The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-09-10

BENTON HARBoR, Mich, Sept o.
Yore's opera house and adjoining build
ings were burned early Sunday morn
ing, causing the death of II firemen
and injury to a number of others, and
entailing a loss of s65, 900.
Killed: Frank Watson, married, Of
st. Joseph Edward H. Gange, married,
st. Joseph; Arthur c. Hill, married,
St. Joseph; Frank Seaver, married, st.
Joseph; Robert Rolfe, single, St. Jo-
seph; John Hoffman, married, Benton
Harbor; Thomas Kidd, single, Benton
Harbor; Frank Woodley, married, Ben
ton Harbor; Scott Rice, Benton Har-
Dor; Will Matten, married, Benton
Harbor; Louis Hoffman, single, Benton
Harbor
The seriously injured are: Ex-Fire
Chief John A. Crawford, Benton Har-
Dor, burned and overcome by heat and
smoke, seriously injured.
Frank Paget, of St. Joseph, legs
mashed by falling brick.
Will Freund, of st. Joseph, cut about
the head and burned.
Jack Mccormick, Benton Harbor
legs broken and internally injured.
Several others were injured by fall
| ing walls, but will recover. Shortly
| after midnight Yore's opera house, a
large four-story brick structure was
discovered to be on fire. 1t had gained
much headway before the alarm was
| given and when the four city depart
ments arrived the building was mass
of flames The st. Joseph departments
were sent for and arrived soon
after. The fire continued to gain
other buildings when the hook
and ladder companies went to the rear
of the building, hoping to be able to
direct stream into the mass of flames
from second-story window. Hardly
had they arrived there when the wall,
with 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 every moment
the remainder of the wall would fall
Finally some of the crowd rushed into
the mass to rescue the shriel<ing
and struggling men. Frank Watson,
of st. Joseph, was the first man reach
ed, but he was dead and his body was
mass of broken bones and mangled
flesh. The search continued until s
o'clock, when the last victim, Arthur
Hill, was removed. They were carried
to offices and private houses where
doctors from both cities were in wait.
ing to rerder aid. Some of them
died en- route and others died
| xr,1,i hai n
cared for The dead were taken
to the city hall, which was
turned into temporary morgue. Some
of the men were SO badly mangled that
identity was only had by means of let
ters and papers in their pockets Al
the bleeding forms were carried
through the streets they were followed
by throngs of awe-sticken men and
women, eager to learn whether the vic
tim was friend or relative. After the
falling of the rear wall, which took
with it the lives of at least eleven men
the roof and other walls soon collapsed
one of the side walls fell upon a two
story brick building owned by
VIM. Frick and completely demol
ished it and it's contents o.
shoes. The fire had not been confined
alone to the opera house, but had crept
. across the alley and soon the rear o.
the two store buildings were a seeth
> ing mass of flames. These, however
were gotten under control before they
! reached the main part of the buildings
The fire was under control at five
, o'clock and the search for more bodies
was begun and continued all day unit
, tonight, the firemen, exhausted, gave
| up the search until Monday.
! The occupants of the several build
ings will lose several hundred dollars
The origin Of the fire is unknown, bu
: Guy Prescott, who stated Sunday tina
! he knew how the fire started, but wa
not going to give any oae away, wa
! arrested and will be brought before
the coroner's jury The ward
J robe of the Katie Putnam company
which gave performance for the ben
. eft of the firemen in the evening wa
: also burned, as was the wardrobe o
the Mexican Troubadours, who arr
| spending their vacation here Severa
. of the dead firemen have large families
, The funerals will be all held together
| Tuesday and will be under the au
| spices of the firemen and fraternal so
cieties, Of which the deceased wer
members