The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-03-21
KILLED BY EXPLOSION.
Eight Known Dead and Several
Are Reported Missing.
FoRTY-Two OTHERS WERE HURT.

A Connic Of Authority Between 70.
lice and Fire Departments Results
In Temporarily Abandoning the
Search For Dead Bodies.
Chicago. March 12.-By the explosion
Of the boiler In the Doremus laundry.
+5S West Madison street. yesterday.
eight people we're instantly killed, ~
were injured and several are missing.
The list Of the recovered dead Is as fol-
lows:
Frank Hannemann. Martha Jacobi.
Bessie Kusaba, Kate Voss. Catherine
Kelly, George Piehl, Emma Sabruski
and Minnie Olsen.
The cause Of the explosion has not
been determined with accuracy as yet.
and 1t will probably require an official
investigation to settle the matter. 1t
is known that the boiler was old. a
secondhand affair, and there is no rec
ord in the Office of the city boiler in
spector Of any inspection having been
made within the last year. Pending
the verdict Of the coroner's jury A. L..
Doremus. the proprietor Of the laun-
dry. is held in custody by the police,
and II is the intention Of the authori-
ties to institute criminal proceedings
against him should the facts brought
out at the inquest warrant such pro-
ceedings.
The list Of dead and wounded was
difficult to secure. Reports Of the num-
ber OF dead in the ruins run all the
Il 70 10 L. n
that 36 employees Of the laundry had
entered the place before the eXplo-
sion occurred, because the automatic
tmekeeper found in the ruins, and
which was not damaged, showed that
number OF registered arrivals. Two or
three were entering at the moment OF
the explosion, making an approximate
total Of 40 employees in and around the
building. The list OF injured includes
however. several people residing In the
adjoining buildings, nearly all OF
which were badly damaged. The most
conservative estimate by the police
comedies that at least three, dead OF
alive, are still in the ruins, yet the
search for bodies in the ruins came tc
sudden end early in the afternoon
and the work Of rescue was entirely
abandoned.
The cause OF the cessation OF the
search was a dispute between the fire
men and police as to who was respon'
sible for the recovery OF any bodies
which might be concealed beneath the
debris. The firemen said they had per
formed their whole duty and gather
ing up their hose, they started from thu
scene. The police said 1t was not theil
work to dig for bodies. and nobody elst
volunteered to do the work.
Chief Sweeney. OF the fire depart
ment said there was no friction be
tween his department and the police
department. He admitted that thu
firemen had abandoned the search fo
bodies, and said:
"The understanding OF the fire de
partment Is that all the injured ant
dead have been recovered from thu
ruins. The fire which burned ther'
was entirely extinguished. and will
the recovery OF all dead bodies and in
jured persons our work ceased ant
the fremen withdrew. My men dit
not desert the scene until they hat
DceH lhlOl lieu tudt tucIe WdS uotHihl
else for them to do"
While the firemen and police wer,
arguing and explaining their respec
tive sides in the matter the city build
ing department stepped in. Building
Inspector Kiolbassa sent deputy t
the scene of the catastrophe and no
tice was sent to Jackson Brothers
agents for the property, to immediate
ly begin the work Of pulling down tn,
walls and clearing away the debris
Jackson Brothers were given twt
hours to comply with the order, thei
failure to do so to result in the build
ing department performing the work
The real estate firm soon had a mum
ber Of wreckers at the ruins and tn,
work of pulling down the walls wa
Immediately begun. This operation
made 1t impossible to continue tn,
search for bodies, but the work ma,
l. \