Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-17
BURIED UNDER DEBRIS
Floor Falls With Firemen at
Blaze in Baltimore.
ONE DEAD, FIFTEEN INJURED
Were Searching for Sparks After
Flames Were Extinguished.
SOME GALLANT RESCUE WORK
Disaster Came Suddenly in the Ware
house and Auction Rooms of the
Grotjan-Lobe Company.
SOME GALLANT RESCUE WORK

BALTIMORE, August 17-One fireman
killed, two were buried alive for an
hour in of debris and a score of
others We're injured. three of them seriously,
at . pm. yesterday at the Grotjan-Lobe
building 3O7-3o0 West Baltimore street in
which they had hour before extlngushed
fire which caused damage estimated at
$1,000
George Gill. No 1 truck company. died of
suffocation while buried under tons of mat
ting. broken rafters and flooring.
Injured.
Capt. John Kahl, No. l. engine company.
slight injuries and remained on fire ground
until all of his men were out: Lieut.. Will
Liam J. Mcdonald. No. truck company,
badly shaken up. sent to his quarters, re-
turned to fire ground and was ordered back
by President Gail. who afterward COM
m2nd"d him for bravery: Lieut.. Stephen
Cosgrove, No. > truck company. back
sprain5d. returned to duty after being given
restoratives In restaurant near by. George
Michael No truck company, buried alive
and rescued an hour afterward hands and
face cut and nervous shock: Hugh Lavery.
No. 4 truck company, buried alive and res
cued few minutes after Mr.. Michael,
shoulder Sprained and nervous shock:
George S. Smith. No. / engine company left
forearm broken. taken to University Hos
pital and remained there only long enough
to have his arm set. returning to fire
ground; Robert O'keefe. No 4 truck COM
pany. fractured shoulder, taken to Univer
sity Hospital and forced to remain; George
Hahnhauer. No. > truck company, laCerated
scalp. taken to University Hospital uncon-
scous: Guy Uppercoe No. truck company,
back sprained and other superficial injuries,
sent to his quarters in western district pa
troll wagon; Vincent Tacka and William
Talbot. both of No. 2 truck company over
come by nervous shock and slight injuries.
taken TO Meyer e Guggenheimer's store, at
Howard and Baltimore streets, revived and
sent to their quarters in the western dis
triCt patrol wagon: George Evans. No.
truck company. nervous shock and slight in
juries. sent to his quarters; Edward Ken
needy, No. truck company, nervous shock
and slight injuries, sent to his quarters.
George Nckes, No. truck company, slight
injuries about head and arms. sent to his
quarters In the western district patrol
wagon. Frank Herner. No. . truck company.
slight injuries. sent to his quarters.
A part of the floor, which had formerly
been used a skylight and lately boarded
as floor. gave way beneath the weight Of
the water soaked mating and clothing and
fell without a moments warning. carry
ing a number of firemen and tons of the
debris down through the fourth floor to the
floor below. Nearly all of the men in
jursd We're of No. and No truck com
panies. They had been engaged in search
ing in the embers for sparks which might
cause fresh outbreak of the fire
Buried Under Wreckage.
The men were caught in the death trap
with not a moment In which to escape.
Forty men. representing four companies
left the ground. were distributed about
the fifth floor working under the roof
dotted with jagged holes burned through
by the fire. All about the floor where the
skylight had formerly been were open
spaces where the fire had burned through
the rafters and left them hanging down
into the building. Some of the men were
on the floor between the long. narrow
aisles, hemmed by tables piled high with
mating. 1t is supposed that Ladderman
Gill. who killed. and Laverty and
Michael. who were buried alive with him,
We're of that number. The most of the other
men We're climbing about on the piles of
mating. In that position they had far
better chance as circumstances proved, Of
saving their lives
The work of searching for sparks had
been nearly finished. and Chief Burkhardt,
who standing on a pile of mating d.
recting the movements of his men. was
about TO call a halt. when there was a
sound of rending timbers and some one
cried: The floors sinking"'
InStinctively the men looked downward,
and the next moment the light woodwork,
held only by several rafters, crashed down.
topping over the piles of wet and burnt
mating in the room, breaking the legs of
the tables from under them, overturning
the piles of goods and crashing through
with all before IT.
The men who were working in the aisles,
which were long and narrow and hemmed
with high piles of mating. Were caught
beneath the weight of all the falling mass.
OF this number Ladderman Gill. who was
killed. and Laverty and Michael who were
rescued from what seemed sure DEATH were
working directly under the skylight and
received the full force of the impact Of the
falling mass
Possibly ten OF the men who were work
ing in the rear and front of the building
had time to jump back. while the entire
central part of the floor. giving way be-
meath the weight of the falling mass, car
ried everything down with 1t.
Goino Down in the Ruins