New Britain Herald Newspaper, May 16, 1929, Page 19

CLEVELAND DEATH TOTALNOW 15 120 (Continued from First Page) eondition. He was not permitted to see visitors today. At the time of the explosion a moving van was taking his belong- ings from his residence to another part of the city ang hia family could not be located. Vault Door_Undamaged City Manager Hopkins and fire- men who examined the building after the tragedy came to the con- clusion that the vault door guarding the films had been open because the only damage to it was from heat. The brownish stain, noticed on the faces of the bodies in the morgues, smeared the outside of the clinic building today. The terrific force of the gases which sent 300 persons into a panic split walls, shattered windows, cleared medicine cabinets, mirrors and pictures from walls and erashed in ceilings, was seen clearly. The route of the scorching flames fyom the basement to the roof could he followed up the stairway to the first floor on the hand rails, the charred woodwork and stained fit- tings of the hoapital. The door lead- ing to the hispital in the rear, where ost of the victims were taken, withstood the flames. The tunnel it guarded was wood lined and had the white-hot flames of the burning gas reached it the deaths resulting might have been many times grea(- er. Rromide and Todide Gases Killed It was the silyer bromide and sil- ver iodide acids in the coatings of the films which rapldly expanded into clouds of gas and choked the occupants of the building. The & found its way between the wal into the air shafts, and between the ceilinz and roof on the top floor. The second and las explosion was gen- eral and dev: ting. rnnly one thing, perhaps, saved the building from collapse, firemen sald —_the skylight. It gave way and per- mitted the deadly fumes to mount yward. g Agree on Blame ‘Authorities agreed that the blame fay in the X-ray storage room in the basement of the four story brick atructure and that the deadly fumes awirled from ignited X-ray film. But they disagreed as to whether the clouds of dark yellow gas that anuf- fed out so many lives were nitrous peroxide or a bromine and lodine vapor. Evidence of Deadly Gas Twelve bodies, seared and yellow- ed by the gas, were found in the X-ray room, mute evidence of the fumes' deadliness. Twelve other hodies, equally discolored, were taken from the roof. Between those points were many sprawled bodies of dead and injured, surrounded by cracked walls, broken pipes, shat- tered windows and overturned tahles. A nurse was found lying dead across a wheel chair. bearing a pa- tient she had tried vainly to wheel to safety. Some patients were trap- ped and killed in bed. Others ran naked or partly dressed only to fall half way to exits. Fire Doors Closed Possibly it was a defective wira in the X-ray apparatus that started the horror. Patlents heard a muf- fled roar from the X-ray basement room. All fire doors immediately closed. Poison gas, generated from the explosion; was forced through the ventilator shaft by the heat. Thin, yellow wisps were seen straying onto the second floor. climbing upward through a court into the third and fourth floors and emerging from the blown-out sky- light. 5 Interior Gutted Those on the first floor ran out to safety or remained to warg per- sons on the floors above. Telephone operators stayed at their posts to give warnings. Confusion indescrib- able followed. Fire raced up a rear stairway and spread. Fifteen min- “utes after the first explosion, a sec- ond came, driving rescuers back. Forty-five minutes later, a third oc- curred, tearing out pipes, crumbling the walls and breaking all windows in the clinic and adjoining struc- tures, Little of the building's in- terior was left intact. Persons standing outside were fell. ed by the force of the first blast. One passerby was reported to have teceived a broken arm. A policeman hurried up, smelled the fumes many yards away, and dashed to an alarm box. Soon am- bulances, fire apparatus and com- mandeered automobiles formed a steady stream to the scenc of trage- dy. Ladders were strunk to windows of the three upper floors. Police- men and firemen with gas masks (Continued on Page 21) EMERSON STUDIO 108 MAIN ST. Tel. 613 or 1436-W Earoll Now For Spring Term HERO OF NANY BRAVE MEN, DR. 6. W. CRILE Internationally Known Founder of Clinic Works Tirelessly to Save Lives of Victims of Disaster, Cleveland, May 16 (UP)—Out of the suffering and sorrow causd by the explosion in the Cieveland clinic hospital, the figure of a tireless sur- geon in a blood-stained apron rose today as the outstanding hero in a disaster where heroes were numer-, ous. He is Dr. George W. Crile, inter- nationally known medical man and founder of the clinic hospital, who watched the institution that was to have