The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-06-05
Disastrous Result of an Explosion
in the Corning Distillery
Plant at Peoria.
AN APPALLING SPECTACLE
Thousands of Barrels of Whisky
Burst, and a Flaming Stream
Flowed Into Stockyards.
ONE MAN CARRIED AWAY
Washed Out of Building by Huge
Wave of Spirits-Total Loss
About 81, 10000.

PEORIA. Ill. June 4.-Ten men were
killed and six injured. $1,000 barrels Of whis-
ky destroyed and $500 cattle burned to
death as the result OF an explosion this
evening at the plant of the Corning Dis
tillery Company. said to be the second larg-
est in the world Four buildings belonging
to the company were destroyed.
The loss to the distillery will approx
mate 100000. The fire spread TO the stock
yards, where a dozen large cattle barns
filled with cattle were burned. The loss to
the stockyards is s25o0oo. making the total
loss about s1.25o.ooo
The ten men killed were buried beneath
the ruins by the explosion and burned to
death. The injured were seriously hurt
Their names follow:
Dead-Fred Knoll. Louis Behrend, John
Eobecker Joe Zimmerman. Louis Sax.
William Finley, Jr., f. Brown. NJ. Crowl,
John Leppin and William Field.
Injured-Adam Werner. Edward Werner.
Elmer Hogan. ]. Il. Marshall James NJ
Miller and Allie Feinberg.
The explosion occurred in an eleven
story warehouse. the third catastrophe in
less than year to overtake the distillery
Two other explosions followed in rapid
succession. but their cause has not been
determined. Fire followed the explosions
The plant was soon surrounded by thou
sands of persons. who were unable to get
close to the structure on account Of heat
The warehouse. containing I'm the neigh
borhood of $4,000 barrels of whisky soon
was a seething cauldron. The warehouse.
in crumbling. set fire to smaller structures,
while whisky from the burning barrels
flooded the street and ran in streams to-
wards the river
In a short time there was a foot OF whisky
in the cattle pens east OF the warehouse
| This whisky river burned furiously, and the
bawling of the 1900 steers, chained fast.
was pitiable. Their distress lasted only
a few moments. however. for they were
soon roasted or suffocated by the deadly
| fumes.
Two large. fermenting houses were soon
food for the flames. being almost destroyed.
The firemen made gallant fight against
great odds.
high wind was blowing and tanning
the flames in the direction of the Monarch
dstillery. For time IL was feared the fire
would sweep along the entire river bank.
but by o'clock the fire was under control.
Elmer Hogan was at work in the ware
house when the collapse came. He was
washed out through break in the building
by a big stream of whisky He was car
ried seventy-five feet towards the river
before being lodged against fence, from
which he escaped before the fire overlook
him. He cannot recover
left the building when the explosion and
collapse came. Finley turned just in time
to the wall fall on his companion.
1t is believed that all the government men
have escaped. The gaugers had completed
| their work and gone home
The warehouse where the first explosion
occurred was an eleven-story frame struc-
ture covered with corrugated iron. 1t was
1oox2Oo feet and contained 10000 barrels of
spirits. Another warehouse, containing the
| cistern room, was a three-story brick build
| ing 100x20o feet. 1t contained in the neigh
borhood of 5000 gallons OF spirits. In the
| two fermenting rooms. which were 10oxls0
| feet, were eighteen tubs with a capacity OF
| 1000 bushels of mash each. They were all
filled and contained about 5000 gallons OF
spirits each. All this went up in flames
and added TO the general loss.
The houses of Dan Giese and John Nc
Donald were burned and the families had
| narrow escapes.