Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1910-12-30
CHIEF KORAN, TWO ASSISTANT
CHIEFS AND THIRTY FIREMEN
ARE CAUGHT UNDER A
FALLING CANOPY.
DAMAGE RUNS OVER A MILLION
ExpIosioAaof an Ammonia Pipe In Beef
House Of Nelson, Morris & Co.
Causes Spontaneous Com.
bustion.-Coroner's Jury
Watches the Fire.

JAMES Moran anu twenty-five IRE
men and two other men were killed
and forty others were injured in a
fire which caused an estimated
t1,500,00O damage and which still
threatens the whole of Chicago's great
stockyards.
house OF Morris & Co., where the fire
started, carrying with it tons of red
hot bricks and debris upon two COM
panies Of firemen and the chief, crush
Ing them to death. It held their
bodies in a veritable furnace into
which their comrades were unable to
dig, so that practically all those who
were not killed outright when the
walls fell were burned to death.
Assistant Chief William Burroughs
and Lieut.. Fitzgerald were with Chief
Koran under the frail canopy when it
fell and went down to their death with
their leader.
Claw Fiercely at Hot Bricks.
Other firemen, witnesses of the dis
aster, deserted the other parts of the
blazing structure and, rushing to the
S1pyre, sought with their bare hands to
drag apart the glowing bricks and de-
Sbris to save at least the body Of their
z@chief and his Inflated comrades. Find
ing this a vain effort they obeyed
4 ngain the direction of Assistant Mar
Shal Seyferlich and redoubled their
morris to shut in the spreading area
W destruction.
The blaze was discovered by a
atchman in the Morris & Co. beef
buse, Forty-third and Loomis streets.
"a ammonia pipe, bursting, started
ontaneous combustion that spread
quickly the Waterman barely had
Fned in the fire alarm before the
mes burst from the building.
Seek Shelter Under Awning.
rhe awning which later became the
troyer of a score of lives seemed
pffer shelter from the sweltering
res Of heat that radiated from the
with blistering eject. Under this
Ill fated crews fed for shelter, led
Koran, Burroughs and Fitzgerald.
eoroner's Jury Watches Fire.
orener Hoffman arrived early and
anelled coroner's jury, which sat
orrifed silence watching the de-
ing flames. /As the recovered
las were brl Iht out, mangled.
ched, shapeless masses. the jury
forgot its duty of inquiry and
"a with feverish efforts the hum
y of civilians who were lending a
to the firemen.
pn the newspaper extras on the
fs in all parts of the city carried
5ows of danger or death that had
the firemen, and relatives and
u Of those firemen known to be
ty went in throngs to the fire.
at her Ashland boulevard home
Koran, wife of the marshal,
"a she was a widow, and disbe-
until assured by the newspaper
ers, she swooned in the midst of
NJ little children. She was pros
and has required medical atten-
recking engine on the Chicago
Astern Illinois railroad brought
lick, topping obstructing box
ITO the ditch as 1t came. A road
-, attached to one of the cables,
"a up great masses of brick and
ing firemen savagely pushed the
scoop into the brick heap in
% reaching the sufferers. whose
could be heard. .-
Fell at Their Posts.
\ <g before noon Assistant Marshal
q itch. on his round Of the fire
began to flad here and there
Y 4gures where before brave men
bed in the breath Of the flames,
holding their own. They had
y overcome and their companions
oen unable to aid them. Some,
II ring, started in anew to stay
II ogress Of the flames, but their
were too feeble to be Of use.
ne Is men killed. the bodies OF
uding that Of Chief Koran, have
ken from the ruins. The list
dead includes the chief, assis.
lief, two captains. five neuten.
city firomen, two private FIRE
ID railroad employee.
{ * "a Ice 6oaters Found Dead.