The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-08-06
Killed and Score Injured During
q Fire at Chicago.
Firemen Buried Under
Falling Walls.
Rss Were Shattered BY ceneusslon Fos
lu( Several BIseka

tsly injured by an explosion In the
. c6rthwestern grain elevator last night
he elevator caught fre from some un-
Mnown cause, and while the fremen were
xat work terrific explosion demolished
the building, burying tho men under the
debris.
Three Of the dead are fremen-the
body OF another fireman is thought to
be buried In the ruins OF the elevator.
From the terrible force with which
the explosion swept tho spot on which
they were standing II Is certain they
must have been instantly killed. Either
the bursting of boiler or the explosion
OF mill dust caused the havoc. The
three firemen who were killed by the
falling walls of the elevator were: Jacob
J. Schnur John j. Coogan and Jacob $.
Stramer, and a man blown into river by
explosion. Body not recovered. The
body of Fireman Jacob Struckman was
found under the ruins.
The injured are: Charles II. Conway
fireman, burned about face and hands
and body crushed, may die; Chief Denis
6wenie, right foot crushed, left arm
wrenched and painfully burned; Fire
Marshal Campion, burned about face;
Lieutenant Smith, both legs crushed;
Lieutenant w. II. Bartlett, leg crushed
Assistant Engineer Benjamin Blanch-
ard, badly bruised: John +. Smith, in
jured by debris; william Mcclure, IL
years old, both feet crushed; Thomas
Engk, pipeman, cut about face and
hands and internally injured; Ignatius
Bond, cut by falling glass; Captain
John ]. Evans struck by debris and rem
dered unconscious. serious; William
Hanley pipeman, cut In head; William
Thomson. hit by falling glass; c. #.
Walter, knocked down by explosion and
injured about the spine; John Hentz.
struck by falling beam and skull frac-
tured; James Mcclure. leg fractured;
Joseph Lacey, badly burned about face.
serious; Frank c. HALEY, face burned
beyond recognition. may lose sight of
both eyes; Captain Martin Lacey,
burned about the face and body. wounds
on face and forehead; Lieutenant John
J. Miller. compound fracture of leg.
badly burned, condition critical; Cap
tain william Rooney. badly burned
about face. may lose sight Of both eyes,
condition serious; John Evans. fracture
Of right arm. badly burned about the
face, condition critical; Harry Kugle-
burned about face and body, condition
serious: William Schubert, bruised and
burned; John Hassey, left arm crushed
at the shoulder: Lieutenant Frank DON
sagan, hurt by falling bricks, injured IN
ternally, condition serious; Captain
Falvey. legs. arms and shoulders badly
burned; Lieutenant Frank Nigg. badly
burned about face and arms.
- =
passers-by were more or less cut and
bruised by glass and flying debris.
The origin of the blaze IL believed to
have been In the vicinity Of the boiler
house. Dust as dry and inflammable as
gunpowder, that had been piling up for
years. formed q ready means far the
flre. It spread with great rapddity, and
then came q terrific explosion, complet-
Ing the work Of scattering the fire
throughout the entire structure.
Just as the firemen were getting into
position for advantageous work, and.
nearly all the members Of engine COM
pany No. were mounting ladders and
bringing lines Of hose to play on the in
terror from the upper windows, there
came q roar that could be heard for
half mile; the roof was raised high In
the air and the walls came down with a
crash
The force Of the explosion was so great
that the eastern wall was hurled into
the river, the west wall was tumbled
down upon the heads of the unfortunate
men below, and the roof was torn into
fragments and distributed for blocks
around. Every window in the vicinity
of the elevator was shattered by the
concussion; dozens of persons were
struck by flying debris. and several
small fires resulted from falling timbers
that were still in flames. At Jefferson
street and Carroll avenue, many blocks
distant, great burning masses Of wreck
age fell upon four wagons loaded with
hay and set them on fire.
The elevator was Of composite con-
struction, the lower portion being OF
brick and the upper part Of frame COW
cred with corrugated. iron. The sx-
plosion caused perfect bombardment Of
fiying bricks and sheets Of iron at al
most white heat. leaving little of the
building save o framework Of wood and
iron surrounding . great pile OF blazing
wheat.
The explosion stunned, for a moment.
the police and the firemen, but they
quickly rallied TO help those whs had
been hurt. Dozens Of men lay injured
In the whitening heat, some not seriously
harmed. and others In the thross Of
death. IL was dangerous work to rot
them out. but Il was gallantly and quick
1y done. and all Of the slightly injured
were removed. The dead were for the
time left where they lay. No man could
reach their bodies and live.
The fire was most difFicult 70 control.
as the elevator was surrounded by a
number Of small buildings. which werc
continually catching fire. The total loss
Ia estimated at 100000. which Is fully
covered by insurance.
Dstective Put on Priests Gavb.
Iron Mountain, Mich, Aug. 6.-Peter
Rons the trarnt) chargcd WITH thc v,,,,~