New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-05
BLOWN Up BY NATURAL GAS.
FIVE PEOPLE KILLED AND TWENTY-FIVE
OR THIRTY INJURED IN SUBURB
OF INDIANAPOLIS

indianapolis. Sept. 1.-Two fr.ghtful explosions or
natural gas occurred in Broad Ripple. suburb SIX
miles north of here. this morning at 10 O'CLOCK.
Five people are known to have been killed and the
seriously injured will number between twenty ana
thirty. The dead
DAZZLING Jacob painter crushed by filling tajnS " walls; death
GRESH Pious grocer aged nlnSeen nue an found dead
in grocery
Two unknown persons burned to a crisp.
The business part Of the town took fire and the
largest buildings were destroyed The city of
Indianapolis was called on for help. and sent en-
gincs and doctors. The first explosion occurred IN
j. l.. Wattss drug store, from some unknown cause.
Five men were injured there. and the building was
set on fire. Across the street was the Odd rel
lows Hall underneath which was Pious Greshs
crocorv store Seeing that the fire was spreading.
Gresh and twenty men removing his stock OF
groceries when explosion occurred IN thls puiiu-
ing The walls were blown out and the upper moor
fell on the men. Grosh and Jacob Darling were
taken out dead. The others in the building were
badly injured, several of them probably fatally.
xoorI, everv one suffered a broken leg or arm.
The fire spread from the Odd Fellows Hall and
the drug store ruins in every direction Five build
ings were fire at once and were doomed Deiotf
help could be obtained The nr ennre fdr all n Go IN
rcscung the injured. now threatened witn dancer t
of death by fire Hurried calls ior help wcde seTs
m ths CITY The hospital and dispen uocI0L
took the first Broad Ripple car and the fire De- De-
partment loaded an engine on r conroi AT
noon with five business houses DESTROYED LILO,
II vas reported this afternoon that seven oodieS
had Saen recovered from the ruins Of tntSe only
ibree had been positively identilcd II Is tnpusH'
hat the bodies Of TWO mGre may be in the Se6 Se6 sc.
IT is supposed that the natural gas hdu az az
LTD in the Watts cellar and that some one
yy"mt to inc room with a light y dreadIul i eAi
ioHion MCni " followed il shattered the building ana
in5nreJ ali the occupants. Every hou5e III Ill r,iS
.,iiurb was shaken. and farmers TWO mIeI i nor
Of Broad Ripple fet the ana
franc structure caught fire from the eSpIo7ie9r pG ere
p.hmIa ran from their homes and the hSiu nIe ~ .
apphraus was hurredly drargcd TO tnG H d nj
i,iin9 There was water supply at mann, @ s,lii
i mn cas laid in the direction of White klVer.
i'm. would not reach 70 the stream ,ln ,ao ,chted
rtov.I 81 persons stood helpless as they "atcIeu
tba huildng burn. Women ran inI9 r tne NJ. S'u Iybo
r'.i,,o, oT nnd wrnging their hands The men wlo no
rt ,o the rescue found fierce IRE as W wen as as
49,. dhhrs in their course. nelr hd.uo w. ~
burned and they were almost suftocated from %tho %
nat hut they worked heroically 70 renoEtt ~, ~
TOE 9"I under which they knew their neighDors
were buried. .,,.... ,ras also wooden
,r,ctIre and r was scething mass OF hre e neiC,e
~ ~ rrr, ',nan VAS rescued. The Work OF rescu
vas slow and It was well on lhto ''le
Hefor, the last body was taken out . MORA ,ba ~
rho monetary loss will not amount 10 no ,Vooder,
$4,000 All the buildings des''o'e'
/