The bee., 1902-02-06
EVERY ONE WAS A HERO.
Seven Firemen in st. Louis Go
Down Under Falling Walls
and are Killed.
THE BUILDING AN OLD SHELL STRUCTURE
Floors Fell with Several Pipemen, and
Assistant Chief Thierry, with the
Words, II VIII Have to Rescue Those
Men," with Other Brave Men. Went
to His Death.

St. Louis, Feb. Six fireman, per-
haps more, went down under the fall
ing walls of a burning building at
3l2-3l4 Chestnut street last night al
most as the fire circuits of the city
were striking the hour of nine, while
as many more suffered injuries,
though escaping with life. With
collapse which threw almost every
particle of the structure debris upon
the doomed men. the entire building
fell just as the fremen had satisfied
themselves that the flames were UNI
der control. Then it was that the
shell-like characteristics of the old
structure, occupied by three business
concerns, became apparent too late
to save the brave men. AS quickly
as il was possible to do so the work
of rescue was begun, but the mass of
debris was so immense that it seemed
almost a hopeless task to, reach the
victims. About midnight, as the work
progressed il was thought that
groans were heard by the rescue
force, but by one o'clock these had
disappeared, and with them all hope
of taking out any of the victims
alive. The work was kept up, how
ever, in a determination to get the
bodies out at the earliest moment
possible. 1t was one of the worst
accidents that ever befelI the st.
LOuis fire department., not so extern
sive. perhaps, as the great Southern
hotel fire, but more awful in its sud-
denness, completeness and lack of
warning to the doomed men. As the
rescue workers struggled with the
wreckage the task seemed to the on
lockers to grow more hopeless,
though the pile thrown from the site
of the building into the street in the
search for the buried men grew with
rapidity. AS the work progressed it
became more and more cviden. that
there was little likelihood of recov-
cry Of the bodies until practically all
the debris should be taken from the
site of the destroyed structure. Still
there was some hope left.
At 2:20. a. m. William Dundon was
taken out, still alive, but horribly in
jured. He was sent at once to the
city hospital.
In speaking of the accident, Chief
Swingley said
Il arrived at the fire shortly after
the general alarm had been turned
in. At the time the building collapsed
the fire was we'll under control. was
on Chestnut street, directly in front
OF the structure, when the wall fell
outward. Before this the rear por-
ton of one of the upper fioors-it is
impossible to say which-gave way
under several pipemen who were at
work upon it.
"Thierry came to me and said: 4
will have to rescue those men, /
told him to go ahead, and instructed
several men who were near to 90
with him, | can't say how many went.
as just then turned to give another
order. Hardly had the party gottcn
into the building when i. collapsed
with a terrible crash.
In my experience | have never
seen anything like it, non ANYTHING
so entirely without warning.
81 was struck by the falling mass
and knocked into the stree. How
ever. with the exception of few
bruises, am uniniured."
The ruined building has been
standing over forty years. 1t is on
n part of the Mclean estate. 1t was
occupied by DR.. j. II. Mclean he
fore he erected the buildingat FoGrth
and Market streets, which has Just
been torn down. The building which
was destroyed last night was known
originally as the ",IcLean building"
When DIR. Mclean erected the Acw
building the name was transferred
to it.
In the early days the old building
was used as an engine house FOR the
volunteer fire department. Before
the American Tent and Awning Co.
leased the place il was occupied 10y
the Tribune, a German evening pa