Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-24
MEN CAUGHT IN FIRE TRAP AND
LIVES ARE CRUSHED OUT BY
FALLING WALLS OF MORRIS
MEAT HOUSE. .-s-
| ONLY A FEW BODIES.
| HAV We BEEN IDENTIFIED
MEN WERE CRUSHED BY TONS OF
DEBRIS AND EFFORTS TO RES
CUE THEM WERE PoWERLEss;
LOSS MILLION AND A HALF.

|
| CUE THEM WERE PoWERLEss;
/ LOSS MILLION AND A HALF.
Chicago. Dec. 22.-Chief Fire Mar
| shal Horan, Assistant Chief Bur
roughs. Lieut. Fitzgerald and twenty
on more other iremen were killed
| and property loss of million ana
! half dollars entailed in the destruc'
tion OF the meat warehouse OF motifs
& Co., at the Union stock yards THIS
morning.
The buildings totally DESTROYED at
II. 20 a. m. included the beef house OF
Norris & Co., loss 100000; warehouse
No. 6. loss $3.50, 900, and q Refrigerator
! storage shed, $4,000. Several otner
buildings are on fire, but it is believed
the flames will soon be under control
49, o'clock the fire was believed to
be under control. The dead are now
placed at twenty nine, including Cnlel
Heran, and the injured at fl1ty, some
fatally. The property loss is $l,2oo,Ooo
Seven bodies were removed 81 lz:oo
D. m. but it was believed the DINERS
could not be removed until tomorro"
in spite OF the frantic efforts OF nre-
men and wrecking crews Inc puliu-
ings destroyed include Two warehouses
full of dressed meat, hemp, etc., .
tallow house and other structures.
Men Caught in Death Trap.
The fire started from the explosion
~ an ammonia pipe and spread with
ksuch rapidity that the entire oulialns
was In flames almost IN an instant;
general alarm brought all the aVaiiaois
fire fighting apparatus to the scene.
Marshal Koran arrived lmmedlatei.
and took up the directing OF MS men.
with Battalion Chief Burroughs ne
lied the men to the east entrance OF the
building and the battle against the
Names was take up from beneath
heavy wooden canopy which hung
m,nacingly above them.
Apparently not noticing their danger
the firemen crowded beneath this death
trap. Suddenly with the roar OF an
explosion the canopy and tumDnns
tons of bricks buried the chief of the
department together with more than d
score of his aids. The firemen learn
ing the fate of their chief and his men
fought frantically to control the fire at
the spot where the disaster occurred.
It was hoped the victims had been
taken out and carried to hospitals, but
inquiry brought the informatlon tnas
such was not the case.
Men Did Not Hear Warning Shout.
A graphic story of the collapse d
the east wall which carried the men
down to death beneath the wood COW
ering is told by Lieutenant Mackey,
who was leading the company from the
ton of the canopy.
Mackey said he saw the walls bulge
and Immediately shouted warning
At the same time he jumped from the
nlatform himself and was followed i'm
mediately by ten or twelve of his men,
The escape Of these were miraculous.
81 was in charge Of the hremen
fighting the flames from the railroad
tracks" he said 81 saw one man fail
near where the men who were caught
fell and ran. and. catching hold OF
his legs. dragged him onto the rail-
tread tracks and saved him. Then my
men and / rushed to save the others
hut our way was blocked by the falling
ruins and clouds of dust and debris
Fire Spreads to Adjoining Buildings.
The first body was taken from the
ruins about O'clock was that OF
George Muraweski, pipeman of COM
pany 40. Assistant Chief Seyferlich
assumed supreme command and under
his direction the battle was continued.
At 9 o'clock the bodies Of Captains Col.
Inns of company SO and Doyle of 80,
were taken from the ruins by the
police. Half an hour later Chief
Horan's body was recovered. At 10
o'clock the fire had not been controlled
and acting Chief Seyferlich was
alarmed at the situation. The fire
spread to three story building 800
feet square almost adjoining the four
story structure in which the fire origi
mated In the second building burning
were large number Of ammonia pipes
which were liable to explode.
A food of water was poured on the
nile Of brick covering the ill fated
firemen and by 1890 it was cool
enough for the f1remen to resume the
hunt for their comrades. AS the re.
covered bodies were brought out man.
gled scorched and sbapeless masses,
the coroner's jury. which had been
impannelled. forgot it's duty Of inquiry
and Joined with the feverish effort OF
hundreds of civilians who we're lend
ing hand to the firemen.
Newspaper extras carried the news
of the danger or death that had
visited the firemen and their relatives
and friends came in throngs to the
Ere With the arrival of anxious
friends came devices for clearing
away the pile of smouldering wreck
age. A wrecking engine of the Chi
cago &; Eastern Illinois railroad
brought g derrick. toppling the OBJ
structing box cars into the ditch as it
came. A road scraper attached to one
CT the derrick's cables scooped up
great masses of bricks and scorched