The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-09-21
Caught and Cremated In the Big
Building Like So Many
Rats In a Trap
MANY MORE WERE INJURED
Spontaneous Combustion Of Dust the
Cause Of an Explosion
Followed BY Fire.

TOLEDO. o.. Sept Delight cremated
and eight seriously injured is the record
Of the most disastrous fre that ever oe-
CURED in Toledo. Spontaneous eombus-
ton Of dust IN a grain elevator owned
by Paddock. Hodge & cp., at o'clock
caused this terrible destruction OF life.
and none OF those who were taken out
after the hre started was far enough from
deaths door TO tell any OF the details.
william J. Parks. the superintendent.
after being blown through window OF
the tower story. was conscious for a mo-
ment. and said that about $50 terrible
explosion occurred on the south side OF
the elevator. and that he knew there were
about 20 men at work on the seven floors
Of the great building. Besides those regu-
larry employed at the elevator. three
children OF Superintendent Parks were
visiting him at the time. One Of these
may recover from his burns, but Grace.
a l7-year-old girl. Is burned almost be-
yond recognition. and Harold, the third
child has not been found. being either
blown to atoms or cremated.
All over Toledo houses were shaken by
the explosion as II by an earthquake, and
windows were shattered Ior blocks
around Very soon afterwards the flames
burst forth from all sides OF the elevator.
u was but few minutes till the IRE de-
partment OF the city began the work OF
rescue. which was rendered difficult by
the terrific heat OF the fire, The river cut
on escape on one side and there the
flames seemed 10 oe less fierce. The
families OF a dozen men who worked with
In rushed to the scene, and women calling
for their imprisoned husbands. brothers
and fathers made the scene indescribable.
II was learned that force Of % men had
beei. in the building Ineir purpose having
been to load 500 bushels Of grain during
the night
No one Of the entire number could be
seen in any part Of the building. and 1t
was impossible TO reach them in any way.
William Parks was found first. He was
% feet from the building. frightfully
burned, and his clothes were almost en-
tirely torn OF. He had been hurled from
his place In the main room and through
a window. Another employee, John Carr,
was hurled from the fifth floor of the
building, and was found, bleeding and
burned. with many bones broken. He did
not long survive, Fireman David Kemp
and Charles Kelfer. the engineer, were
found at their places in the engine room.
They were wounded by falling timbers
and their faces were charred to a crisp by
the flames. The little daughter of Will
lam Parks was sitting at the desk in the
office at the time OF the explosion and was
hurled out Of the door. She walked down
the elevation on which the building stands
and dropped down, TO be carried away un-
conscious, suffering from wounds from
which she cannot recover. John Smith
was fatally burned. he was literally dis
embowled and was taken to the hospital
to die. The missing are doubtless all
dead.
The heat became so intense that 20 cars
standing on sidings near the building were
added to the loss. Paddock, member
of the iirm owning the plant said there
was between 10000 and 6OO,OOO bushels OF
grain in storage, The property and grain
is an entire loss and will reach $S5O,OOO.
The insurance is slS5,OOO on the building
and the grain is covered with SSSS,OOO in
surance.
Superintendent william Parks and one
unknown man died about midnight, max
ing the total number of fatalities ten.
The following are dead:
Samuel Alexander, Bert Wainwright,
Fred Garrett, Harold Parks John Smith,
Grace Parks, Frank Van Housen, John
Carr, William Parks, and an unknown
man.