The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-09
MANY PEOPLE INJURED
SERIOUS EXPLOSION OF FIREWORKS
IN A CHICAGO FACTORY.
Employees and Pedestrians in the
Crowded Street Hit by Flying Rock
ets-The Place Destroyed.

CHICAGO, June S-A match carelessly
dropped by one of the workmen in the fire
works factory of NJ Shure at the corner
of West Van Buren, and Halstead streets
caused a terrific explosion few minutes
after 6 o'clock tonight. 1t was shortly
after the closing time of the factory and
many of the workmen had gone home,
otherwise the loss of life must have been
very heavy AS it was a number of the
employees were badly hurt, and flying rock
cts and candles struck several people who
were passing on street cars and on the side
walks. Following is the list of the injured
MRS. MAGGIE KENNY, struck by run
away horse bruised and cut.
MISS MINNIE THEUEY, bruised and
cut.
M. SHURE, proprietor fireworks factory,
badly cut by glass.
GEORGIE GRANT. cut by glass.
MRS. KATE GRANT, cut by glass.
OBIN LEMPER, cut on head by falling
beam.
FRED A. STILES. motorman on passing
cable car, severely bruised and cut by being
ANDREW LAWSON, conductor on the
same train, bruised by being thrown from
car.
c. N. SMITH, cut by glass while walking
on the street.
PHILIP SHEPARD, struck in back by
skyrocket while on the opposite side of the
street, unconscious and badly hurt.
j. F. HARRIS, cut by glass.
EDWARD HAYES, passenger on cable
SAMUEL BRASNIK, tailor, jumped from
a balcony leg broken;
JOHN fBECHWARET, back cut.
WILLIAM BLAHA, injured by run
MAX BRAsELNICK, spine injured by
PATRICK HUSSEY, struck by falling
beam and several ribs fractured.
UNKNOWN BOY, run over by Fire Chief
OSCAR BEEfHLKE clerk for vondorff
Bros, struck by falling walls, not serious.
- GORDON, hurled through a plate
glass window badly cut
The following were slightly injured by
flying glass, but all are expected to re-
cover: Nellie Burke Peter Bullett, Lud-
wig Snow, Frank Picke, CharleS CarulII,
Alpha Jones.
The force of the explosion was so great
that nearly all the windows in the block
were demolished, and the Shure building,
which is a four-story structure, was badly
damaged Immediately following the ex-
plosion the building was ablaze from cellar
to roof and the fire department had des-
perate struggle before it succeeded in ex-
tinguishing the flames. The building was
nearly destroyed by the fire, however, and
such portions of the large stock of fire.
works as had not been scattered through
out the neighborhood by the explosion
were burned or ruined by water, causing a
heavy loss to Shure.
The explosion caused wild panic in that
portion of town for a time and the widest
stories were current regarding the number
of killed and wounded 1t happened at a
time when the street was crowded with
people on their way to their homes, and the
street cars which pass the front OF the
building every minute were denSely
crowded with passengers. The flying mis-
siles from the factory struck a number OF
people on the cars and one man who was
gazing into a store window, fully 400 feet
distant, had his attention suddenly at
tracted to other matters by a rocket which
hit him squarely in the back. He fell to
the sidewalk unconscious and was carried
to the hospital before he was able TO give
his name The majority of those injured
have received but trifiing hurts and Will be
around within a day or two. The loss to
the building and contents is estimated at
$50 000 ,
Mrs Maggie Kinney, one OF the injured,
died tonight at the County Hospital from
injuries to her spine.