The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-09-09
NAN 7 A BE XII. LED.
Deadly Expl osions at Broad Ripple,
Ind. and Morton, III


sSAA5s A0Osstf 4oIOdSl
Ripple, suburb OF indianapolis, ten
miles from the city proper. was satur-
day morning the scene Of one of the
most terrible disasters that has ever Wis
tied the state. Six persons were burned
TO death and many people are lying in
the homes oflneighbors burned, Scared
and racked with pain from broken
bones. -Four buildings occupying a
block OF the town are in ruins OF the
six dead nothing but charred and black
ened bones with hanging strips of foul
smelling flesh remain. j..
The Victims.
Following is list of the dead and
injured:
Killed.-Jacob Darling, painter, crushed
by falling wall
Henry Ernest, laborer
death.
Albert Heyworth. huckster. westfeld.
John Porter, farmer.
Charles Yount. single. IS. crushed to
death. =
1njured.-Harry Bolton. Oakland. cut
across knee. 49,
Charles Culbertson. cut by flying glass.
leg hurt. /
Jacob Cruise. four ribs broken.
John Doaks. back broken. will proba bly,
die.
Amos Day. cut in face by glass.
Jesse Day. blown out Of second-story
window and badly hurt.
Frank Featherstone. arm cut.
Orvl1le Heady. street car conductor, in
5ured internally. will probably die.
= f. w. Heaton. bruised.
Emuley, Johnson.
Thomas Jones. cut abOut head
Charles Jones, cut about face and arms.
James Mitchell. New Augusta. legs
broken.
Ed Morris, shoulder dislocated, COM
pound fracture right arm and burned.
- Norvill, Indianapolis fingers torn off
and head cut.
Will E. Privette. deep cut across face.
Charles Roberts, cut over eye.
Vinton Record. leg cut. injured about the
head.
Frank E. Watts, burned and bruised.
Edgar Watts, burned and bruised
J. B. Watts, burned.
Joseph Wambaugh. injured about the
body.
Clare Whitaker. Oakland. ankle broken.
Oliver Wright. bruised and cut.
The First Explosion.
At ten o'clock foul odor was noticed
in the drug store of j. M. Watts, and a
lamp in a dark room used for amateur
photography went out. It was lighted,
and as the burning match was thrown
to the floor streaks of fame of a blush
tint ran along the joints between the
boards, showing the presence of escap-
ing natural gas, and then up the walls.
The next instant the eXposion came.
The walls were hurled in every direc-
ton and the top of the building fell
with crunching, grinding sound, COW
ering all. The ruins were burning i'm
mediately and shrieks could be heard
from those buried beneath.
Of the seven persons in the building
three were burned alive. The rest are
still alive and may recover.
The Second Explosion.
A hundred persons were at work on
the ruins and trying to save Gresh's
grocery. adjoining, pulling at the ruins
to save those buried beneath. While
thus engaged and 20 minutes after the
first explosion when the second came
from beneath the grocery it was with
a mighty roar and hurled the building
to atoms. Forty people were knocked
oNuo~ASSHS IL
with broken bones and burned bodies,
while many more escaped with small
bruises. This shock made the whole
town culver. Beneath these ruins Plus
Gresh, the groceryman, was caught and
crushed to death. His body was recov-
cred before it was entirely burned.
The ruins were added to those of the
building adjoining, demolished by the
first explosion, and the whole mass, to-
gether with an adjoining frame cottage
and livery stable, was burned to ashes,
only the bucket brigade being on hand
in time to do any good, and it is prob.
able only prolonged the agony of the
victims who were burned.
The money loss will likely not amount
to more than $4,000. All of the build
inn oc$1 L.