Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2017 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== New York Times September 7, 1896 ELEVEN FIREMEN KILLED CRUSHED BY THE WALLS OF YORE'S OPERA HOUSE. A FIRE AT BENTON HARBOR, MICH., WHICH RESULTED IN A GREAT LOSS OF LIFE - THE WALLS OF THE BUILDING FALL AS THE FIRE- MEN WERE AT WORK - FIFTEEN OF THEM BURIED BENEATH THEM, AND ONLY FOUR RESCUED WITH THEIR LIVES. Benton Harbor, Mich., Sept. 6. - Yore's Opera House and adjoining buildings were burned early this morning, causing the death of eleven fire- men and injury to a number of others and entail- ing a loss of about $65,000. The killed are: EDWARD H. GANGE, married, St. Joseph. ARTHUR C. HILL, married, St. Joseph. LOUIS HOFFMAN, single, Benton Harbor. JOHN HOFFMAN, married, Benton Harbor. THOMAS KIDD, single, Benton Harbor. WILL MATTEN, married, Benton Harbor. SCOTT RICE, single, Benton Harbor. ROBERT ROLFE, single, St. Joseph. FRANK SEAVER, married, St. Joseph. FRANK WATSON, married, St. Joseph. FRANK WOODLEY, married, Benton Harbor. The seriously injured are: Ex-Fire Chief JOHN A. CRAWFORD, Benton Harbor; burned and overcome by heat and smoke. WILLIAM FREUND, St. Joseph; cut about the head and burned. JACK McCORMICK, Benton Harbor, legs broken and internally injured. FRANK PAGET, St. Joseph, legs mashed by falling brick. Several others were injured by falling walls, but will recover. Shortly after midnight YORE'S Opera House, a large four-story brick structure, was discovered to be on fire. It had gained much headway before the alarm was given, and when the city firemen arrived the building was a mass of flames. The St. Joseph departments were sent for and arrived soon after. The fire continued to gain and was spreading to other buildings when the hook and ladder companies went to the rear of the build- ing, hoping to be able to direct a stream into the mass of flames from a second-story window. Hardly had they arrived there when the wall with a mighty crash came down upon them, bury- ing fifteen men under the red-hot bricks. Other portions of the wall were wavering, and the res- cue of the imprisoned firemen was deterred some time, as it was expected every moment the re- mainder of the wall would fall. Finally some of the crowd rushed into the mass to rescue the shrieking and struggling men. FRANK WATSON of St. Joseph was the first man reached, but he was dead and his body was a mass of broken bones and mangled flesh. The search continued until 5 o'clock, when the last victim, ARTHUR HILL, was removed. They were carried to offices and private houses, where doctors from both cities were in waiting to render aid. Some of them died en route, and others while being cared for. The dead were taken to the City Hall, which was turned into a temporary morgue. Some of the men were so badly mangled that identity was only had by letters and papers in their pockets. After the falling of the rear wall the roof and other walls soon collapsed, one of the side walls falling upon a two-story brick building owned by WILLIAM FRICK, completely demolishing it and its contents. The fire had not been confined alone to the Opera House, but had crept across the alley, and soon the rears of the two-story buildings were aflame. The fire, however, was gotten under control before it reached the main part of the buildings. The loss to PATRICK YORE on the Opera House Block is $40,000; insurance, $19,000. WILLIAM FRICK, brick block and stock of shoes, $10, 000; Evening News plant, $3,000; J. A. SIMON, scenery in opera house, $500; S. M. AUSTIN, building and grocery stock, $2,000; D. HUNT, building and grocery stock, $1,000. The origin of the fire is unknown, but GUY PRESCOTT, who stated today that he knew how the fire started but was not going to give any one away, was arrested. The wardrobe of the KATIE PUTNAM company, which gave a per- formance for the benefit of the firemen in the evening, was burned. The two cities, St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, are draped in mourn- ing in honor of their dead. The funerals will be held together Tuesday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clare Sentinel September 11, 1896 Eleven Firemen Killed by Falling Walls or From Coming in Contact with Electric Wires in a Big Fire at Benton Harbor - An Incediary Caused It. One of the most terrible disasters that ever visited the city of Benton Harbor, and one which caused an amount of distress scarcely equalled by the loss of the steamer Chicora two years ago, occurred at the burning of YORE'S opera house and the killing of 11 firemen by the falling of the walls. An