The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-12-23

| Victims include Marshal Koran, Az.
sistant Chief Burroughs and Lieu
tenant FitzgeraId-Disaster Caused
| by Falling of Canopy While Hun
dreds of Firemen Were Fighting
Serious Blaze at Stock Yards. #
Chicago, Dec 23.-Fire Marshal
James Koran and twenty-eight of his
firemen were killed in fire which
caused $1,25o,00o damage to the ware
| house and stock of Morris & Co., pack
! ers, and for hours threatened the
whole stock yards district.
The injured will number more than
fifty, listing being difficult because
they were rushed in ambulances and
| private automobiles to hospitals and
! homes in many sections of the city.
| After nine hours work the fire had
been hedged in and it's spread had
been checked, but efforts to save any
of the buildings attacked by the flames
were unavailing.
Koran and his men were standing
! under projecting canopy beside Nor
ris & Co.'s beef house when the wall
and canopy fell upon them, burying
them many feet beneath a. heap of
burning, blowing debris and red hot
bricks. Seven bodies have been re-
covered.
The buildings destroyed include two
| warehouses full of dressed meat, hemp,
| etc., talicw house and other struc-
| lures.
The fire started from the explosion
! of an ammonia pipe at a. m. !
How the Men Met Death.
Several hours after the fire started
| wooden canopy fell from the beef
! house of Morris & Co., carrying with
it tons of red hot bricks and debris
upon two companies of fremen and
| the chief, crushing them to death and
encasing their bodies in a veritable
were unable to dig for several hours,
| so that practically all those who were
! not killed outright when the walls fell
! were roasted to death before help
could come to them.
Assistant Chief William Burroughs
| and Lieutenant Fitzgerald were with
| the marshal under the fatal canopy
when it fell and went down to their
| death with Marshal Koran.
Other firemen, witnesses of the dis
! aster which met their chief, for d
brief time deserted the other parts of
the blazing structure and, rushing to
| the pyre, sought with their bare hands
to drag apart the glowing bricks and
| debris to bring the body Of their chief
| and his i'll fated comrades to what
| safety remained for, them. Finding
| this vain effort they obeyed again
the direction of Assistant Marshal
Seyferlich and redoubled their efforts
4 to shut in the spreading area of de-
struction.
Others Have Narrow Escape.
An explosion occurred on the top
| floor of warehouse No. 6 and the roof
i was blown into the air. Flames shot
skyward and half a dozen companies
/ of firemen who had stationed them
i narrowly escaped being struck by fly
/ ing debris. They managed to Chamber
down fire escapes in time to escape
i The victims of the disaster follow:
JAMES KORAN, fire marshal.
WILLIAM ]. BURROUGHS, assist.
1 ant marshal.
4 PATRICK E. COLLINS, engine cap
4 tain. -
4 JOSEPH MURAWEskl, pipeman.
Il CHARLES MOORE, truckman.
il THOMAS O'CONN0R. pipeman.
4 JAMES FOSTER, pipeman. IT,
i JOSEPH OSBORNE, driver.
Il NICHOLAS CRANE, truckman.
FRANK WATERS, pipeman.
i CHARLES BERkERY, lieutenant.
/ CHARLES SWEENiE. .~
T WILLIAM J. DALEY. Il =
Fl PETER j. KILL = .s4s~'. + 81
! WILLIAM IT. WEBER,. & >~
Ii JOHN Fl DUBAcH, lieutenant
fI CHARLES COONEY. .i&.. A..
II JOHN G. LINK. I hs5,~% II q.
b JOSEPH p. MULHERN.
Fl FRANCIS P. .EAGAN. = ~
II JOHN J. lM'cLARY.
I'll JAMES j: @BANNON.
81 JOHN .HELFERT. J.
81 WILLIAM T. MURPHY. l*3
III - - ~ e. .s,,4 *%s
4 FIRE R0UTS HOTEL GUESTS
n Midnight Blaze at Hagerstown, Md.
III Causes 100000 Loss.
h Hagerstown, Md, Dec. %. - Fire
d broke out here shortly after midnight
n in the Franklin hotel. Guests barely
h escaped with their lives. The flames
# attacked business buildings near the
hotel and four large structures were
III fOta11V 0aStrOved.s5.# Il tafs 56!t 3@qtd