The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-12
BOILER EXPLOSION
KILLS EIGHT EMPLOYEES OF CHI
CAGO LAUNDRY.
MANY OTHERS WERE INJURED.
THE BOILER OLD AND HAD NOT
BEEN INSPECTED.

The Proprietor Arrested and May Be
CriminRlIy PrOsecuted-POlice and
Firemen Quarreled rs 10 whose
Duty Ii Was 90 Search for Bodies
and Both Quit Work-AEents of
Property Made to Clean Up Debris
at Once-MOre Bodies May lie
Found.
Chicago, March u.-By the explosion of
the boiler in the Doremus laundry. ass
West Madison street, this morning, eight
people were instantly killed. twenty-nine
were injured and several are missing.
The cause of the explosion has not been
determined with accuracy as yet, and ii
will probably require an official invesu-
cation to settle the matter. 1t is known
that the boiler was old, secondhand
affair, and there is no record in the Of
flee of the city boiler inspector of any
inspection having been made within the
last year Pending the verdict of the
coroner's jury, A. L. Doremus. the pro-
prietor of the laundry, is held in custody
by the police, and it is the intention of
the authorities to institute criminal pro-
brought out at the inquest warrant such
proceedings.
The list of dead and wounded was diff
cult to secure. Reports of the number of
dead in the ruins run all the way from
six TO twenty. 1t is known that thirty
six employees of the laundry had entered
the place before the explosion occurred,
because the automatic timekeper found in
the ruins. and which was not damaged,
showed that number of registered arrivals.
Two or three were entering at the mo-
ment of the explosion, making an approx
innate total of forty 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 esti-
mate by the police comedies that at least
three. dead or alive, are stih in the ruins;
yet the search for bodies in the ruins
came to a sudden and early close in the
Afternoon and the work of rescue was en-
tirely abandoned.
Policemen and Firemen Quarrel.
The cause of the cessation of the search
was dispute between the firemen and
police as to who was responsible for the
recovery of any bodies which might be
concealed beneath the debris. The fire.
men said they had performed their whole
duty, and, gathering up their hose they
retired from the scene. The police said
ii was not their work to dig for bodies,
and nobody else volunteered to do the
work. The trouble was brought to the
attention of Police Inspector John d.
Shea, in whose district the accident oc-
CURED, and he held that the search
properly belonged to the fire department.
Both the police and firemen remained
| firm and refused to continue to search
| for bodies. While the fremen maintained
| that all the bodies had been recovered
| the police asserted that this fact had not
| UEen established, and Police Lieutenant
| O'Hara said that the general understand
ing was that more bodies were in the
| ruins.
! While the firemen were arguing and ex-
| planning their respective sides In the mat
| ter, the city building department stepped
| in.
Building Inspector Kiolbassa sent a
deputy to the scene of the catastrophe
and notice was sent to Jackson Bros
agents for the property. to Immediately
| begin the work of pulling down the walls
and clearing away the debris. Jackson
Bros. were given two hours to comply
with the order. their failure to do so to
result in the building department per-
forming the task. The real estate firm
soon had number of wreckers at the
ruins, and the work Of pulling down the
walls was Immediately begun. This OPP
Grafton made it impossible to continue
the search for bodies, but the work may
| be continued tomorrow.