Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1910 — 30 FIREMEN DIE IN STOCK YARDS FIRE [ARTICLE]

30 FIREMEN DIE IN STOCK YARDS FIRE

Chicago Fire Chief and Assistant Chief Victims. At Chicago Thursdey thirty firemen, including Chief James Horan and Assistant Chief William Burroughs and Captain Dennis Doyle of engine company No. 59, were killed in a fire which swept the plant of Morris & Co at the stock yards. Hugh tanks of ammonia exploded and wrecked the buildings in the hide branch of the. packing plant The walls tottered and crumbled* burying the firemen beneath the ruins. The deadly ammonia fumes spread. Firemen who were not killed by the collapse of the walls succumbed from the effects of the ammonia gasses. Scores of other firemen were injured and some are dying in the hospitals. Extra calls were sent in every fewminutes for additional fire apparatus. For a time it was feared the entire stock yards would be destroyed. It was the most serious conflagration that has threatened Chicago since the big fire of 1871. Hundreds of lives were endangered. For hours the firemen battled with the flames. Chief Horan and Assistant Chief Burroughs were standing just inside the walls of the burning building, directing the work of the men of companies 59, 39 and 29, when the walls were blown out with a report like a connon. The second floor of the building collapsed, burying all the men under the bricks and timbers. Not a single mar w as able to escape. Immediately afterward huge flames sprang up and the buried men had no chance for their lives. Scores of firemen rushed to the rescue but were driven back by the intense heat and the deadly fumes of the ammonia. One after another was overcome and fell to the ground. Mean while the walls fell on the various sides of the building and buried firemen who were nearCall after call was sent in for reinforcemerts. A dozen patrol wagons took r’--' injured to hospitals. More than 100 engines responded to the various calls, and tons of water were poured on the flames. 23 DIE IN PHILADELPHIA Policemen and Firemen Are Victims at Big Quaker City Blaze. In Philadelphia Pa., at least twentythree lives were snuffed out as the result of a fire which destroyed the leather-goods factory of D. Friedlander, 1116 to 1120 North Bodine street, and as many more were injured, many of them fatally. „■ While the firemen were fighting tbe flames from the roofs of adjoining dwelling houses the south wall of the factory collapsed, burying nearly two score of firemen. As soon as the extent of the calamity became known policemen were hurried to the scene in an effort to save those who were still alive in the debris by tearing down the north wall, which was tottering. This body of policemen had scarcely got to work when the north wail crashed upon them. At tne time o* this second fall there were between -twenty-five and thirty policemen and firemen at work directly under the high mass of bricks. When the crash came fifteen of them managel to rush to safety, but the others were crushed beneath tons of brick and

$2,000,000 CONFLAGRATION Disastrous Fire in Cincinnati Costs the Lives of Four Men. Four men dead, seventeen injured and a loss estimated at $2,000,060 is the story of a fire that swept through a number of business structures in Cincinrati, raging for more than five this city raging for more than five hours. Most of the injured-afid missing are firemen. The fire broke out in the eightstory shoe manufacturing plant of the Krippendorf-O’Neil company and before it could be. checked had spread into the adjoining structures. The Sycamore Street Stables company building and the building and plant of the Victor Safe and Lock company were wiped out. The plaat of the United States Leather Goods company was badly damaged.