The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-06

JACOB j. SCHNUR.
JOHN j. COOGAN
JACOB S. STRAMER.
The injured, mostly fremen, are:
CHARLES H. CONWAY, burned about
face and hands and body crushed; may die.
DENNIS SWEENIE, chief or the fire de
partment, right foot crushed, lett arm
wrenched and painfully burned.
c. F. WALKER, knocked down by ex-
plosion and injured about the spine
JOHN HENTZ struck by falling beam
and skull fractured
JAMES INQUIRE, leg fractured.
JOSEPH LACEY, badly burned about
face; case 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 race
and forehead.
LIEUTENANT JOHN MILLER. COM
pound fracture of leg; badly burned; condl-
ton critical.
CAPTAIN 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 and body; con-
dition serious.
WILLIAM SCHUBERT. bruised and
burned.
JOHN HAssEY, left arm crushed at the
shoulder.
LIEUTENANT Oy hSiliS
debris.
LIEUTENANT FRANK DONAGAN,
hurt by falling bricks; injured internally;
condition serious.
CAPTAIN JOHN EVANS, face, hands
and shoulders badly burned.
CAPTAIN FALVEY legs, arms and
shoulders badly burned.
LIEUTENANT FRANK NIGG, badly
buried about face and arms.
FIRE MARSHAL CHAMPION, burned
about face
LIEUT.. SMITH both legs crushed.
LIEUT.. w. H. BARTLETT, leg crushed.
ASSISTANT ENGINEER BENJAMIN
BLANCHARD, badly bruised.
JOHN F. SMITH, injured by debris
VIM INQUIRE, fifteen years old, both
feet crushed.
THOMAS ENGLE, pipeman, cut about
face ana hands and internally injured.
IGNATIUS BOND, cut by falling glass.
CAPTAIN JOHN ]. EVANS, struck by
debris and rendered unconscious; serious
VIM. HANLEYM, pipeman, cut in head.
WILLIAM THOMPSON, hit by falling
glass.
Besides these dozens OF firemen and pass
ers-by were more or less cut and bruised
by glass and flying debris
The origin of the blaze is believed to have
been in the vicinity Of the boiler house. Ac-
cumulated dust as dry and inflammable as
gunpowder that has been piing up for
years formed a ready means for the fire.
1t spread with great rapidity and then
came terrific explosion completing the
work of scattering the fire throughout the
entire scructure.
Just as the firemen were getting into
position for advantageous work and nearly
all the members of Engine Company No.
were mounting ladders and bringing leads
Of fo r1la inferior from the
upper windows there came a roar that
could be heard for half a 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 mighty fragments and distributed
for blocks around. Every window in the
vicinity of the elevator was shattered by
the conclusion, dozens of persons were
struck by flying debris and several small
fires resulted from falling timbers that
were still in flame. Al Jefferson street and
Carroll avenue many blocks distant, great
masses Of burning wreckage fell upon four
wagons loaded with hay and set them in
flames.
The elevator was of composite construc-
llon, the lower portion DelnS Oh DIIck ana
the upper part of frame covered with cor
rugated iron. The explosion caused a per-
feet bombardment of flying bricks and
sheets of iron at almost white heat leav-
ing little of the building save a framework
of wood and iron surrounding a great pile
of blazing wheat.
The explosion stunned for a moment the
police and the firemen. but they quickly
rallied to help those who had been hurt.
Dozens of men lay injured in the wither-
ing heat, some not seriously harmed and
others in the throes of death. 1t was dan
gerous work to get them out but it was
gallantly and quickly 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 to control, as
the elevator was surrounded by a number
of small frame buildings. which were
tinualIy catching fire. The total loss is es-
timated at $500 900, which is fully covered
by insurance.
Late tonight the body of Fireman Jacob
Struckman was found under the ruins. This
makes five deaths as the result of the fire.
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SUFFOCATED BY SMOKE.
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