The record-union., 1897-09-05
A HOLOCAUST
IN INDIANA.
Terrible Disaster Occurs in a Su-
hurb of indianapolis.
Caused by an Explosion Of Natural Gas in
Drug Store.
Six Buildings, Occupying a Block
of the Town. in Ruins-Six Peo-
pie Perish in the Flames and
Thirty Others Very Seriously
Injured.

INDIANAPOLIS. Sept 4. - Broad
Ripple a suburb of Indianapolis, ten
miles from the city proper, was this
morning the scene of one of the most
terrible disasters that has ever visited
this State. Six persons were burned to
death, and thirty people are lying in
the homes of neighbors 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 blackened bones, with hanging
strips of foul smelling flesh remain.
Two of the dead are still unidentified,
there being no way of Identifying them
except by listing those who are miss
ing.
At 10 O'Clock a foul odor was no
ticed in the drug store of J. NJ. Watts,
and a lamp in a dark room used for
amateur photograph went out 1t
was lighted, and as the burning match
was thrown to the floor streaks Of
flame Of a blush tint ran along the
joint between the boards, showing the
presence of the escape of natural gas,
and then up the walls. The next in
stant The explosion came. The walls
were hurled in every direction, and the
top of the building fell with CRUNCH
ing, grinding sound. covering every
thing. Fire broke out, and shrieks
could be heard from those buried be-
meath OF the seven persons in the
store three were burned alive. The rest
are stiIl alive, and may recover.
A hundred persons were at work on
the ruins trying to save Greschek's gro
cery. adjoining, pulling at the ruins to
save those buried beneath. While thus
engaged and twenty minutes after the
first explosion, a second came from
beneath the grocery. 1t was a mighty
roar and hurled the building to atoms.
Forty people were knocked senSeless,
We're strewn in all directions with
broken bones and burned bodies, While
as many more escaped with small
bruises. The shock made the whole
town quiver.
Beneath the ruins Plus Greschek, the
groceryman, was caught and crushed
10 death. His body was recovered be-
fore 1t was entirely burned. The ruins
were added to those of the building ad-
joining, demolished by the first ex-
plosiOn, and the whole mass, together
with an adjoining frame cottage and
a livery stable, was burned to ashes,
only the bucket brigade being on hand
in cirne to do any good. and probably
only prolonged the agony of the VIC
Tins VINO were burned.
The disaster was caused by natural
gas leaking into the cellars of the build
ings from a three inch main that ran
into the stand from which the houses
We're supplied.
The list of dead and injured are as
follows:
Dead-Charles Yount, Indianapolis;
Jacob Darling, painter, Broad Ripple;
Plus Greschek, grocery man, Broad
Ripple Henry Ernst, laborer, Broad
Ripple; two unidentified dead, one sup
posed to be John Carter. laborer.
Seriously injured-Edgar Watts, bad
~ burned about the hands. face and
body Edward Morris, shoulder diso-
Gated, seriously burned; Joseph Wam-
baugh badly cut above the eye burned
and cut by glass: Orville Heaedy, left
knee fractured and leg broken in two
places below knee, will recover; Charles
Jones, cut in face and all over body by
flying glass, will recover; ]. B. Watts,
extent Cf injuries not known; Thomas
Jones, had cut on face and bruises on
body; Samuel Kelso, shot a number
of times by exploding shotgun shells,
condition serious; Thomas E. Mitchell
left leg broken; Jacob Cruz, 81 years of
age, caught under piece of flying tim
ber, supposed to be internally injured:
Harvey Duga, shoulder pierced by
fragment of wood, face cut, serious:
John Doaks. back injured seriously. All
the above named injured residents of
Broad Ripple Glare Whitaker. Oak
Norville. Indianapolis, fingers torn off
and arm cut.
1t is supposed that natural gas had
accumulated in the Watts cellar, and
that some one went to the dark room
with light A dreadful explosion fol-
lowed 1t shattered the building and
injured all the occupants. Every house
in the suburb was shaken. and farmers
two miles north of Broad Ripple felt
the concussion and hurried to the scene.
The building was a twe-story white
frame, and caught fire from the explo-
sion. People ran from their homes and
the hand fire apparatus was hurried TO
the burning building. There was no
water supply at hand. and the hose was
laid in the direction of White River.
But the hose would not reach to the
stream ana Il ldTSe CIONu u PEI SolAS
stood helpless as they watched the
building burn. Women ran in the street
crying and wringing their hands.
The men who went to the rescue
found a fierce fight, as we'll as heavy
debris in their course. Their hands
were burned and they almost suffo-
Gated from the heat, but they worked
heroicGlly to remove the timbers and
debris. under which they knew their
neighbcrs were buried.
The Odd Fellows building was also
a wooden structure. and it was a seeth-
ing mass of fire before the first man
was rescued. The work of rescue was
slow, ard it was we'll on into the after
noon before the last body was taken
out.
The money loss viii likely not amount
TO more than $1,000. All of the build
ings destroyed were wooden ones.
Clay Evans III.