The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-06-12
DEATH AND RUIN.
buildings Are Wrecked, One Woman
Fatally Injured. and between
Forty and Fifty other Per-
sons Are BADLY Hurt.

| tnicdBo, June 5.--EApiOulng ure-
works wrought havoc in the immediate
vicinity of Halsted and Van Buren,
streets al precisely :55 o'clock Tuesday
evening. AS the result of the swift ac-
cident one person was killed and 40
hurt, some of them seriously, 900
worth Of property was destroyed and a
commotion was precipitated such as the
West division has seldom witnessed.
The name of the dead person is Mrs.
Maggie Kenney. She was struck by a
runaway horse. bruised and cut, and
died at midnight in the county hospital.
Fire succeeded the explosion and threat
ened the largest building in the neigh
borhood Then the clang OF fire engines
was added 10 the general din, and
hcrses dashed on the scene. further en-
dangering the lives Of the women and
children gathered there.
The explosion occurred in the big
fireworks establishment of Nathan
Shure. 2l0 South Halsted street. A
woman-Sadie Cohen--a clerk in
Shure's establishment, was the blame
less occasion of the accident. She was
NJ work in the rear of the big shop at
$3.50 p. IN. She stepped on paper cap.
and trouble ensued. The cap ignited,
and I'm an instant n packing case filled
with inflammable stuff was set on fire.
Miss Cohen and Walter McCloud, a fell
low clerk, were the only persons In the
place at the time. They had barely
time 10 escape and give the alarm be-
fore the fire reached the explosives and
began series OF small explosions which
served 10 warn the gathering crowd and
prevent a great loss of life. when the
greatest explosion came a moment later.
This blew out the front OF the building
and spread ruin, fire. and wreckage for
two blocks in all directions.
A South Halsted street cable train
standing in front of the store was
wrecked by the force of the explosion.
The gripman and conductor were
thrown from the cars and landed i'm the
street, scorched and stunned. Scarcely
whole pane of glass was left within
block of the explosion. Dozens of pco-
pie were injured by falling glass.
Pedestrians and horses were knocked
down by the force of the first concus-
sion, and then came wild panic of
every living thing in the vicinity to get
asfar from the scene as possible. Teams
of horses ran away. knocking down and
trnmpling under foot men. women and
children
The fireworks store occupied a room
Is feet south from the corner of Van
Buren, and Halsted streets, near the
middle OF the Robbins block. A 1G-inch
brick wall divided the room from Yon-
DORIS clothing store. which occupies
the entire corner This wall was blown
down and the fire communicated TO the
stock OF goods worth $4,000. A dozen
clerks barely escaped with their lives.
One was thrown from balcony and
badly hurt.
Luckily the four fats Immediately
above the fireworks store. usually filled
with tenants. were vacant. No one
could have escaped from the second
floor alive. Over Yondorfs store were
two fats occupied by families. and two
doctors offices. The tenants were res
cued by the firemen and police. Across
the street every window was shattered
and dozens Of people were hurt by fly
ing glass and fireworks. The firemen
had all they could do to save the whole
block from destruction. In the face Of
klc additional danger from dynamite
and other explosives they made a new
record for bravery and skill. The total
loss is estimated at about $4,000.