been his life monugment torn by expiosion and flame yeaterday while he brought all his skill to the task of saving lives, Haggard and gray, Dr. Crile was found on the seventh floor of the Cleveland hiapital an hour after the explosion. Hia eyes burned with the brightness of exhaustion as patient after patient was wheeled Ly him, but his hand was steady and his voice unshaken. Without taking time to look up from the injured women over whom he leaned, scalpel in hand, Dr. Crile told the United Press correspondent: “There is nothing T can say now. People are dying out there. The only thing a aurgeon can do is to try to save their lives.” A short time before he had been in the adjoining clinic hospital, had heard the boom of exploding gas and had opened. the door of his of- fice to see a corridor already thick with bodies of the injured. Soon he was operating and at the same time directing the activities of a score of other surgeons. Some of his pafients lived, some died, among them Dr. John Phillips, a colleague of the founder of clinic hospital, whose life Crile worked in vain to save. It was not the first time Crile had been tested by tragedy: during the ‘World war his brilliant contribu- tiona to surgery won him an honor- ary feilowship in the Roval college of surgeons. He is credited with having made valuable discoveries on the reduc- tion of shock in surgery. Dr. Charles Mayo once gaid: “Some of the greatest strides in modern medicine and surgery have come from Crile and his co-workers at the Cleveland clinic.” List of Those Who Met Their Deaths irst Fage) (Continued from Cleveland. .Ello Moeller, Elyria, Ohio. Charles Moore, Cleveland. Miss Edith Motgan, Youngstown. Mrs. W. C. Mulcahy. Cleveland. Mrs. Florence E. Mullen, Cleve- land. Miss Ohio. Mrs. Mary O'Keefe, Rome, Ga. Miss Litta Perkins, Lyndhurst, executive secretary of clinic. Dr, John Phillips. co-founder of clinic and one of its directors. Miss Meta Primo, address un- known. Mrs. Alice Quayle, Mississippl. John Ralston, Wellsville, Ohio, pa- tient. Mrs. Mary Ramask, land, patient. James T. Reese, Ohio. Mrs. Frances Rich, New Bruns- wick, N. J. Miss Mary Richards, Ashiabula, Ohio. Mrs. James T. Reese, South Euclid, Ohio. Frances Logar, Cleveland. Patrick Rogers, Cleveland, iceman. William T. Rogers, Cleveland. Paul Roquemore, East Dallas, Tex. Molly Rothschild, Cleveland. C. E. Scherbarth, Lakewood. Mrs. C. E. Scherbarth, lakewood. Mrs. Theodore 8chill, Pittsburgh, Pa. Luella 8choen, Cleveland. Miss Frances Sertelle, Cleveland. Charles Sewald, Williamsport, Pa. Mrs. Elizabeth Sexauer, Akron, Ohio. Miss Mary Schaeffer, East Cleve- land. Mrs. Alma S8herman, Cleveland. J. Barker 8mith, secretary and general manager of the Cleveland Athletie club. W. L. Spellman, Forest, Ohio. Mrs. Charles Stage, Cleveland. Mrs. Anna Stahl, Ohio. Mrs. Mazie Steele, Erie, Pa. Harry Steinberg, Denver, Colo. George Strapp, Cleveland, fireman. Miss Julia 8zubra, Cleveland. Fabrico Tangledo, Minnesota. Adam Tight, 8andusky, Ohio. Arthur Tight, 8andusky, Ohfo. Dr. Vandusen, address unknown. Charles Wald, Cleveland. Mrs. Nixon Walford, Emienton, Pa. John Ward, Cleveland. Mrs. May Warden, East Cleveland, nurse in X-ray department of clinic. Helen 0O'Connell, Elyria, Fast Cleve- fouth Euclid, || Mrs. May Washby, East Liverpool, Ohio. Ruth Wildey, Boulder. Colo., em- ploye. Blanche Young. employe of clinic. Miss Mabel Young. East Cleve- , [land. One unidentitied woman Dr. F. R. Langston, Indiana. Youngstown, Miss Alfto Sshricher, address un- known. M. K. ss unknown. Injured Dr. George Belcher, staff physician at Cleveland clinic, Miss Susan Brantweiner, cmployee. Miss Bonnie Eliof, cashier at the clinic, Fireman George Jusko, Cleveland. Fireman Andrew Homrocky, Cleveland. Henry 8. Tu L Cleveland, p . Gertrude Vaniirk, « Patrolman Ertfest Staab, land. Fire Lieut. John Walsh, Cleveland Fireman Peter Rogers, Cleve Dr. R. 8. Dinsmore, clinic surgeon. Mrs. Ault, clinic employee, Nell Conway, clinic employee. ‘Thomas Chiramy, clinic emplo Gertrude Hoffman, clinic nurse, Matiland Johnson, clinic employee. Laura Lambert, clinic employee. Mrs. W. L. Langdon, Sharon, P’a. Unidentified nurse of Mrs. lang- don. Mre. Mazny, address unknown. Miss Morton, clinic employec. C. H. Porter, Cleveland. Mrs. Stahl, address unknown Mrs. Art Richards, address un- known. Dr. JacksH. Swafford, clinic staff ian.” Mr. Thomas, address unknown. Emily E. Perram, clinic employee. Dr. Wilson J. Peart, clinic staff entist, Dr. Faust, address unknown. Mrs. Bowen, address unknown. Dr. C. C. Gilkinson, Cleveland. Mias Helen Renz, Cleveland. Luella Schoen, Cleveland. Miss Porter, address unknown. Oscar Bielfhelt, address unknown Max Engelman, Cleveland. Agnes Logan, Cleveland. Mary Mullen, Cleveland. Miss Margaret Mullen, Cleveland Samuel