The Washington times., 1904-06-05
Ten Burned to Death in
Fire Started by Explo-
sion of Spirits.
5000 CATTLE CONSUMED
Many Injured and Death List
May lncreaSe-Not All
Accounted For.

E6OtNAAs Ills, June 4.-LNn men are
known TO be dead, several seriously
injured. 5000 barrels Of whisky des-
troyed and 5000 cattle burned to death
In ar explosion at the plant Of the
Corning Distining Company, here this
afternoon.
The dead are:
LOUIS BOPERON.
E BRORN
WILLIAM CROWL.
WILLIAM FIELD.
WILLIAM FTNLEY. JR.
Z. HOGAN.
JOHN HOBOCKER
JOHN JOPPL
LOUIS SACH
JOSEPH ZIMMERMAN.
The seriously injured: Edward Wer-
ner. Joseph Worner, Fred Knall. Abe
Feinberg, James NJ. Miller, Frank
Fhelan.
The loss on property and stock is
estimated at $2.0OO0OO. largely covered
ty insurance.
Broken Barrel Explodes.
The explosion. which occurred short
ly after o'clock. in one Of the i'm
mense warehouses was accompanied by
n detonatiOn which was heard for miles
and was followed shortly by two other
explosions. The cause or the explo-
sion Is not known. bat it is supposed
that a broken barrel of whisky was set
afire by q lantern in the hands Of an
employe.
At the time Of the accident II is
thought there were nineteen employees
IN the building and at the present time
nine OF these have been accounted for.
The list Of dead may be increased.
With the explosion. the big warehouse.
Containing 5000 barrels OF whisky,
was instantly a mass OF flames. 1t was
but few minutes when the walls Of
the four story structure tottered and
fell. burying everyone within.
In falling the warehouse toppled over
on the three-story cisteru room and
warehouse adjoining. and crushed them
as II eggshells. The warehouse, In
crushing the smaller structures, set them
on fire.
Three Thousand Cattle Burn.
whisky from the bursting barrels
flooded that section OF the property and
ran down into the large cattle pens in
which were stored 1900 animals. Within
q few moments there was a foot OF burn
ing whisky IN the pens. The animals
were either roasted or suffocated by the
fumes.
The cattle were the property of Dodd
& Kiefer. OF Chicago. and their loss will
amount TO S2S0. .oOO
The flames We're famed by a high wind
and were soon communicated TO the two
fermenting houses. Both Of these struc-
lures, which are three stories I'm height
and Of brick construction, were COM
pletely gutted and viii be an entire loss
The flames threatened the Burlington
elevator and mill. one Of the largest
structures OF its kind in the West. but
were placed under control after a hard
fight by the entire fire department..
All Gone in Flames.
Warehouse A and the clstern room
was a three-story brick building. and
contained in the neighborhood Of 52,OV
gallons OF spirits. In the two ferment-
Ing rooms. which were 100 by $50 feet
were eighteen tubs. with a capacity Of
1000 bushels OF mash each They were
all Allied, and all this went up in flame,
and added TO the general loss.
Warehouse 3, where the fire origi
mated, was the second largest structure
OF It's kind in the world. 1t was oi
BRICK eleven stories I'm height, and 10
feet wide and go feet long.
Tonight It Is a mass OF twisted iror
and ashes and entirely In ruins. Their.
are buried there the bodies Of nin'
men. None Of these can be recovered.
Many OF the injured, one OF whom
J. 2. Marshall. II Is thought, Will die
had narrow escapes.
Washed Out With Whisky.
Elmer Hogan, who was working fl
the building, was washed out through
a window BY the big stream OF whisky
and was carried a distance of 100 fee
before he was able 10 clutch a timbe
and prevent himself from being swep
into the Illinois River.
Joseph Zimmerman one OF the dead
was blown through a second-story win
dow by the force Of the explosion. H
euccumbed TO burns at the hospital a.
hour later
The flames threatened the entire Tow
e. section Of the city. A number o
frame dwellings in the neighbornood o
the catastrophe were destroyed.
The IRE was headed of before ii hai
proceeded far with its work OF destruc
tion. At o'clock this evening IL wa
entirely under control.
Al the hospital tonight II was re
ported that most 0f IN" injured VIII re
cover. With the exception Of elmer HO
gan End J. i. Marshall
With the fall 81 the warehouse IN
third catastrophe in the sh1r- SPACE q
less than year has fallen upon ia
Corning Distill!ng Company. October
1913. an explosion OF a Large corn cook
eT destroyed iOu- story brick bull
Ing. with loss % seven lives on De
cemoer Is the company again Suffere
from nre. sustaining = loss Of s., 900
SUICIDE OF A FARMER.