The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-09-10
FATAL TO FlREMEy
DISASTROUS AND FATAL FIRE At
BENTON HARBOR, MICH,
fore's Opera House IL Comn,,
Firemcn Ar.
Buried Beneath n Falling W.,
Clever Of the Rrnx. NJ
Killed and the Others M,v ~,
of Their Injuries

Benton llarbor, Mich, Sent 3 ~,
o horrible holocaust with proa, luz
of life that has ever occurred IN t uss
part Of In, state occurred last nigrt ns
midnight when Yore's opera houso t,n
fire and in the fight To save the h,,is
ing and other blocks adjoining elor",
tircmen. II n volunteer. met their fota
ut one fell SwOop. the death beinc ~
Simultaneous with five of them u,
lived only Il few hours in awful oyonn
while several others met with sn,or.
bruises and burns. During the oycninc
the play "A Factory Girl" had hoo.
given by local talent and had cIoSoS
hut half an hour before fire was dis.
covered. st. Joseph was called on for
assistance at the outset, they an.
preaching the building through an al
ley, unloading ladders in the rear ~
the building. and while hosting them
the upper walls fell over witbou, a
seconds warning, covering the mon
which was witnessed by hundreds If
spectators.
The following were killed: Frank
Watson of st. Joe. legs broken. skull
crushed: leaves n widow. John Hof.
man, Benton HarboT, crushed: leaves
widow and five children. Thomas
Kidd, Benton HarbOr, unmarried: was
killed by live wires. Frank WOodley,
Benton Harbor, killed by live wires:
leaves Il widow and three children
Ed III. Gange, ST. Joe, draynan. head
crushed. legs broken. Scott Rice. bell
boy ut the Benton hotel. skull frac-
turcd. internal injuries: lived but few
minutes. VIII !. Mittcn. BENTON Har.
Dor, both legs fractured, internal in.
juricS. lived two hours; leaves widow
and seven children. Louis Hoffman.
Benton Harbor. head smashed, thigh
crushed; widower. leaves two small
children. Arthur G. Hill. st. Joe, fore.
man 81. Joe Hose company, legs brOk.
en-. terribly burned: lived one hour.
Frank :. Eaver. 81. Joe. leg broken,
badly cut and burned; lived three
hours. Robert l.. ltOfc. ST. Joe, COM
pound fracture left leg. burned; lived
one hour.
The injured: John A. Crawford, ex.
chief Benton Harbor fire department,
overcome by heat and smoke. burned
about head: will recover Will Freund,
st. Joe. cut about head. Frank Page,
ST. Joe. leg bruised by falling brick,
Frank WoOdlcy and Thomas Kidd
@ on top of adjoining buildings
with hose when they encountered live
electric wires, on which they we're
hanging when fOuI d.. policeman
Charles Johnson narrowly escaped,s
falling bricks tore half his coat gu,
while another was protected by a tel
ephOnc pole.
An Arrest Made.
The cause of the fire Is a mystery;
several theories from a cigar stub 10
n lamp explosion. are given. Gny
Prescott is under arrest rs being one
who knows of the origin. but When
asked by a reporter Of the cause ~
marked that 'hc was not going TO give
anybody away" assuming that he was
i'm possession of facts that caused MS
detention.
The building was comparatively new
having been erected seven years ago
at n cost of $4,000 by Patrick lore'
n wealthy farmer. who had since
leased il to j. A. Simon. who has lau
CHaTSe TOT SIN years. y l"oo.'
brick block owned by Joseph trish;
which stood adjoining, was demolished
by the opera house walls falling Oh
top and crashing through to the bast-
ment without apparent resistance: lne
Opera block vas occupied by the Even
ing News. :. NJ. Austin'S bakery ..
Bernstein's clothing store. John
Holmes barber shop and fruit packlhs
in the basement. The Frisk block was
used for retail boot and shoe business
and dwelling. The buildings anu
stocks destroyed, with losses, are 10
follows:
Opera house block. loss Sfo.u". III
surance $1,000: Evening News pan.
$1,000. insurance $500; J. Berhsaeln
$1,000. no insurance; :. VI. AUSTIN SOW
no insurance: Holmes 500. no lllsnlo
ance: =. NJ. Frisk. loss $1,000, insuran,.
$1,000: J. y. Herr. grocery store acIos,
the alley. damage TO building anu
stock, $1,000; fully insured. a HE
quantity of stage scenery beicnSinS ~
Harry Emery. of the Katie in'n hs
company. J. simon and W. I. fio'H''
was lpStrnyoJ with no insurance.