Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-06-26
Explosion of Frightful Force
Wrecks Grain Elevator
at Buffalo.
FIRE CAUSES $5OO,O0O LOSS
Windows Broken Quarter of a
Mile Away-Engineer Blown
from Cab and Killed
Four Are Missing.

Buffalo, N. Y, June 24-Four men arc
fatally, and four are unaccounted for as
the result of an explosion late to-day in
the elevator and grain store house of the
| Hustled Milling company at Elk and Pea
body streets. Fire followed the explosion
and destroyed the wooden section of the
elevator The property loss is 100000.
Tho dead are: Michael King, IL years
old; Henry vetter, As years old; John
Conroy. Nickel Plate engineer unidenti-
fed man; unidentified boy IL years old
run down by automobile.
There are 60 injured in the various hos
pitfalls OF the city, half OF whom, accord.
ing to hospital physicians, are so badly
burned that they have but slight chance
Of recovery. The ma jority are burned
about the head. face arms, and chestand q
few are suffering from broken arms and
legs. Others slightly injured were treat
ed at their homes.
| John Conroy, the Nickel Plate engineer
who was blown out of his cab by the
force of the explosion, succumbed to his
injuries at the Emergency hospital to-
night.
Firemen succeeded in cooling the ruin.
of the burned elevator tonight so that
search of the outlying debris was pos
sible. Shortly after nine o'clock the body
of a man was taken ont so charred tina
Identification was not considered possible
The body was taken to the morgue wher,
1t was viewed by many whose relatives
worked at the elevator and who hav,
not been located. The finding of the bod,
led to the belief that several others failed
to escape and that their bodies would
be found when the great mass of twisted
steel Orders and charred tlmbers are re
moved.
The explosion was caused by dust &C
cumulations in the feed house and wa
of frghtful force, tearing out the nortl
wall of the wooden structure and break
ing windows for a quarter of a mil
around.
| Several windows in cars of a passfn!
Nickel Plate passenger train were brok
en- by the explosion but none of tn
passengers was injured. The train wa
brought to a standstlll and many OF tn
injured elevator men were placed in tn
baggage car and rushed to the station
| where ambulances awaited them. Ever.
ambulance in the city was in commission
A l2-year-Old unlOentlNed DOy, runnln
to the fire, was struck by an automobil
and instantly killed
The body Of Henry Vetter was blow,
so feet by the explosion and was foun
under a box car nearby, badly burne
and mangled.
The elevator company employed Is
men, and according to Nice-Pres!den
Hustled Of the company. all have been &C
counted for except four. Employees VIII
escaped We're equally positive many O
their fellow workmen We're rescued fror
the roof OF an adjoining feed house b
fremen. They had leaped from the eleva
tor and several suffered broken legs.
dozen box cars loaded with grain wer
destroyed. The elevator had a capacit
OF 800, 900 bushels Half was Of old woode
construction and with its contents was tc
tally destroyed, A modern concrete ele
vator adjoining withstood the flames bu
was badly damaged, officials Of the CON
pany estimated their loss at 10000 GOV
cred by insurance