Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-06-06
Explosion Occurred in Warehouse
Of Corning Distillery Com.
pany at Peoria.
$4,000 BARRELS or WHISKY.
Soon Became a Settling Cauldrou--
Thousands Of Steers Persisted in
Burning Fluid


which occurred in the History ware
house OF the Corning Distilery COM
pany this afternoon completely wrecked
the building, The ruins Immediately
took fire and communicated TO three
adjoining buildings, which were burned
to the ground, Ten men We're buried
beneath the RUINS and burned to death.
Six others were seriously injured. The
loss on buildings and whisky and spir-
its stored will approximate 100000
At o'clock tonight the fire had spread
to the stockyards district, where a doz-
en- large cattle barns filed with cattle
for market were burned.
THE MISSING.
Fred Il, Knoll.
Louis Behrend.
Joe Zimmerman.
John Hobecker
Louis Six.
William Finley, Jr.
II. Brown.
NJ Crowl
John Leppin.
William Field.
THE INJURED.
Adam Werner --
Edward Werner.
Elmer Hogan
j. u. Marshall
James NJ, Miller.
Allie Feinburg.
The warehouse, containing IN the
neighborhood Of 10000 barrels Of whis-
Ky, was Instantly a seething cauldron,
and IL was known that no one inside
this big structure could live moment.
The warehouse. In crushing the small
err structure nearby set that on fire,
and the whisky from the bursting bar
rels flooded everything IN that section.
Large streams ran toward the river.
and In a short time there was foot
OF whisky In the cattle pens east OF
the warehouse. Il was burning fu-
riously, and the cries of the 5000 steers,
chained fast, We're pitiable to hear.
Their distress lasted but few mo-
ments, however for they were soon
dead, either roasted or suffocated by
the fumes They were the property OF
Dodd & Kiefer Of Chicago.
The two fermentlng houses were
speedily food for the flames They were
Of large dimensions and both Of them
were practically destroyed. The flames
threatened the mill and elevator Just
across the track where the costly ma
chlnery Is installed. However the fire.
men made a winning fight there. A
high wind was blowing the flames in
the direction OF the Monarch distillery
For time II was feared that the fire
would sweep along the entire river
bank. However, the work Of the fire.
men began to tell 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 a break in the
building by the big stream Of whisky
and carried toward the river, dis
lance Of nearly 75 feet, before being
lodged against fence, from which he
managed 10 escape before the fire over
took him He was so badly injured that
he cannot recover.
Fred Knoll and William Finley. who
had charge OF the mon employed In this
department, had Just left the building
when the explosion and collapse came.
Knoll was crushed to the earth, and
almost Instantly the place where he had
gone down was enveloped in flames.
II Is believed that the government
men have all escaped, The Raugers,
10 Of whom worked IN the warehouse,
had completed their work and gone
about 2 o'clock In the afternoon. There
we're three government storekeepers i'm
the building, but Il Is reported ali OF
them got out safe. They We're Abe Fem
berg. Henry Wagner and j. ". Miller.
warehouse II, where the explosion
that did tho damage occurred was an
History frame structure covered with
corrugated iron. II was more than look
200 feet in dimensions
Warehouse A and the cistern roof was
q three-story brick building l00x2O0 feet,
II contained IN the nelghhorhood OF
$1,000 gallons OF spirits. In the two
fermenting rooms, which were 100X2O0
feet. were is tubs. with a capacity OF
1000 bushels OF mash each They were
all filled and contained about 5000 GAL
Ions OF spirits each. All this was burn
ed,
At midnight tho ruins were stIll
blazing and II probably win be two
or three days before the flames are
exhausted. The fact that
every bit OF infammablc material was
thoroughly saturated with the escap-
ing LIQUOR makes n almost impossible
10 eNtlngush the blaze until All the
wood has been burned Firemen kent
at least 80 streams Of water PLAYING
on the ruins, but II Ind little effect In
the cattle barns are the bodies OF about
5000 head OF cattle. Practically all the
cattle met death so suddenly that they
did not move out OF their tracks AS
the torrent of burning LIQUID rushed
down hill and onveoped tho barns IL
divided itself into numerous branches
which flowed down the aisles and
caused the instant death OF every
animal with which II came In contact.
Tho MAlls Of lhn lmn fnrnannLIno.