The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-21
Ten FITsmen Were Severely Hurt by the
Sudden Collapse Of Wall.
WARD BELIEVED TO HAVE PERISHED.


Cambridge, Mass, Nov 2f-The great
pork packing establishment of John Il.
Squire G. CO., at East Cambridge, i'm
which a $40 00o fire occurred two weeks
ago and one man was killed. was again
visited by serious confiagration this
morning Ore man was killed. one man
is missing and ten were seriously in
jured. The property loss is estimated
at 100000. This is covered by a blanket
policy OF 81, ,0oo, 900 on the whole plant.
KILLED.
Truckman Louis Fairbairn, Truck .,
Cambridge, crushed by falling walls,
died at the Massachusetts General hos
pital soon after reaching there.
MISSING.
John Ward. watchman. who Is sup
posed TO have perished In the burning
building.
INJURED.
James l.. Burke Ladder I, Cam
bridge: probably fatally injured; taken
10 Massachusetts General hospital.
Edward p. Donohue. Truck l, Cam
bridge: taken to Cambridge hospital;
later to his home.
Samuel England. Engine 80. Boston:
taken To Massachusetts General hos
pital.
Mark Reilly. Engine 80. Boston:
slightly injured; Massachusetts, Cen
eral hospital.
Lieut. Wood, Engine 2, Cambridge:
back hurt; taken home.
Edward Clark, hoseman; back hurt;
taken home
Melvin Priest. Engine 6. Cambridge:
legs crushed. internal Injuries; taken 10
Cambridge hospital.
Louis Anshelm, Engine Z, Cambridge;
cut about the head taken home.
jams Sheehan Engine 4 Cambridge;
badly crushed leg; taken TO Cambridge
hospital.
John Cunneff, John p. Squire fire
brigade: badly hurt about head; taken
TO Cambridge hospital.
The fir@ started at 5:45 I'm what is
known as the main building OF the
o,ginal plant. which is devoted 10 the
manufacture of oil and lard and the
packing Of the, product.
Patrick O'Brien, night watchman at
the establishment. first saw the flames
while patrolling the third floor of the
building. He rushed for the stairway
and found that IL was already on fre.
Ward, the other wstchman. was on the
same floor at the same time. OBrien
shouted to him and plunged through
the flames, escaping with slight in
iuries. The other watchman was less
fortunate. He made for the windows of
the third story, and was seen there
after the firemen arrived. but before
they could raise ladder he had dis
appeared. and it is feared could not
have escaped.
BY the time O'Brien reached the
street the flames had been seen from
outside, and an alarm had been sound
ed In Cambridge. This was soon fol-
lowed by a general alarm and an alarm
in Somerville. The force OF the flames
ha thiQ ptIfnhar nf
firemen and apparatus was thought TO
be inadequate, and an alarm was
sounded in Boston about 10 minutes
after the fire broke out.
Fed by the infiammabIe contents. the
flames soon possessed the entire build
ing and were roaring through the diff
ferept floors In defiance OF every effort
to check them. All attempts of the fire.
men seemed IN vain for more than two
hourA Soon after $780, however, they
succeeded in getting the upper hand
but the building was wrecked When
fhesffrc was at its height the front wall
which rose to a height Of ELK and
half stories. fronting OH narrow
street, In which the firemen were at
work, fell. There was no warning. and
IL had not appeared that the wall was
seriously weakened. Seven men were
buried In the wreck. all OF whom were
more or letS SERIOUSLY llluIeu. AS rOOn
as possible they were rescued Some OF
them were sent 10 their homes and the
others werefaken TO the hospitals.
Truckman Fairbairn was one of this
number. He was terribly crushed and
apparently very seriously hurt inter
nally. He was taken to the Massachu-
setts General hospital where he soon
died after his arrival. At 9:15 Burke
- n 4 at<tstI
and England and Reilley of Engine SO.
Boston, We're at work on the first floor
~ the building. when II collapsed. The
fire had been under control for some
time. and the men were directing the
hose upon the debris which was piled
upon the floor. BY the giving way OF
the surface on which they stood they
were thrown into the basement among
barrels OF lard and oil. while the mass
Of wreckage came down over them.
Donohue only was seriously hurt
The building which was burned was
about 900 feet long. six and a half
stories high. divided into two sections
by a 32-inch wall. IL was comparative
~ new. having been erected I'm 1885. and
was separated into departments having
charge OF the various processes Of the
manufacture OF lard and oil and OF
pork packing.
A later dispatch says that Truckman
Fairbarn is not dead, but is 30 badly
hurt that his demise Is looked for "a
any moment.
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