The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-24
WALL FALLS
IN FIRE RUINS,
KILLS WORKER
Five Others Injured, One
Seriously, in Cave-ln of
Elevator Debris.
SUPERINTENDENT DIES
Directs Rescue Buried Un-
der 5 Feet Of Brick: Sue.
CumbS Later in Hospital.

OAiiiNS EokOI WI llOORIkdls
One man was fatally injured and
five others hurt, one seriously when
the six were buried beneath tons OF
brick and mortar in a wall cave-in
at the ruins of the National Eleva-
tor Company plant in Dakota street,
three blocks south Of Morris street,
at $50 this morning.
Fellow -Workmen and police franti-
cally dug the injured out and sent
all to city hospital.
Clarence E. Fox. 81, of 532 Fair
Oaks avenue, Oak Park, ILL.,, super
intendent for the Chicago Grain
and Salvage Company, died in city
hospital at 1915 a. m. He had been
buried thirty-five minutes.
The salvage company was digging
grain out of the ruins of the eleva-
tor, swept by a $25O,OOo fire last
Wednesday,
Five Are Injured
Those injured:
John Heindrick. ~, Bluff road,
workman, seriously injured inter-
nally. cut and bruised.
Benjamin F. Byrd, so. of 552 Bel
mont avenue, cut on head and body;
not serious.
Robert Ashford, 5, Negro, of STA
Jones street, deep cuts on the head.
Lee Conover, about 49, West New
ton, cut and bruised; not serious.
William Kellogg, As, of 1885 South
Meridian street. cut and bruised.
Thirty-four workmen started this
morning to carry grain from the
elevator ruins, Nine were working
in ten-foot alley between the tot
tering wall Of a warehouse and the
solid wall Of the elevator proper.
Three scrambled out of the way as
the wall fell.
Charles Cannon, I045 South Illi-
noiS street, who escaped, said sew
eral heavy timbers, leaning crafty
from the elevator to the warehouse.
across the narrow alley, impeded
salvage work.
Timber Pulled Down
Another heavy timber leaned from
the alley up to the cross tinnbers.
Cannon climbed up and fastened
a cable to the single leaning timber
and workmen pulled it down.
Apparently the remaining cross
timberS were sll that held the tot
tering wall since last Wednesday, for
Ashford and Heindrick had no
sooner started prying at them than
the cave-in occurred.
Screams of the buried men were
heard several blocks from the scene.
Extra police were rushed to handle
the large crowd.
A dozen hastily organized work
men and police led by Sergeant
John Sheehan located five of the
buried men by protruding arms and
legs. but the spot where Fox was
buried with his head FIVE feet be-
meath the brick and mortar, was
found after several minutes by his
agonized shouts.
Directs RescuerS
AS soon as he sensed that his men
we're digging toward him, Fox got
sufficient control of his faculties to
direct the work so as to lessen the
intense pain in his legs.
He apparently was just taking a
step when the wall fell and was
crushed down in q split position.
with his left leg forward and right
leg backward, his torso erect. His
left leg was broken, right shoulder
injured and scalp lacerated.
Cerebral conclusion and shock
caused FoxS death, hospital at
taches said.
Fox, a salvage worker for twenty
years, is survived by his widow, three
sons and a daughter, ALI living in
Oak Park. Ill
Battalion Chief Oscar Hupp di-
rected an inspection of the ruined
structures to guard against q. repeti-
ton of the disaster.
Superintendent Saved
Reuben Scott. superintendent Of
the elevator company, who has an
office across the street from the
ruins said farmer was discussing
the purchase Of some of the SAL
Vaged corn as they sauntered over
to the elevator.
The two entered the areaTay and
Heindrick motioned the Workmen to
make way for them.
"Oh. never mind. we'll walk
around Scott said as he and the
farmer turned and made their way
around the building. A moment
later the crash occurred. Bricks
showered about them but they were
not hit
The fact that his bucket just had
been emptied saved Aaron Shoefer,
20, Of 1887 Rybolt street, rater boy.
from being caught by the fallen
wall. He had just served men work
ing under the wall. They had
his bucket and he had
walked clear Of the wall on his way
for more water when the crash
came.
Auto Kills Aged Farmer