The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-09-21
AN AWFUL FIRE IN TOLEDO
EIGHT PERSONS CREMATED AND
 EIGHT FATALLY BURNED.

Eight More Also Seriously Injured-
 "spontaneous Combustion" of D Just in
 a Grain Elevator Caused the Destruc-
 ttOn-A Panic In the Neighborhood-
 Houses shaken and Windows Shat
 tered for Blocks.
 Toledo, O., Sept. 2o.-Eight persons were cremated, eight more fatally burned and eight seriously injured tonight in the most disastrous fire that ever occurred In Toledo. The spontaneous combustion of dust in the grain elevator occupied by Paddock, Hodge & Co. caused this destruction of life, and none of those who were taken out after the fire was far enough from deaths door to tell any of the details. The dead are: Samuel Alexander, Bert Wainwright, Fred Garrett, Harold Parks, John Smith, Grace Parks, John Carr and Frank Van Housen.
 The injured: David Kemp, Barney Welch, Charles Keller, Fred Pargillis, - Elliott, Charles Brocker, Everett Smith, Hamilton Parks, w. c. Jordan, William J. Parks, Peter Haas, Alfred Baldie and four others, names un- known. William J. Parks, the superin- tendent, was blown through the window of the lower story. He said that an explosion occurred on the south side of the elevator and that he knew there were about twenty men at work on the seven floors of the enormous building. None of those now alive will survive their burns. Besides those reg ularly employed at the elevator, the three children of Superintendent Parks were visiting him at the time. One of these may recover from her burns, but Grace, a seventeen-year-old girl, is burned almost beyond recognition, and Harold, the third child, has not been found.
 At 8:30 this evening the people of East Toledo were startled by terrific explosion, which caused a panic all over the neighborhood. Houses were shaken as in an earthquake, and win dows were shattered for blocks around. Those in the vicinity of the Union ele- vator soon noticed flames bursting from the building. It was but a few minutes before the fire department be- gan the work of rescue, which was rem dered difficult by the terrific heat. The river cut off escape on one side, and there the flames seemed to be less fierce. The families of 8 dozen men who were known to be at work within rushed to the scene, the women loudly calling for their imprisoned husbands, brothers and fathers.
 It was learned that the force of twen- ty men expected to load S0,0O0 bushels of grain during the night. Not one of them could be seen in any part of the building, and it was impossible to reach them in any way. William Parks was found first. He was twenty feet from the building frightfully burned and his clothing almost entirely torn off. He had been hurled from his place in the main room, through window and his agonizing cries were most pitt Iul. AHOlutI cillplOyC, Ucllu Sctl1, " clS hurled from the fifth floor of the build ing and was found bleeding and burned with many bones broken. He did not long survive. Fireman David Kemp and Charles Keller, the engineer were found at their places in the engine room. They were wounded by falling timbers and their faces were charred to crisp.
 The little daughter of William Parks was sitting near the desk in the office at the time of the explosion and she was hurled out of the door. She walk ed down the elevation on which the building stands and then fell uncon- scious, suffering from wounds from which she cannot recover. John Smith was fatally burned. The miss ing men are doubtless all dead. No trace of them has been found and as they were employed at the top of the elevator their chances for escape were but slight. The heat became so in- tense that twenty cars on sidings near the burning building were added to the loss. The fire department had a hard struggle to save the other elevators. The bridge across the Maulee river was on fire several times, but outside of the loss of the elevator the damage is slight. MT. Paddock, a member of the firm owning the plant, said that there was between 800, 900 and 100000 bushels of grain in storage at the time, most of ii being winter wheat. The property and the grain are an entire loss. The loss will reach $45O,000. The insurance ,s s135, ,O0o on the building and $25S,0OG on the grain At midnight the flames are fully under control.