The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-29
Bomb Alleged to Have Been Thrown
Into the Milwaukee Street.Car Stables.
Property Worth $500. 900 Destroyed-Reward
offered for the Fire -Bug-Muncie Court
House Damaged to the Extent of $4,000.
DEADLY EXPLOSION.

DEADLY EXPLOSION.
Attempt to Thaw Out Dynamite Causes Loss
of Life on Long Island.
LONG ISLAND CITY, L. l., Dec. 2a-Just
In the rear of o row of tenements. Nos q,
%. e6. 81 and 90 jackson avenue. Is tho en-.
trance to tunnel that the New York City
and Long Island Tunnel Company is put
ting under the East river between this
city and the New York Central depot
They use great deal Of dynamite in blast
ing. and last night tho dynamite froze.
When the gang of mon started to work
this morning they found it would be
necessary to thaw the dynamite out and,
taking three barrels of cartridges from the
stock. placed them just back Of the teno-
ments to be thawed. The cartridges were
put in o box four feet square through
which steam pipes run. and then, with the
foreman, McEntee. to oversee the thawing
process, the gang entered the shaft. How
the explosion occurred Is not definitely
known, but presumably the pipes became
too hot. At s o'clock the explosives were
set of. scattering death and destruction
around 1t. Tho shock was like an earth
were not hurt. The persons living in the
tenements made mp tho killed and injured.
Tho tenements from No. 81 to No. 90 were
shattered. with the store and Off ces below.
The postotfice was in No. a. The letter
cases were knocked into strips. and the
clerks were hurled headlong in the debria
Immediately after the crash q wave of fire
swept through the lower part Of the tene-
ments. 1t cut off all possibility of escape
through the entrances to the buildin g.
Some of the stunned and bleeding tenants
managed to crawl to the windows and
make their escape In that way. The explO-
sion was heard all over Long Island City.
Large plate glass windows were shattered
as far away as four blocks from tho scene
of the explosion. Just across the street
doors were blown off their hinges. coun.
ters overturned and persons knock ed sense
lees. Scores OF persons were injured in
that way that tho authorities have heard
where the explosion took placo stands
fve-story brick store building and tone
ment The shock tore ont every window
light IN the top floor.
When the excitement had somewhat
sbated, prompt search was made for the
Mary Grayden, Henry O'Brlen, Mrs. Rocco,
John Hopkins. Nicola Lodane.
A partial list of tho wounded follows:
Mrs. julia Henry, cut in the throat, head
and hands by glass, and received q severe
shock; Peter McEntee. head. legs and arms
terribly cut and several bones broken: Mira
Mary Maher. cut about head and arms;
Daniel Maher, cut about head and body
eye and terribly cut about the head, will
probably die; Edward Delaney. skull
fractured. both eyes injured, Will probably
die; Petro Rocco. cut about head and body;
Joseph Way. back punctured; Minnie Dav-
rem, serious injuries to head aud body;
John Davren. cut about head and face;
John w. Davren cut about head and hands;
Miss Matilda Ryan. cut about head; John
Purcell, seriously injured by falling tim
head and body; James Murphy; cuts on
head; Mrs. Mary Rogers and son. John RoR-
ers, both badly cut about head; Max Hayes,
seriously cut on back of head: Mr.. and Mrs
Frank Wildey, cut on head; Mrs Katie
OBrieD. face and hands cut; William
head and hands cut; Mrs. Stciu and daugh-
ter, three years old. both seriously cut and
The child lost one eye; Alderman james
Comisky. head cut
the first victim whose body was found.
She was lying in the yard at the rear of the
store with q piece of escan tling running al
most through her body. Death had ap-
parently been instantaneous. Then the
body. of Mary Grayden, q waitress. who
was just breathing her last, was found on
the floor of the restaurant kitchen. and
near her were The proprietor, John HOPKINS,
and his assistant, Edward Delaney. Both
the latter were unconscious, their faces
horribly mutilated. On the floor of the
BARRIERS shop lay the body of man which
was too much disfigured to be recogn ICED
at the time. The man was still alive. He
was afterward identified as Nicola Lodano.
Mrs. Rocco's brother.
The ambulance from st. Johns Hospital
and q corps of doctors arrived simultane-
ously and the wounded were quickly re-
moved to the hospital. Then the dead and
dying were taken to stores near by. The
last victim taken out was Henry O'Brien,
station-house. where he died few minutes
after reaching the road While all this
was going on the horrid occasion was in
tensltied by the bursting ont of flames on
buildings. The flames spread RAPIDLY and
before the fremen got them under control
nearly the whole row Of bulldinGs WAS
gutted. The damage was not con-
fined TO the flats. For half mile
in every direction the window panes, large
and small. in the stores and houses were
blown OUT. falling on tho heads of many
people passing along the sldewslks by
which means many were cut and other.
wise injured, and scores Of men and women
and doctors offices to have their wounds
attended to. The sidewalks were covered
with broken glass In many of the stores
articles were thrown from the shelves aud
counters. At least twenty families were
rendered homeless most of them losing
furniture, clothing and everything they
possessed except the few things on their
backs.
A Atwo-story frame building. used as a
refrigerator factory by Sylvester Gray, di-
rectly opposite the tunnel shaft, was al.
most demolished. as was q brick bullding &
adjoining the tunnel lot owned by Franz
McMxnH. and another by lsaac Van Ripper.
The row of fats was owned by James
Davren, president of the Board of Assess
sors. His loss is estimated at $4,000 The
buildings were insured against fire for
$1,000. The other losses Will aggregate S20.-
600 more.
when the explosion occurred said they felt
the shook, and thought the shaft coliap
Ii WAS nearly half an no ur before any one
of them would venture to investigate and
ask to be drawn to the surface.
One Killed and n Dozen Injured.
GREESsBURG, Pa, Dec. 2s.-This morn
ing Mt an early hour o terrific explosion oc-
CURED on the Hempfeld Branch railway
on the Tinsman farm, in Sewickley town
ship. in which one Italian was blown to
atoms and dozen or more badly injured.
They were blasting q huge rock and had
put In heavy charge of dynamite. Not
going off as soon as they thought 1t should
they went back to examine il. An explo-
sion suddenly followed, blowing one man
tn uiocea and aoatfarfn0 tha fra q manta NJ