The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-08-23
FOUR BODIES HAVE
BEEN TAKEN FROM
THE RUINS SO FAR
Search of the Ruins Will Be Re
sumed This Morning on
Systematic Plan.
FIRE WAS CAUSED BY
AN EXPLOSION OF GAS
Many Of the Dead May Never Be
Known as Register of
Hotel Was Burned
(By The Associated Press)

MACON, Ca, Aug 22.--Work OF explor-
ing the ruins of the Brown House, which
was completely destroyed by fire at an
early hour this morning and where more
than dozen bodies are believed to be
buried. stopped at sundown tonight.
Building Inspector F. Joe Bishop, in
charge OF the hunt for bodies. announced
that the search will be resumed at day
light tomorrow morning with a force of
100 convicts from the county and city
chain gangs.
I'VE will know before noon," he said,
lust how many bodies are in the debris.
We expect to find at least IL. possibly
more. 1 can almost put my fingers on
the spot where / believe there are two
bodies"
Coroner Lee Wages announced this af-
ternoon that the coroners jury had con-
cluded that an explosion Of escaping gas
in the basement of the Brunner Drug
company, caused the fire.
The blast cut a hole through the hotel
from the basement to the roof, tore out
, the stairways and wrecked the elevator
after driving It upward. Fire escapes at
the rear OF the building were enyeloped
in flames an instant later and fire also
bursting from every window in the biz
brick structure
will arrive here in the morning to aid
in the investigation that is underway.
Facts obtained by local and city officials
and the state fire marshal will be laid
before the Bigg county grand jury by
Solicitor General Charles III. Garrett.
Tonight when work OF exploring the
ruins OF the burned hotel stopped for the
night four bodies lay In a local UNDER
taking establishment. only three OF which
1AA4 Il Tf~-t-A
in the Macon hospital suffering from se-
rious burns and broken bones, received
frolu the fire and in jumping from second
and third floor windows. Three other
persons, whose names have not been OBJ
tanned and who are known to have
jumped from the blazing structure were
attended by private physicians and left
on the train for Atlanta during the fore
noon.
The list of known missing mounted to-
night to seven, but there were many in
quiries from all parts OF Georgia for per-
sons whom II Is feared were in the hotel.
Horace Weems, clerk at the Brown
House. son OF the proprietor, said that SS
OF the 81 rooms in the hotel were filled.
some with two beds in each room. He
said that there were more than 100 guests,
many OF them tourists who were passing
through the city. The tourists are the
ones that are causing the most concern
locally, for there Is no way to obtain
check on them. the hotel register being
destroyed In the fire.
Thousands OF persons watched the fire
and visited the scene throughout the day.
They refused to give up their vigil even
after thunderstorm broke over them
and rain began to descend. late in the
afternoon.
There was nothing left but blackened
brick wall at the front and jagged col
umns in the center of the structure.
The entire side wall on the Plum street
side had been completely demolished by
tho force of the explosion and by the
collapsing OF the floors.
only small section of tho original
building, built long before the civil war.
remained intact, with floors still clinging
TO the side walls although the ceilings
had fallen. 1t was in exploring one OF
these ladges this morning that firemen
came upon two bodies, one OF which was
identified Harry Turnipseed railroad
employe. The other body, which lay only
a foot away. with hands clasped and out
stretched. has not been identified The
unidentified man is that OF a person
Weighing 200 pounds and about five feet
and eight inches in height: his hair was
black.
Ihe cOntinual playing or streams OF
water ia the windows in this section had
kept the bodies In fairly good condition.
although both are scared.
Firemen worked continually on the
blaze from :35 o'clock this morning until
late in the afternoon. They were recalled
to the scene at 1880 o'clock when flames
broke out again in the ruins.
1t was the heat, caused by this second
fire Building Inspector Bishop stated.
that caused the abandonment of the hunt
for bodies tonight
Harry Swansberg carried $1,000 dia-
mond. his gold watch and a wallet with a
biz sum OF money. leaving his clothing
behind when he leaped from third story
window. sustaining injuries which later
caused his death. He chung to the arti-
cles named and delivered them to a doc
tor at the hospital with the injunction.
'call my wife from Atlanta; must see
her before die. but IL die before she
arrives. give these to her.
Then SwanberE. surrounded by little
group OF veteran engineers and conduc-
tors at the hospital. cried continuously
for Boss. Boss" That. is was learned,
was the favorite term he used In address,
ing his wife. Swansberg died at 1886
a. m. His wife arrived acre n 1920
y. m.
swansberg was the veteran engineer
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