The age-herald., 1902-02-05
Men Had Not a Moments Warning and Nine of Them
 Were Killed
CHIEF SWINGLEY ESCAPED
 BY FALLING UNDER WAGON
Fire Had Been Gotten Practically Un der Control When the Walls Gave Way-The House Was
 Fifty Years Old.

St. Louis, February 4.-At least nine men were killed and as many more in- jured at a fire which broke out tonight in the flye-story stone and brick building, l located at No. 314 Chestnut street occu- pied by the American Tent and Awning Company The building suddenly col lapsed, and although the half dozen men who were caught in the crash had not been reached by their hard working com panions two hours later, 1t Is almost ab- solutey certain that they have succumb- ed. The dead are
 August Thierry. first assistant chief, caught in ruins. Michael Kehoe, assistant foreman of Company No. IS, caught in ruins
 Daniel Steele. foreman of No. F Con- pany, caught in the ruins.
 William Dundon. pipeman, caught in ruins.
 Charles Krening, pipeman caught in ruins.
 Patrick Bergen. assistant foreman. caught in ruins.
 The injured are:
 Frank Lingo, driver of No. aerial truck, thrown from truck while working forty feet from the ground, seriously in- jured.
 Monroe Moore. inspector for the Im- perial Electric Light Company, badly in- jured by falling through a shaft.
 Patrick Mccarthy, engineer Company No. 6. caught by falling walls, seriously hurt.
 William Julieb. Marshal Thierry' s uavfn elN hurt.
 William Ward, foreman Company No 13, severely injured by falling walls.
 Building 50 Years Old.
 The building in which the fire originated was located in the old business section of the city and was about fifty years old The blaze which proved a hard one for the fire department to master had been gotten practically unoer control when suddenly with absolutely no warning, it collapsed and came down in heap with a noise that could be heard for blocks. Three pipemen at work on the second floor had difficulty in managing a line of hose and Assistant Chief Therry was on his way with three men to lend them aid. when the building collapsed. The men went down with tons of twisted iron. brick. stone and wooden columns envelop- | ing them.
 Chief Swingley, who was in front of the building directing n,s men, had a miraculous escape from death. As the i front wall fell outward he scurried across the street and fell under the aerial truck. 1 The truck was covered with debris, and party wrecked, and 1t Is to it's sheltering protection the chief owes his life.
 Hurled 40 Feet
 Frank Lingo, driver of the truck, was directing a stream on the fire from the aerial ladder about forty feet from the ground, when the wall fell. A portion of the debris struck him and he was hurl- ed through the air to the ground, receiv- l ing probably fatal injuries.
 Chief Swngley put his entire force to 1 work at once in effort to rescue the l buried firemen but although the men worked like demons they had not been able to reach them at midnight. It is certainty that all dead as tons of | debris cover them.
 Following is a list of the losses
 American Tent and Awning Company. $25, 900; Mclean estate loss on building. s35, 900; Herman Ruphel, job printer, sl0,- 900; scattering, s50OO.
 None of Bodies Recovered.
 At o'clock this Wednesday, morning. notwithstanding that superhuman efforts had been made by Chief Swingley and his men to lift the debris from their un- fortunate companions. not a single man had been reached. and to all appearances not much progress had been made in re- | leDsing the immense pile of iron, stone. | tin and wood.
 l At this hour the names of three more missing men were given out by the chief. who expressed the belief that when the ! men were reached most if not all would l be found to be dead. | Mayor Rolla Wells arrived on the scens at 12:30 o'clock and at once impressed all | the stevedores, longshoremen and others l of that ilk in the neighborhood into serv- l ice in ! he work of uncovering the bodies of the unfortunate fremen.