Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-12-02
MANY DE BY EXPLOSION
Terrible Disaster Occurs in Swift &
Company's Refrigerator Plant
at Chicago.
BOILER LETS 60 wRtckIus BUILDING.

Ten Bodies Already Recovered and
More Thought to BE In the Ruins
MANY Persons Injured = Fire
Breaks Out In the Ruins, But II
Quickly Put Out.
Chicago, Dec. Possibly 20 lives
were lost in an explosion at the stock
yards Saturday.
One of the boilers in Swift & Co.'s
refrigerating and ice plant in the
Union stock yards blew up at ten
a. m. At least 20 employees in the
plant are believed to be dead in the
wreckage.
Shortly after the roof of branch
plant of the American company at
Fortieth street and Stewart avenue
collapsed. Fifteen girls were report
ed buried under the debris, but the
police declared two men were the
only ones hurt.
Ten Bodies Are Taken Ont.
At 12 o'clock ten bodies had been
taken out of the stock yards debris
and the list of known dead is as fol-
lows:
George Tate, colored, Swift & Co.
employee.
Edward Wright, fireman, colored;
employed in the ice plant.
James Owen, colored, water tender.
NJ. M. WEIGH, fireman.
M. T. Ash.
Thomas Holmes, engineer, white;
killed instantly.
Park, foreman of the stevedore
gang.
The injured:
John Frank, 4462 Princeton avenue;
removed to the Provident hospital.
Frank Weller, voucher clerk; both
legs broken; taken to the Provident
hospital.
N. S. Oliver, 1922 Princeton avenue;
taken to hospital; condition serious.
Unidentified man, extracted from
mass of debris; taken to the hos
pital; dying.
Louis Kirk, teamster, white; struck
by falling wall of building while in
his wagon outside; removed to the
Provident hospital; condition pre-
carious.
M. D. Highly, superintendent of pur-
chasing department; struck by bricks
and falling timbers.
A. NJ. Bushnell, clerk in the
voucher department, is missing. His
hat and coat were found, but he has
not been seen since the explosion.
"a fl,o1;oc 1,,o,.a IN AZ
Inerney's undertaking rooms.
Nearly all of the victims at the
stock yards were colored. The work
sof rescuing the victims from the ruins
svas commenced as soon as the fire
department arrived.
Ambulances were called into action
from every available quarter to re-
move the injured, who numbered
iInore than 20. They were taken to
the Provident hospital.
News of the disaster caused great ex
icitement in the stockyards district
When the first reports reached the
general offices of Swift & Co. conster-
nation reigned. Employees were sent
out to learn the result of the explosion
and for the time information was re-
fused by the officials of the company.
Crowds at the livestock show were
equally frightened.
Boiler Recently Inspected.
The cause of the explosion could not
BE determined. The boiler was IA.
spected recently and was reported to
shave been in good condition. On &C.
count of the connection with the other
boilers, it is said that it must have been
supplied with plenty of water.
When the explosion occurred several
men were in the boiler room. The front
of the car shed, 60 feet away, was
wrecked by the force of the explosion
The boiler was blown out through the
roof and struck on the top of build
: ing used as a voucher office, 100 feet
away. It tore great hole in the roof
of the building and crashed to the floor
below.
Frank Wells was in the building He
was struck by flying debris and Sc
serely injured. He was taken to hos
pital.
Fire Adds to Excitement.
! Live Goals from the fire boxes were
scattered in every direction by the
force of the explosion and the build
ing was set on fire. An alarm was
turned in and the department soon re-
sponded, adding to the confusion and
excitement. The explosion was heard
for many blocks and soon large
crowd had congregated IN the vicinity
OF the wrecked structure.
The fire department. had little diff
Guilty in Distinguishing the flames and
as soon as it was possible to do so
search for missing persons began.
Blown Clear Acroas Street.
The boiler at Swift's was one of a
series of 10, and the force of the con-
cussion blew out the heads of all
of the others. The wrecked one was
carried through the front of the struc-
ture in which it was situated and
across the street, where it crashed into
the front of AGAR shed, totally DESTROY
ing it.
German Farmers to Tour America.
Berlin, Dec. Ia large delegation
OF farmers under the auspices of the
German Agricultural society is going
to the United States in April for a
three months tour, studying Ameri-
can agricultural methods. The Ger.
man . ha ok