The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-08-21
HOLOCAUST.
SeVsIal Msn Met Dsash in q Roar
ing Furnsce.
CAUSED BY AN EXPLOSION.
Five charred Human Bodies
Found in the Ru rs Of Wafsr-
works Glib al CIeys-
land, Chic.

Five men we're burned to death, four
were drowned, three and possibly four
were sufocated and several Injured as
the result Of q fire which destroyed
temporary waterworks crib, two miles
of Cleveland, Ohio, harbor early
Wednesday morning.
The dead, 50 far as known: Arthur
Hasty, drowned, body recovered; Mark
Snyder, drowned; Arthur hastings,
burned; Plunner Jones. sufocsted;
John MARITIME, drowned; John Kowol-.
sky, drowned, body recovered; four IN
identified men burned.
The injured 50 far as kuo8r: John
Lees, probably broken back, fatal;
O. Bsaddo,k, burned shout hands and
face; Charles Smith, overcome by gas
in tunnel; Dsvid Kelly, rescuer, over
come by gas.
Still imprisoned in tunnel: Victor
Kaufman, Canton, probably dead; John
Enging, probably dead; Adam Kent,
probably dead.
Twenty-siz ueu obeyed the orders Of
Manager G. G. Van Dsusen when the
flames broke out and took refuge in the
water on floating pieces Of wrecksge.
Four Of them lost their hold upon their
frsil flats and sank beneath the waves
just as help reached their comrades.
Van De1sen and three Of his men
were banging in the water from sao-
inch line suspended from the crib. Just
as the line was burning away above the
mems hands yawl boat froE the barge
Wilhelm, manned by two men, dashed
into the heat and smoke that envelopeo
the crib and rescued the four men on
the rope at the risk Of their lives. The
remaining men were picked up in the
water and brought to Cleveland. They
were naked, exhausted and badly burn
ed. Many Of them were cot by falling
timbers.
The crib is s total loss. It was a
frame building 200 by so feet, the sides
shesthed with iron. It contsine d va!u-
able machinery. It is now a ohsrred
shspeless mass Of Wreckage and min
aled with the blacEened timbsrs are
blackened, rusted snd twisted pieces
and plates of iron and steel.
The crib ard machinery were the
property of Shailer and Schinglau. con-
tractors. Their loss will exceed $780,
900.
Fire ard harbor tugs with rescuing
parties on board reached the crib soon
after the flames bro e out, but when
they arrived tie structure was seeth-
ing mass Of flames and all hope of ssv
ing it was abandoned.
Men could be distinguished swim
ming and floating in the water shout
ing for help. Others were clinging to
ropes which they lad hitched or tied
to the rafters, but the flames were
burning the ropes away, while the men
were stark naked, and one Dy one they
we're falling into the lake.
The tugs clrcled around the burning
crib, picking up men from the Water
and meantime playing heavy streams
upon the flames.
After an hours work the flames were
diminished enough so that the fremen
could climb up the charred steps snd
tight the fire from the interior. Then
the horror Of the calamity vas first
realized. Everything wss 9 total
wreck. While the frenen were pour
ing water on the flames there was
A ROARING FURNACE
beneath which could not be reached.
But the 6remen ciurg to their places
and fought every inch Of the way un-
til the FIRE was under control.
After two hours Of hard work five
charred human bodies were found
burned beyond recognition. Two were
in the attitude Of prayer. They must
have been awakened BY the fire but
could not escape. They were caught
ike rats in trap. One body was
burned to almost nothing. The bodies
of two other men lay close to those
that were on their knees and it Looked
as though they never knew what hap,
pened to them. They must have been
sufocated before the flames reached
them.
As soon as the Eve bodies were dis
covered the tug Kennedy returned to
the harbor at once and notified the
coroner Of the discovery. While this
vas going on ways and means were
being devised to reach the men in
prisoned in the tunnel, whose sir sup
ply had apparently been shut of en-.
tirely by the burning Of the compress
ed air pscbirery.
At times it was thought that voices
could be heard down below and the life
savers and the 6remen peered down
with ears intent, out the sounds ceased
again. At the mouth Of the shaft it
vas like q furnace, and the iron work
was red hot from the flames.
Finally after deluge Of water had
been thrown on the smoldering shaft
entrance, a voice vas heard from the
bottom, calling for help. For Gods
sake throw down rope, thrown down
a ropel' S man called. 4 line was
quickly dropped down the shaft and as
it frightened shout Of joy went up
from those about, for it was quickly
observed that the man st the bottom
was able to grasp it
He yelled again to the rescuers to
pull BIN up. Slowly and carefully he
was raised. His psllid face, covered
with slime, his staring eyes and hes7
ing chest, told Of the horror he had
gone through in the hours he spent in
the tunnel. he was William Curry, Of
Canton.
As soon az he could gasp Curry ssid:
'''Ihey are sill at the bottom Of tie
shaft, hurry up"
In quick succession seven others
we're brought up fr,n the foul and
sitting air Of the tunnel. All were II
3 most pitiable condition. They re-
ported that two other men we're lying
unconscious at the bottom CT the shaft.