The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-06
GrOanS Guide Firemen in
Search For Bodies.
Marvellous Escape of Men Who
Fell With Walls.

CT. LOUIS. FEB. Six lives we're
y lost in the fire Of the American Tent
& Awning company's establishment.
Slf Chestnut street. last night All day
long a search has been kept I'D for the
bodies The only guide for the rescuers
were the groans coming from the ruins.
and at 70 O'Clock this morning these
ceased
The loss TO all interests in the building
is total and is estimated at S75N00.
The fire broke out last night. the cold
est OF the season, about O'Clock. The
fire companies soon had the flames par
TALLY under control An hour after the
IRE started timbers and inflammable ma
terlal on the upper floors continued TO
Dufn and line was run up TO eXtinguish
the flames Three pipe men were opcrat-
ing this stream. when the floor on which
they stood gave way without warming
and they fell with IL
Assistant Chief Thferry- who was on 2
lower floor. heard the crash Catherine
together a few men, he went to the res
cue OF his comrades. Hardly had the
rescuerS disappeared into the structural
when the front wall fell forward and the
entire building collapsed. burying beneath
us ruins everyone inside. Spectators. pO-
lice officers and fremen on Chestnut
street saw the wall totter and MANAGED
TO escape on either side before il fell
Firemen in the alley back Of the building
fled when the ripping sound of crumblnE
walls was heard, and for the most part
escaped without injury.
No Danger Apparent.
ITO all appearances. said Chief Swing
ley, there was no danger 10 she pipe men
who went into the upper floors The fire
was all on the fourth and fifth floors,
and more on the fifth than on The fourth
/ Under such circumstances. no one would
expect a building TO collapse.
At $50 this evening the searchers in the
ruins uncovered the dead bodies Of Thier-
~, krennlng and Mcbride. the last In
the ruins All three bodies la close to-
! geJher. Apparently they had been caught
I in the crash as they started To ascend the
stairs to rescue their imprisoned COM
pauiOns in the upper floors
I According to Chief SWinEley. one of tho
most skiilful battles against flames I'm the
/ departments history had been Fought A
| cOuflagration that half an hour before
/ had threatened a whole block at least. and
/ might easily have extended farther, had
/ been restrained.
Was an Old Building.
/ The building, which was nearly fifty
/ years old. was weak. and the water with
/ which it had been flooded lOoseued its
I iOists and soaked its walls. When the
| pipe men entered. the walls We're already
I tOtLering, but there was nothing to warn
/ them of their peril William O'DOnnell.
/ John Purcell and William O'Couneu of
/ salvage corps No 4 were covering mater
{ az with tar panel. cu an 7Rper fIoev when
/ the wall started to fan They were ear
/ ned outward with it-and landed safely in
/ the street
| William Wann, foreman Of engine com
/ pany No IL. was on the second floor when
| the collapse came. Failing plaster warned
/ him Of danger and he slipped down the
| hanister to the first floor and ran into
! the street
! Patrick F. Mccarthy and William Jue,
| Itch, who were about TO enter the building
! i'm an effort to rescue their coEfade. were
struck by falling debris and severely In
| jured.
Fifteen persons were thought 70 have
/ been in the building when Il collapsed.
/ Only a rOilcal could tell how many had
/ escaped. Darkness handicapped the res
cueTs. for all the electric wires were cut
/ and the debris smOthered what little fire
! remained in the building just before the
/ coIIaDse. The groans Of the firemen in
| the debris were a. first the only guides
/ their comrades had. Calcium light were
brought on the scene and by their glare
the work of rescue proceeded. A force oil
negro rOUStabOuts was procured from thf
I levee to aid in the work
Sad Scenes at the Ruins.
Wives. children and other relatives OF
the firemen gathered around the scen'
and awaited tdings Of their loved ones
As It became certain that all who wer'
| buried there we're dead, these were let
| away BY friends
At 10 o'clock this morning the grOan.
/ from the debris ceased. and Chief Swing
ley said he had no doubt that all wh'
/ had been caught were dead II was no
until 3 O'Clock that the first body va
7 found 1t was that Of William DundOn
! A spark Of life was discovered and tn
mangled body was taken TO the hospital
/ Before reaching there, however. Duudul
! died Between { and : o'clock the hOdie
OF Daniel w Steele and Michael helO
/ were recovered
! For some time. Patrick D Bergin. pip
man Of No. L. was supposed 10 be amoni
the missing. Later he turned up safely
The fact that yesterday was Bergin s da,
, off probably saved his life. for his com
r Dany was right in the thick Of the fight
The dead are: August Thierry, first a.
sistaut chief, Michael kehoe. assista p
foreman company No Is, Daniel ~
Steele. foreman company No. 1e- William
Dundon pipe man. company No 3
? Franklin Mcbride company No D.
= / frha~Ias ESTpqaufvur nine man ComB1u