http://www.cooganresearchgroup.com/crg/index.htm 04 October 2010 COOGAN story ____________________________________________________________________ (appearing in "Chicago Daily Tribune" [IL], 06 AUG 1897, PAGE 1): THREE FIREMEN DIE AT THEIR POSTS Terrific Explosion of Grain Dust in the Northwestern Elevator Comes While Over 100 Men Are Fightin Flames, Tearing the Building Asunder, Burying the Men in a Hail of White-Hot Bricks and Metal and Scattering Destruction for Many Blocks. ALMOST TWO SCORE BRAVE MEN BADLY INJURED. Chief Swenie Has the Narrowest Escape of His Life Some of the Wounded Will Probably Die Detonation Wrecks Glass Buildings Within a Mile Radius Hundreds of Freight and Passenger Cars Imperiled Thousands of People View the Spectacular Blaze Drag the River All Night for Possible Victims. SWEETHEART, SISTER, AND WIFE SEE LOVED ONES DIE. THE DEAD. THE MISSING. THE INJURED. [Chicago, Aug. 5] - Three firemen - one of them was to have been married next month - met instant and awful death while fighting fire in the Northwestern grain elevator, Grand avenue and the river, last night... ...the betrothed wife of Fireman Coogan was Miss Anna Quinlan, who lives in the neighborhood. She hastened on the first alarm to the Grand avenue viaduct where... ____________________________________________________________________ (appearing in "Salt Lake Tribune" [UT], 06 AUG 1897): FIREMEN WERE KILLED FRIGHTFUL CONSEQUENCES OF A CHICAGO FIRE GRAIN ELEVATOR BURNED [...] Firemen Were Massed About The [...]ding Getting Ready To [...] Frightful Flames When The Structure Was Blownup, The Walls Fell And [...] Were Burned Or Hurled To The Ground - Four Hundred And Fifty [...] Injured Is The Horrible Record Of The Day CHICAGO, Aug. 5 - Four lives were lost in an explosion which took place this [...]on during a fire in the North[...], a grain elevator at Cook and Water Streets. Three of the dead firemen and the body of another [...] is thought to be buried in the [...] of the elevator. In all, fifty-one [...] were injured. Either the burst [...] boiler or the explosion of mill caused the awful havoc. The dead are: [...] J. Schnur [...] J. Coogan [...] S. Stramer An unidentified man, blown into river [by the] explosion, body not recovered. The list of the injured: [ continues, illegible ] http://udn.lib.utah.edu ____________________________________________________________________ (appearing in "Ogden Standard Examiner" [UT], 06 AUG 1897): CHICAGO SHAKEN BY AN EXPLOSION Five Firemen Blown To Their Death Every Police Ambulance In The City Sent For - Fire Caused By The Spontaneous Combustion Of Wheat - Railroad Men Said To Be In The Ruins. Chicago, August 5 - Five lives were are known to have been lost and about a dozen firemen injured at a fire which followed the explosion in the Northwestern elevator at six o'clock tonight. The known dead are John Coogan, Jacob Schar and Jacob Stramen, all pipemen of an engine company. There are two unidentified men. It is thought that one man is possibly buried in the ruins. Assistant Chief Fire Marshall Lusham is among the injured. The elevator was situated at the junction of Grand avenue and the Northwestern railway tracks. The large structure was composed of inflammable material. The explosion shook the entire northwestern part of the city. The theory of Fire Chief Swente is that the fire was from spontaneous combustion of grain. Immediately following the explosion, flames burst from the ruins and what was left of the building was practically destroyed. Every police ambulance in the city was sent for. A switching crew on the Northwestern railway was passing the elevator at the time and reported that a number of trainmen were caught by the falling wall. The loss is $250,000. ____________________________________________________________________ (appearing in "Titusville Morning Herald" [PA], 06 AUG 1897): SEVEN LIVES LOST. FATAL FIRE IN A CHICAGO GRAIN ELEVATOR. A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION. SCATTERED FIRE ALL OVER THE STRUCTURE -- THREE FIREMEN KILLED OUTRIGHT AND ONE MAY NOT SURVIVE HIS INJURIES -- THEY WERE BURIED UNDER A FALLING WALL. Chicago, Aug. 5. -- Seven and probably eight lives were lost in an explosion which took place this evening during a fire in the northwestern grain elevator at Cook and West Water Streets. Three of the dead are firemen -- the body of another fireman is thought to be buried in the ruins of the elevator -- and three people were blown into the Chicago River. From the force with which the explosion swept the spot on which they were standing it is certain that they must have been instantly killed. Either the bursting of a boiler of the explosion of mill dust caused the awful havoc. The three firemen who were killed by the falling walls of the elevator were: JACOB J. SCHNUR. JOHN J. COOGAN. JACOB S. STRAMER. THOMAS MONOHAN, Swenie's driver. JOHN HAMPZ, was watching fire when struck by a timber. The injured: CHARLES H. CONWAY, fireman, burned about face and hands and body crushed; may die. Chief DENNIS SWENIE, right foot crushed, left arm wrenched and painfully burned. Fire Marshal CHAMPION, burned about face. Lieutenant SMITH, both legs crushed. Lieutenant W. H. BARTLETT, leg crushed. Assistant Engineer BENJAMIN BLANCHARD, badly bruised. JOHN F. SMITH, injured by debris. WILLIAM McGUIRE, 15 years old, both legs crushed. THOMAS ENGLE, pipeman, cut on face and hands and internally injured. IGNATIUS BOND, cut by falling glass. Captain JOHN J. EVANS, struck by debris and rendered unconscioius; serious. WILLIAM HANLEY, pipeman, cut in head. WILLIAM THOMPSON, hit by falling glass. Besides these, dozens of firemen and passers-by were more or less cut and bruised by glass and flying debris. The origin of the blaze is believed to have been in the vicinity of the boiler house. Accumulated dust as dry and inflammable as gunpowder that had been piling up for years formed ready means for the fire. It spread with great rapidity and then came a terrific explosion, completing the work of scattering the fire throughout the entire structure. Just as the firemen were getting into position for advantageous work and nearly all the members of engine company No. 3 were mounting ladders and bringing leads of hose to play on the interior from the upper windows, there came a roar that could be heard for half a mile, the roof was raised high in the air and the walls came down with a crash. The force of the explosion was so great that the eastern wall was hurled into the river, the west wall was tumbled down upon the heads of the men below and the roof was torn into mighty fragments and distributed for blocks around. Every window in the vicinity of the elevator was shattered by the concussion, dozens of persons were struck by flying debris and several small fires resulted from falling timbers that were still aflame. At Jefferson Street and Carroll Avenue, many blocks distant, great burning masses of wreckage fell upon four wagons loaded with hay and set them in flames. The fire was most difficult to control, as the elevator was surrounded by a number of small frame buildings, which were continually catching fire. The total loss is estimated at $300,000, which is fully covered by insurance. http://www3.gendisasters.com/illinois/14540/chicago-il-grain-elevator-fire-aug-1897 ____________________________________________________________________