The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-28
Three Women Plunge From
Third Story Window
Of a Burning Building in st.
Louis.
BRUISED AND BURNED
And Badly Cut, All Of Them
Will Die.
Fire Caused by an Explosion of
Powder In Basement.

st. Louis, Sept. 2S.-At 9:25 a. m, an
explosion of powder in the basement OF
a four story building at 40 North
Fourth street, occupied by c. & w Ne
CLAIM, fishing tackle and sporting goods
blew out the front of the structure and
set it on fire. Three women jumped
from the third story and are dying.
They were badly cut and burned in ad-
diti0n to being badly hurt by falling on
the pavement. Fireman BohlIy, OF
company No Is, was cut about the head
by falling glass. All were taken to the
city hospital in ambulances.
The explosion shattered plate glass
windows in all stores nearby. Within
a few minutes after the explosion oc-
CURED the whole building was in flames.
which communicated to the building on
the south occupied by the st. Louis
Crockery company. The loss on the
building occupied by the McClain COM
pany will be total.
An effort was made by the firemen to
rescue the three women, but before
they could get up their ladders they
jumped to the sidewalk. 1t is thought
others are still in the building but ow-
ing to the confusion it is impossible to
learn definitely.
Later Account.
ST. Louis, Sept 2s-An explosion of
powder in the rear of the four story
occupied by c. & w. McClain, fishing
tackle and sporting goods, set the store
on fire and caused it's destruction, and
resulted in the injury to a number OF
people, several of whom will die.
The list of the injured follows:
Kate Weldon, Kate Gaull and Flor
ence Higbee, employees of the McClain
company, fatally injured.
Joe Deter, engineer company No 6.
cut by flying glass and bricks; Fred
Bodily, engineer of No. Is. hit by runa-
TreanI fanr ont
= Goldy, engineer No. Is, badly hurt by
flying glass; two firemen, names un-
known; Gus Jansen. fireman at Pruf-
rocks furniture store, cut by flying
glass; not serious; T S. Stone, passer
by, cut by falling glass, not serious; A.
Raga1iO, tailor, hit by runaway reel
team and badly injured.
The first explosion occurred in the
basement of the McClain building where
a quantity of powder and shells had
been stored. It set fire to the building
and shattered the glass in store fronts
for some distance along Fourth street.
On the third floor of the McClain build
ing four young women were at work.
Maggie DinkIe, one of the women es-
in front of the next building south.
Kate Weldon, Kate Gaull and Florence
Higbee were unable to do this. They
anXiously waited for the hremen to put
| up ladders and take them away from
| their position, which became more per-
| ilous every moment from the spreading
/ the women, but by some mischance
| they dropped her to the pavement. The
! other two, cut by glass and burned by
| the flames that were nearly eOnsum-
I ing them, jumped to the pavement and
were taken to the city hospital in a
| critical condition.
| Virginia Redherferd, a stenographer
| in the McClain office is missing, and it
| is believed she perished in the flames.
| A second explosion sent bricks and
glass flying among the firemen, injur-
! ing five of them. Two it is reported
cannot live. This explosion frightened
| team hitched to a reel and the horses
ran away, injuring one fireman and q
| citizen. Less than an hour after the
| fire started the walls of the McClain
| building fell. 1t is not yet known
what the loss, which is total on the
| building and contents, will amount to.
| It will probably aggregate more than
/ S1OO, ,O00 partly covered by insurance
/ The building is owned by a resident OF
| New Hampshire and nothing can be
| learned about it here. McClain car
| ried $59, 900 insurance on their stock and
! fixtures. It is not known how the ex-
| plosion was caused.