The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-22
SIXTY DIE FIGHTING
GREAT FIRES EARLY
TO-DAY IN TWO CITIES
tC0ntinned from FrNf FaEe.l
{ ~4--~s~ 55@ se-s
dead fire chief. who suffered broK-
en- leg.


4 S,or, of Horror.
Inside the building" Maekey said.
there we're q number uf the men
u lighting the fire and outside near
b The wall. Fire Chief Heran ana
! were standing talking near the chiefs
Gui0motise, lieutenant James FItz-
4 gerald. OF Engine Company No rs.
had just come az fer orders. when
there vas terrific explosion. the
N whole Of the Roof ct the building
4 near us blew up and the walls fell
4 put. bursing a scare of tho men work
INK outside it.
4 saw Chief Koran and Fitzgerald
- down into the ruins, and l WAS
buried agatnst freight car nearby
u and my leg broken,
Inside the building the explosion
danht'ssa liberated the fumes of arm
nsonia ard the falling roof crushed
B the men who were made sensciess b3
i The gas.
.'1utside. as | was dragged 20 SAY
efs' hg reseuers, could hear the
groans and cries ~ the men buried
Il under the wall. which falling on a
d G1rt OF canopy under which they we're.
3 pinned them down amid the mass OF
h burning timbers. where they roasted
d Mhile the glsh of flames from The
building dreve all rescuers back
II was more tran an hour after
the alarm 81 fire that the catastrophe
4 occurred, Flames were nrst diseiV-
81 cred u "a watchmeu In "a hide stor-
Il age rom u the plant The Erernen
81 had the fire under Subsection when
81 the explosion came, which spread
b death through their ranks. 1t gave
III the c0nfiaera,ion 81 new start. and In
q i short time nearly the whole Of the
aa kour story structure, II block square,
n staA again attame.
sx The fret hody recovered was that
d w Pipesnan George Mura~Ski. II Was
~ identified h. his helmet. Shortly after
@ Mnraw ask was found bodies suppos-
~ "a t. be Those Of Assistant Fire Chief
BurroughsA Captain Doyle. Captain
S4 Patrick Collins and Fire chief Ho-
ran were found. All were Sc scorched
u mnd nusliats-d that positive identin-
cation VAS almost impossible
Mi After their recovery fresh outbnrsts
az IRE again drove oft ths searching
& parties Of fsrernen, and at / / o'clock
N the work 81 digging for the victims
Was again abandoned. and every e.
q fprt resumed ta qusll the flames.
30 Al that hour seven bodies I'm all
BIZ Rad been recovered Jus, how many
hnd persisted was still unknown.
n 4hough Assistant Fire Marshal But
Ia 3Ar. after an examination of the rolls
HI Bf the decinatea companies csttmat-
~ the death list would not be under
thirty.
Fire Of nknowu origin.
n The fire started IN the Nelson Nor
E&$4is building al /. O'Clock this morning
from an unknown cause. Within a
short time practically the ~hrle force
s#0f that part OF the city WAS ON the
Nrene fighting ne flames which. fed
E MI the fats 81 the meats In the struc
~ ture, blazed mp ~itn great force.
Ender one OF the wallis ~ he build
5nE y force of about twenty 1--WE fire.
sS11An were stringing hose when the wall
~ and all are thought to have per-
ished.
AT 1880 o'clock the fate of Fire Chief
H0raf: and one fire marshal was IN
known. They had not been seen for
hours by their fellows ana there was a
0eneral impression among the men thar
ahey. too. had persisted.
Ammonia Tank Exploded.
Later explanation Of the probable
&Gath OF the firenen Is that just be-
9oee the wall fell Il tank OF ammonia
y&f3Odtd and All are supposed To have
ean rendered helpless from its fumes
sd thus unabis 10 save themselves
&1Hn the wall came down.
IRE Marshal Martin Lacey. Who for
~18e time was believed TO be among
10 dead. WAS later found, and he gave
e MrSt resi- Information Of the disas-
With Fise Chief Horan. Fire
E1hal Burroughs and about twenty
~ men. he said. he was working Ia
AAef -house strinEtng hose when a
~ In the ammonia tanks released
&9h u deadly fumes and nearly
III man WAS smotnerad. Retaining
enough life te make hss own
NJ, Lacy He'd, and RS he went he
the bodies o. Koran and Bur-
Una lying inert In tbs very midst
II putnonoEs fumes
4q0s staggering into the open air,