The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-19
Ruins Of Box Factory Searched For Other
 Victims BLAST FOLLOWS
 ROOF COLLAPSE Entire Ladder Company Wiped Out As Walls Crumble TOLL IS HIGHEST
 SINCE YARD FIRE Priest Enters Soothing Mass To Administer Consolation
 Dying Men

CHICAGO. April 1S.-Seven firemen and one civilian are known to have been killed, several others are injured so badly they may die and q dozen firemen and spectators suffered minor hurts when a fouS story stone building housing a west side box factory col- lapsed tonight, while scores of firemen were battling the flames.
 The ruins are being searched for oth- CT bodies. Fire Chief Buckley declares eight are dead and that several other bodies may be found in the ruins. Hook and ladder truck company No. 12 composed of five men was reported to have been entirely wiped out.
 Bremen first to arrive on the scene found the entire upper story of the brick structure located at Blue Island avenue and Fourteenth streets in flames. Calls were sent in for more apparatus.
 Were On Third Floor
 The firemen mounted to the third floor in an effort to confine the flames to the floor above them. As the roof started, to buckle. firemen were or dered from Nthe blazing building. Some stepped to the roof of a building ad- joining, but above a dozen attempted to escape by way of fire escape.
 Some of these firemen were toppled into the blazing building when the roof collapsed, carrying two floors with it, this being followed by an explosion which, sent the front wall crashing. Some of the firemen were thrown clear of the fire by the force of the ex- plOsion. others pitched headlong into the flames.
 A water tower set up in front of the burning building was demolished by the crashing stone and brick and firemen manning this instrument and spectators who had crowded through, the police lines were buried under the debris, several heing hurt salfhoi,gh it N not beiieTed any we're killed by lsse collapse of the water tower
 While doctors. ambuIances and po- lice reserves rushed to the scene, the firemen bent their efforts to rescuinx those plunged into the great seething pit.
 Forget To Fight Blaze
 Fighting the flames was forgotten for the moment while firemen. police men and spectators crowded as close as they could to the buildings. Calls were sent for powerful searchlights and hoisting devices to aid in raking the debris.
 Two firemen were rescued alive from the building while the Rev. F. A. Jones of the Holy Family Church donned fire helmet and plunged into the burning structure in an effort to give spiritual consolation to those impris- oned. One fireman pinned under a mass Of stones directed the breaking to pieces Of the mass and was finally freed be- fore the flames reached him.
 Frequent Blasts Hinder Work
 Bremen who were unable to de- termine the cause of the fire. declared that frequent gas explosions interrupted the work of rescue, the gas escaping from mains entering the building. List of the firemen known to have perished follows:
 Captain John Brennan, Lieutenant Frank Frosch, Thomas Kelley, Sam uel T. Warren, Michael Devine. Frank Leavy, and Edward Kersting. The dead civilian was not identified
 Firemen estimated the loss at S25O.- OOO, making total loss of three-auHr- ters of a. million dollars today for this fire and the fire in the stock yards which partly destroyed three warehouses of Armour & Co.
 Fire officials said the blaze caused the highest loss of life to firemen of any since the stock yards fire of 1920 when 70 firemen were killed
 An inquest will be opened tomorrow morning in an effort to determine
 tCOntinued on Fage Two)