accounted for.
The fire is attributed To the combus-
tible nature of the stock handled in
in the building, and, once under way,
the blaze spread with amazing rapid
! ty. Before the first apparatus had
reached the scene and hose could be
laid the flames from the fourth story
of the building were reaching far out
into the center of the street.
The building Is Il four story stone
structure. and was completely enyel-
oped in fire before the department be-
gan effective work. The chemicals on
the top floor burned with the fury of
n furnace, and even after 40 streams
had been brought into play. continued
to blaze with unab Dated fierccness.
Clouds of dense smoke followed the
flames as the streams began To take eff
feet and the men on the extension
ladder were for large portion OF the
time enveloped ia huge clouds of
smoke.
The flames spread TO Goldsteins ci-
gar factory, and then SMOKE was seen
coming out OF the windows of kear-
ney Bros. tea warehouse and the
building occupied by Johnstons Fluid
Beef Extract Co
The arrival of the water tower was
greeted with cheers 10y the enormous
crowd of onlooSers, and no time was
lost in getting it To work.
4 few moments later flames burst
from window immediately under a
ladder on WHICH half IA dozen tiremen
were standing, thrusting the hose
MOBILES here and there. They did not
finch, however, and another great
cheer went up as they dropped step
ON the ladder, placing themselves al
most in the flames with the hose still
J ia hand. Meanwhile another detach-
ment was busily engaged inside with
axes breaking out windows to let out
smoke. No sooner did the flames APP
: pear to be under control in one place
than they would break out with re-
doubled fury in another.
: The fire was gotten under control
by four o'clock, but was not entirely
subdued.
Al 2:3O o'clock the floor of the upper
loft in the Gilmore building gave way
[ without warning and fell with a great
, crash. Sixteen men in all are said to
have been in the place at the time, and
as the smoke cleared for moment
: shrielxs could be heard.
AT first the Grcmen were unable to
1 get in side, but finally the rescuers
made Roadway, and the first victim
. reached was Gordon, OF No. } station.
: lie was wcdged down and apparently
) lead, but when taken to the open air
, he revived somewhat, and was quickly
Q placed III an ambulance and removed
| to hospital Next came Fireman Be-
uoit, OF No. z station, VINO was not re
.uscltated before being taken away in
= the patrol wagon. Charpentier was
; the third rescued. and he was suffer
c ing internally. Capt. Guthrie OF No.
station was also found in an uncon'
J. scious condition. lie was taken TO Q
Y hospital.
A ..f II ma
d No. IL was rescued, but his face was
q 50 badly crushed that at first his iden.
, tity could not DC esta blishcd. Edmund
a Laporte was taken from the ruin,
a dead.
/ Another unidentified man was takeI
!. to the generai hospital unconscious
If lie proved to be Benoit, OF No. 3
II saul Carrest, of No. IL. was removed
4 to Notre Dame hospital. Capt. Nor
q in was rescued badly hurt. Georg'
a Mirault, of No. ii, was also taken u
\ Notre Dame hospital.
q The bodies OF Fireman King an'
re Charpentier were recovered snort,
n after ten o'clock last night The mel
~ were buried beneath many tons of dc
K bris and it took several hours to get a
" LntHl Doth ncH hdu tNtucHAg 'So'
\. killed instantly.
r. The most seriously hurt was FIRE
10 man David Benoit, of No. 3, badl
Ct injured internally.
AT the general hospital last nigh
Bennett was reported resting easily
All the other men, VINO were ON
~ slightly hurt. were released from tn
hospital and sent to their homes.
ne All of the killed were married me
III with families. Laportc, who was r.
d. gardcd as one of the best men on I'll
o. brigade, represented Montreal at u
Ia international tournaincnt in Londo
he last summer.
N. The loss will reach SlsO,0O0. Tn
Va buildings are all owned 10y the Gre
Nuns, and are insured.