amateur performance of "A Factory Girl" had been concluded about an hour when fire was discovered in YORE'S opera house, smoke issuing from the windows being the first intimation of the fact. By the time the fire department had responded to an alarm the interior was a mass of flames which came pouring out of the windows. The building was four stories high and surround- ing buildings so much lower that it prevented the firemen reaching the roof with their short ladders. Finally the roof began to burn, which prevented any attempt to cut off the flames, and it was decided to confine them as much as possi- ble and save the adjacent property. Bravely the firemen, of Benton Harbor, went to work assisted by the St. Joseph department, but they were handi- capped in all directions. Hundreds of peopled flocking to the scene and blocked the streets in every direction, only the intense heat serv- ing to keep them at a safe distance. Urged to their utmost the firemen began getting their hose ready as best they could and the fire de- partment from St. Joseph, ran their truck into the alley in the rear of the building and began unloading ladders. Others began pulling lines of hose to the adjoining buildings, but before a stream of water could be turned on, the catas- trophe came without a moment's warning. The thousands who had collected about the scene only heard a terrific crash which almost lifted them off their feet, while they could see some of the firemen running for their lives away from the falling bricks and timber. The walls of the building had fallen. Then the cry arose that a number of men were buried beneath the fallen walls, but only the most determined of the men were able to withstand the terrible heat and smoke in order to attempt to rescue them. A rescuing party was at once organized, however, and the work of searching the ruins began without delay. As the men neared the ruins they could hear the groans of some of the un- fortunate ones who were pinned down while on all sides of them flames were beginning to burst out anew. Several streams were brought into use and the bodies were taken out as fast as possible. While the rescuing party was at work some- one noticed two dark objects on the roof of an adjoining building, and they proved to be the bodies of FRANK WOODLEY and THOS. KIDD. Near them rested a line of hose, which told the sad tale. The men had climbed onto the building with the hose, but before they could give the signal to turn on the water they fell upon the live wires and met with instant death. It was several hours before all the bodies were removed and the fear that some might have been overlooked induced the workers to pick over the ruins several times until they were satisfied that not a body remained. During all this time the immense crowd hung on watch- ing the direful work and it was daylight be- fore the scene began to be deserted. Mingling in the crowd were the wives and families of the firemen, and they became frantic to know who had been killed or wounded. It was impos- sible to keep the sad news from them, and as fast as a limp, lifeless body was taken from the ruins it would be surrounded by tear- faced women and children, whose grief was pitiful to witness. The dead are: FRANK WATSON, of St. Joseph, leaves a widow; JOHN HOFFMAN, Benton Harbor, crushed into an unrecognizable mass, leaves a widow and five children; THOMAS KIDD, Benton Harbor, unmar- ried, killed by live electric wires; FRANK WOODLEY, of Benton Harbor, killed by live elec- tric wires, leaves a widow and three children; EDWARD H. GANGE, of St. Joseph, drayman; SCOTT RICE, bell boy at the Benton hotel; WILLIAM I. MITTEN, Benton Harbor, leaves a widow and seven children; LOUIS HOFFMAN, Benton Harbor, widowers, leaves two small children; ARTHUR C. HILL, St. Joseph, foreman, St. Joe Hose Co.; FRANK SEAVER, St. Joseph; ROBERT L. ROFE, St. Joseph. The injured: JOHN CRAWFORD, ex-chief Benton Harbor fire department; WILL FREUND and FRANK PAGET, St. Joseph. The cause of the fire is a mystery, but it is generally believed to have been incendiary, and GUY PRESCOTT, a young man, was arrested because he was heard to say that he knew some- thing about it. The losses are $40,000 on the opera house and about $18,000 on merchandise stocks and surrounding buildings. ========================================================================== If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access more of our growing collection of FREE online information by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/ ==========================================================================