Nuccio, Cleveland. Miss Minnic Pontius, Cleveland. Miss Laura Roberts, Cleveland. Raymond F. Rose, Ashland, Ohio. Nixon Walford, Emlenton, Pa. M. R. Shaw, address unknown. clinic vland. Cleve- stafr ph Some of Scenes Firemen Encountered (Continued from First Page) rying victims throughout the aft noon, “as moon as they hit the they turned green.” . Agonized relatives, too, outside and sought from patrolmen, from firemen. from newspapermen. from anyone who could get inside the police lines. The curious added to the throng and air gathered traffic was soon a jumble which po~‘READ HERALD CLASSIFIED ADSI nd information | | lice worked desperately {o clear for {the clanging ambulances. The clock in the main room stop- ped at 11:31 a. m., six minutes after the deathly yellow mist sifted through the building. Two hours ater every person had heen removed jand only the sweet sickening odor of burning celluloid, yellow-smudged urnishings and firemen | ceaseless rounds remained inside. Telephone Girl Herdine Among the hraves( heroines disaster was Gladys Gihson phone operator at the Cli liberately faced her death while sending out alarms and who died soon after in a hospital. The brave telephone girl saw death approaching in the form of a ghastly yellow poison gas, hut she stayed at her exchange hoard mak- ing heroic efforts to warn everyon in the Clinic of their danger, and to rally police, fircmen and ambu- lances Faster than ever hefore in her lifs she worked, plugging in socket after | socket in the switchhoard, as she set | il telephones in the Clinic to ring | ing madly their alarm of death Finally the heroic girl collapsed Eomeone carried her out, and soon she died in the hospital. m l\ml.'; These photographs, taken at the height of the fire which swept through the Cleveland Clinic hospital yesterday and caused the loss of more than 100 lives, give a graphic idea of the terrible scenes which followed an explosion in the X-ray room. 5 The upper picture shows pa- tients taken from the hospital being given first aid. Emer- gency measures were resorted to in an effort to save their lives. The gassed and injured were placed on the lawn and then removed to other hos- pitals. ¢ The middle photo depicts the rescue of the injured and dying from the building. With deadly bromine gas spreading death among patients who lay helpless in the hospital, police- men, firemen and volunteers worked feverishly to effect rescues. ‘The picture shows three victims being carried out, one from a window, another down the ladder, and a third on a stretcher. The lower pictures shows the hospital before the disaster oc- curred. by completing them with smart new Arch Prescrver Shoes, styled in Paris and New York cxpressly to carry out the current themes in woman's dress. 61 WEST MAIN STREET __ How delightful to find in such fashionable shoes the foot freedom achieved jonly by the inbuilt Arch Preserver features for foot health and comfort. SLOAN'S SMART SHOES OPP. BURRITT HOTEL Caugh in Police Trap |, utixos s vom e - With Defective Brakes 'vrought suit against Nicholas Dowi- + Of 36 automobiles tested on [co of this clty and Alexander Green. ¥ Franklin Square this forenoon, only {berg of New Haven, alleging that & | one was found to have defective |promissory note for §6¢0 made on , Lrakes, Sergeant ). King reported (June 6, 1928 by Tony and Lens '* ihis afternoon. s were being | Frandy in favor of Chauser, and se- " made on East Main street after the cured by a mortgage on property in lunch hour. /New Haven has not been paid. . Lawrence 4 . of ¢ Erin| The plaintiff is represented by At. street, Middletown, was arrested by (torney Harry E. Konick of New Officer Alfred Tanguay for driving |Haven. Constable ¥. E. Clynes a car with defective brakes and the |gerved the writ. charge of driving a tar without hav- | ing an operator's license in his pos | session was also preferred against | him, ! DiNatale szid he was an agent in the employ of the Enterprise Labo atory Co.. of 157 Olive street, New Haven. He was released on hix own recognizance for his appearance in police court tomorrow. CRONIN OFF DUTY Officer William Cronin, who was |injured when a commandeered su- tomobile in which he was riding was struck by another car at Clark Union streets last Saturday night. is off duty on account of the injury. He did duty Monday night but was - lohliged to remain off duty the nest ADS night. The injury is to his right * |wnkle. 4 READ HERALD CLASS| Are You Building— And How? The first thing to do in building a home is to talk with our Building Bureau. Here you will find plans, specifications, samples of building materials, illustrations, samples of small homes in color and other valuable in- formation, all of which does not cost vou one cent. 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