Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1904-06-08
FOURTEEN lives WERE LOST
EXPLOSION IN pisTlLLERY At
PEORIA, It'll.

Ruins Took Fire and Spread to Ad.
joining euildinos-TotaI Loss viii
Be More Than a Million poliars-
Stock Yards Flooded a Foot Deep
With Burning Whisky.
Peoria, ILL.,, June 6.--An explosion
which occurred in the II story ware
house Of the Corning Distillery com
pany completely wrecked the building.
The ruins Immediately took fire, and
communicated to three adjoining
buildings. which were burned to the
ground. Ten men were buried be.
meath the ruins and burned to death.
Six others were seriously injured. The
loss on buildings and whisky and spir.
its stored will approximate 81. .000, 900.
The fire spread to the stock yards
where dozen large cattle barns, filed
with cattle for market. were burned.
Tho Missing.
Fred X. Knoll.
Louis Behrend.
Joe Seyerman.
John Hobeker.
Louis Sax.
William Finley. Jr.
e. Brown.
NJ. Crowl.
John Lepplng.
william Field.
The Injured.
Adam Werner.
Edw. Werner.
Elmer hogan.
J. B. Marshall.
James N. Miller.
Allie Feinberg.
A seeti]ng caldron.
The warehouse, containing $4,000
barrels of whisky, was instantly q
seething caldron, and It was known
that no one inside the big structure
could live a moment The warehouse
in crushing the small structure nearby
set that on fre, and the whisky from
the bursting barrels flooded every
thing in that section. Large streams
ran toward the river, and in q short
time there was foot Of whisky in the
cattle pens east of the warehouse. It
was burning furiously. and the cries
Of the 5000 steers. chained fast, were
pitiable to hear. Their distress lasted
but . few moments, however, for they
were soon killed. either roasted or suf-
focated by the fumes.
The two fermenting houses were
speedily destroyed. The flames therat-
ened the mill and elevator just across
the track, where the costly machinery
Ia installed. However. the firemen
made q winning fight here. and at
o'clock the fire seemed under control.
Elmer Hogan was at work In the
warehouse when the collapse came.
He was washed out through q break In
the building by the big stream Of whis-
ky and carried toward the river, q
distance of nearly rs feet, before be.
ing lodged against q fence. from
which he managed to escape before
the Are overlook him. He was SO
bndly injured that he can not recover.
Knoll and Seyerman, who had
charge of the men employed In this
department, had just left the building
when the explosion and collapse came.
Knoll was crushed to the earth and al
most instantly the place where he had
fallen was enveloped In flames.
1t is believed that the government
men have all escaped. The gaugers, 15
Of whom worked at the warehouse, had
completed their work and gone about 2
o'clock in the afternoon. There were
three government storekeepers in the
building. but II is reported all Of them
got out safe.
Warehouse B. where the explosion
that did the. most damage occurred,
Was an II story frame structure COW
cred with corrugated iron. 1t was
more than 100 by 200 feet in dimen-
sions.
Warehouse A was q three story
brick building 100 by 200 feet 1t con-
tanned about $1,000 gallons Of spirits.
Later.
Instead Of nine dead. ~ at first re-
ported, It Ii now known that II men
lost their lives In the IRE and explosion
at the Corning distillery.
Trade Report
Dun 4 Co.'S Weekly Review Of
Trade says:
Interruptions Of industrial progress
by the holiday, labor CONFLICTS and In
clement weather again produced q
somewhat unsatisfactory trade situa-
ton. Yet the money market ID easy
and accommodation readily obtained
In legitimate business channels. LA