The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-25
SEVEN BODIES
NOW RECOVERED
Those of Harold Colborn ard c. H.
Durrin Taken From Oil
Plant Ruins.
Flames Die Down and Thoro Search
of the Wreck Is in
Progress. ....
Those Who Worked in the Office
Had Long Known Their
e. 49, Danger.
BODIES RECOVERED
BODIES UNRECOVERED

Amid the smoking ruins Of what only
few days ago was the plant Of the
Northwestern Star Oil company, the work
of searching for the remains OF the VIC
Tins Is being prosecuted with untiring
energy. The bodies Of the seven persons
employed in the office have all been re-
covered and have been identified and
claimed by relatives. The search for the
bodies of the three men employed in the
workshop is hopeless task as they were
In that part of the building where the
flames ragged fiercely. Notwithstanding
this fact, firemen are at work to-day re-
moving brick and timbers and raking thru
the water and oil that covers the base
ment floor.
Shortly after 8 o'clock yesterday after
noon the firemen searching in small
lake of liquid paint, found the remains of
Harold G.. Colborn. Several heavy tim
bers lay across his breast and these had
to be removed before the body could be
taken'out. He was not burned badly ex-
cept his feet and legs, which were nearly
burned off. His watch, by which he was
identified, had stopped at 1910 o'clock.
Just forty-f1ve minutes after the accident
occurred. His remains were hardly re-
moved when the firemen came upon the
body of c. H. Durrin. general manager Of
the company. 1t lay in position di-
rectly beneath the desk he had occupied,
The flames had apparently better chance
at his body than at that Of Mr.. Colburn,
for it was burned beyond all possibility Of
recognition. His identification was estab
iished by some trinkets, - ...-
Walter e. Scott, who, was seriously
burned, is in a precarious condition at
the city hospital and the physicians fear
he may rot recover His body is nearly
covered wish burns, while 1t Is thought
that he sustained serious internal in,
juries. -, - ~. e. '~~
..~~. -. l. Flames Die Down.
The work of recovery was greatly him
dered by the gathering of oil and water
in the basement of the building. While
the fire was in progress thousands of bar
res of water were thrown upon the
flames by the fire department. and great
portion Of this collected in the basement.
Later a heavy rain came, which helped
flood the basement to a depth of two feet.
With this water was mingled a large
amount of oil and several barrels Of dry
paint, producing a mixture that almost
stopped the work Of the firemen.
All the oil and other combustibles in
the ruins. burned away last night, and all
that could be seen this morning was a
pile Of smoking ruins, and the fire has
been extinguished. An effort will now be
made to drain the basement, when tho
f1remen will be able to work thru the
ruins in search of the three remaining
bodies.
Probably No Stranger Killed
From the time the accident occurred.
wild rumors have been afloat that other
people were in the building at the time
and were caught by the falling brick and
timbers. One Of these had it that tray
cling man representing New York firm
was in the office on business and that he
lost his life in the explosion. The work
of recovering the bodies discredits all
Of these rumors, and it is now believed
that only ten persons lost their lives in
the explosion and the fire which followed.
This belief is borne out by the fact that
visitors rarely. if ever, visited the work.
shops, and had there been any outsiders
in the office they would have been talk
ing to some one Of the office employees
and their bodies would have lain near
that of the person with whom they were
conversing. The fremen have searched
diligently in the vicinity Of the place
where each body was recovered and have
not succeeded in finding any other bodies.
Another thing that goes to show that no
outsiders were in the building at the time
of the accident is the fact that each body
recovered was found near it's respective
desk, with the exception of Miss Record,
and it is known that she was telephoning
at the time of the explosion. This would
indicate that all of the office employees
were at work when the explosion occurred
and not conversing with visitors
A Calamity Was Feared.
Since the explosion, it has been learned
that Mr. Davis. as well as of his en-
ployes, was afraid of such catastrophe.
For the past year, Mr.. Davis has been
contemplating removing the tanks to
point on the river bank about two blocks
from the plant where they would have
been buried and pipes laid to connect
them with the main building. Just why
this was not done at once, has not been
learned. s.a s....-.-<.. .- ,.-..
Jacob Domm tie bookkeeper, is also
known to have been afraid Of the build
ing He had charge Of the insurance on
the plant and not long ago he told an
insurance man that the building was dan
gerous. 81 tell YOU he remarked, eff
ever we have fire I'm not going to wait
to get my hat .....
The causes of the explosion will be
thoroly investigated by the state oil in
spector who visited the scene yesterday.
The city council has also appointed q
committee to investigate and report If
legislation Is needed to prevent the re-
currence Of such an accident. The cor
oner will hold no inquests.
State Oil Inspector Ward made partial
examination of the ruins and concluded
that the explosion was that of gases which
formed in the basement and probably con-
nected with the fire in the furnace. He
says that in all oil houses certain amount
OF gas forms from leakages which are
impossible to prevent and that gases in
unusual quantities may have formed
Thursday which exploded when they
reached flame. He points to the trans
vers fire wall which was left standing be-
cause the force of the explosion came from
both sides of the wall and held it up.
A sister OF David Dacey, one OF the