The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-03
City of Alexandria and an Un-
known Number OfHer Crew Lost.
Some Landed at Havana and Others
Rescued by Tugs-Over a Score
Reported Missing.

list OF the dead so far as knoWn:
JOHN ARMSTRONG, engineer.
THOMAS HASSON, laborer.
sAAIUEL MULLEN, driver.
John ROYAL, Iampnan.
3OSEPH C. QUINN, laborer.
CHARLES BRESLYN, laborer.
OF the injured this is but partial list,
as many who were hurt disappeared from
the scene:
MICHAEL MDONELL, at Bellevue Hos
pital, both legs fractured below knees.
PATRICK MDONELL, aged twenty
eight, both thigh bones fractured and
bruised about the body.
Mrs. JACOB SOLDINGER, cut by flying
glass.
ANNIE GALLAGHER. badly bruised by
JOHN PETERS, cut by flying glass.
JOHN RUHL, struck by falling timbers;
ANNE and MYRTLE GALLAGHER, cut
JOHN REINFRANK. cut by glass
The explosion occurred about 1 o'clock,
and those employed in the stables who live
near by had just returned from lunch. In
that portion of the stables to which the
explosion was confined about 80 men were
at work, mostly on the ground fioor-the
building is three stories and of brick-bank-
ing up corn and grain. The entire fronts
of the two stable buildings, Nos. $50 and 537
had been blown into the street. The second
floor, on which was banked hundreds of
tons Of fodder, fell, going through into the
cellar. Next the roof fell The destruction
of the building was complete and terrible.
But few people were passing along Four
teenth street at the time of the explosion.
One horse car with a solitary passenger
stood in front of the building. There was
a mighty roar, crash of falling bricks
and broken timber. Like a shot the boiler
was lifted out of the stable and flew across
the street. 1t struck the tenement directly
opposite with a shock that shook the whole
block. Windows were smashed everywhere
in the vicinity. Screams from the wounded
rang out wildly. Women with children in
their arms rushed in a frantic panic to the
street, and a cloud of dust and debris Of
building material shot high In the aiC. 1t
was not until several minutes had gone by
that anyone could realize what had hap
pened. Fireman John Henry was passing
up the street a block away. The shock
lifted him from his feet. He turned, and,
seeing what had happened, sent in an alarm.
HOW SOME WE'RE KILLED.
Men struggling with wounds came from
the ruins. There were three who never
moved Thomas Hassan was standing
in front Of railing just across from the
stable. A corner of the boiler struck him
on the body and skull and sent him flying
twenty feet. He never breathed again.
Pieces of flying timber struck Breslyn on
the head and he never moved from where
he had fallen. Samuel Mullin was stand
ing In the street. piece of stone weigh
ing fifty pounds struck him and killed him
instantly. The two little Gallagher chill
dren, Annie and Myrtle, were playing in
ments of brick struck them and they fell
bleeding from a dozen wounds. No 545 is
a double tenement. On the ground floor,
east side, John Ruhl has a liquor store,
and the west side of the hallway John
Peters has little grocery. The end of the
boiler struck the upper corner of. the liquor
store. Ruhrs bar was demolished. The low
er section of the building was carried away
and with it fell the whole front of the
second story. Ruhl's family live there, but
fortunately not one of it's members was in
the house at the time. Peters was in his
store at the time when a mass of brick
struck him on the left leg, carrying away
some of the flesh. At Ne. 596 there is a
Chinese laundry The windows here were
crushed in and the interior was demolished.
Next door William Darl has a barber shop.
Darl was shaving a customer at the time,
thrown from the chair and through
the street almost smothered in dust and
lather. The side of a car was demolished
and two horses were killed. The lone pas
senger in it escaped uninjured.
Fifteen minutes after the explosion a
hundred fremen and dozen ambulance
surgeons were on the scene The fremen
found no flame TO fight, but the surgeons
had their hands full. They went rushing
yng at a pUns SIX Of f he
did not need their attention. The others
had their wounds bound UP and the am
bulance stock them away to the hospitals.
The firmen went to work on the ruins like
Trojans. The men employed in the COM
pany's Office and the men of the vicinity
Of the stable were dotted with men.
When first the work of clearing Way the
ruins began the groans that came from be-
meath them told the reScuerS that some one
was there, and if the men who worked
hard and we'll needed any stimulus that
was sufficient. After an hour had gone by
away and the dead body of a horse was dis
closed. A piece of rope was tied to it and
II was dragged to the street. The removal
OF the horse resulted in another horrible
discovery. Directly under the spot where
the horse had lain the. men found the
mangled body of a hostler. His face was
hardly recognizable.
The boiler was OF the Lowe patent make,
manufactured at Bridgeport, Conn, and
twelve feet i'm length. There was scarcely
a bulge in its sides The riveting on the
bottom showed that the immense cylinder
had been torn out at the roots. Sergeant
Washington Mullin, of the boiler inspecting
bureau, says the explosion was caused by
an oVerpressure. Engineer Armstrong, il
is said was not licensed to run a boiler OF
the pattern that exploded He was only
permitted by law 10 run tubular hori-
zontal boiler.
Far into the night a gang of laborers
We're at work clearing the wreck away.
The bodies of dozen horses were dragged
out.
One Killed and Three Hurt.