The Detroit times., 1916-04-22
Dock Workers Own
Carelessness Blamed
for Tragedy
MATCH STARTS
BLAZE IN OAKUM
Warehouse of Murray
w. Sales & Co. Is
Destroyed

As climax to an Orgy Of drinking
In the saloon OF Charles A. McCar-
thy. No. Jefferson-ave.. four men
lost their lives In q Are which de.
stroyed the warehouse OF Murray w.
Sales & Co.. Nos. $3.50 Front-st., ear
ly Saturday morning. A fifth man,
Roy Mcdonald. was seriously burn.
ed. hut was not discovered until sew
eral hours after the blaze.
Jack Leonard. veteran OF the dock
men who make Detroit's river front
their summer home. Thomas O'Brien.
Joe Kelley and BLACK Hank" last
name unknown, are the men whose
dead bodies were found on a pile Of
baled oakum on the second floor OF
the building. Roy Mcdonald. be-
lieved TO be one Of the Youngest of
the dock laborers. was found IN the
building after daylight and rushed
to the city hospital. where IT, was
found his hurns are not serious.
All OF the dead men we're known
to everyone who had business Oh
the docks. Leonard had appeared
every summer for so years, sleeping
on the open docks in fair weather
and stealing a flop" In one ware
house or another when il iained or
was chilly. The other three had
been habitues OF the water front for
several years.
According to Mcdonald, about is
men were in tine building and all
bu, FIVE OF them escaped. big
Frank" who refuses to be known
by any ether name. one OF the men
who escaped. says there were not
more than dozen men.
I'VE hal all Deen down TO Nc.
Carthy's, drinking" said Big
Frank" "Ycu know how the boys
are. There isn't bad man IN the
bunch. Thcy won't fight and they
won't steal, except drink Of whis-
Ky or flop Well. 1t got pretty near
time 10 close up and Jack Leonard
said he knew how he ccild get into
Sales warehouse. So We all went
with him and up oil the second floor
We found a lot OF oakum. Sc w"
laid down and went to sleep. The
next thing ! knew 4 looked like the
whole building was atlre. but | was
near The stairs and got away all
right. don't know what started
the f,re, but cne of the boyg. | Gon't
know which one, lit a match to find
our way around, aid SUPPOSE this
got into the oakum. Once that gets
burning. you can't stop it,"
In McCarthy's saloon, Saturday
morning. the major portion of the
dock wollopers" were gathered TO
talk over the fire. Many still were
slightly intoxicated, and there was
much talking and maudlin senti-
ment Each man there seemed TO
know something about the fire. but
was reluctant to tell II when he
found anyone wanted too much de-
tail. How many Of them actually had
first hand information, 1t is hard
to judge.
The loss to Murray w. Sales & Co.
was estimated, Friday morning. at
$1,000. This includes GOO bales OF
oakum. and large quantities Of other
plumbers and steamfitters' supplies.
None Of the victims had any
homes. O'Brten has a brother who
is a Newspaper seller on the streets
of Detroit. Kelley Is said to have
a brother in Flint.
Coroner Burgess had the bodies
removed to the county morgue. In
formation as TO the families OF the
men has been slow In reaching the
once. II IL believed the man COM
monty known as Kelley. really was
Thomas Cafe. of Toronto, but this
is based largely on rumor. Pending
the effort to locate friends or rela-
tives OF the men, their bodies will
be held at the morgus.