The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-12
KILLED BY EXPLOSION
Possibly a Dozen Lives Lost at
Philadelphia.
BUILDINGS COLLAPSED
GALLONS OF KEROSENE.
Four Bodies Have Been Recovered
and There Are Many More In the
Ruins-Man Took Lighted Lamp
Into Cellar Where Gasoline Was
Stored.

Philadelphia. Sept. 1l-By the explosion
of 10 gallons of gasoline in the cellar of
Il grocery store at 14i4 South street to-
night, four and possibly dozen lives
were lost.
As an immediate consequence of the ex-
plosion, the building where il occurred and
those adjoining it on either side collapsed,
and I'D to 10 o'clock four hours after the
occurrence four bodies have been recov-
cred from the ruins and three of these
Unidentified as follows: Samuel Schatten-
stein, keeper of the grocery store; his 10
year-old son, Abraham; a 1O-mOnthS -old
child named Goldberg. The fourth body
was that of girl about ~ years of age
how the explosion occurred is yet I'M
known. The front OF NO; l444 was IN
mediately blown out. and this was follow
ed by the collapse of that structure ana
Nos. 1442, occupied by Morris Goldberg 5
furniture store. and No. LAG, Louis Salii-
occupied by L. Wagner's clothing store
was blown out. In the confusion and e2-
element following the disaster. II is as
yet impossible to secure anything ike an
accurate census of the occupants, but II
is generally stated that the upper stories
were crowded with families, hucdled to-
gether in tenement fashion.
Coming as ii did at the supper hour, II
is feared that the loss of life VIII be
heavy. The list of injured will be long.
They were taken to all the hospitals with
l a
After the recovery of the four bodies.
the authorities decided to POSTPONE the
search for additional victims until tomor-
row morning, thus obviating the dangers
and delays OF working upon the mass or
debris and wreckage in the darkness.
The corpses of Schattenstein and his
son were picked up on the steps OF NO.
1874 The unidentified 10-year-old girl was
found pinioned by n mass OF timbers in
the rear of the same building. and the
Goldberg child died while being taken TO
a hospital.
Estimates of the number OF missing
vary from IS to six
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
The accepted theory of the accident is
that Schatterstein went into the cellar
with a lighted lamp, which ignlted the
fumes of the gasoline From the position
of his body and that of his son on the
front steps, it is thought they were
emerging from the house when caught by
falling walls The collapse OF the pulid-
ing occurred within two minutes OF the
explosion, and the occupants had little
time or chance to escape. Mrs. Goldberg
snatched up her 10-months -old child IN
her arms and rushed for an exit, but the
child was so badly injured that 1t died
while being borne 10 hospital strangely
enough. the mother escaped with only
trifing injuries
Al 6:I5 tonight a sergeant of police was
talking with one of his men on the oppo-
site side of the street. when, without a
moment warning, there was terrlnc
explosion. which. almost before they could
turn their heads. was followed by thun-
derous crash. Mingled with this were the
cries of human beings. Without loss OF
time one of the policemen struck the hre
alarm at box near by, while the other
rang for ambglanceS. The engines and
six of the hospital wagons were there
within 20 minutes, and a large force or
policemen. also summoned TO the scene,
had the streets roped off from corner to
corner.
The work of rescue was begun forth
with but was temporarily abandoned
later, when the twilight had deepened in
to night All the dead and injured were
in the buildings at the time of the diSas-
ter, and as the walls collapsed almost IN
a perpendicular direction. no passers-by
were injured by flying debris. The force
of the explosion was so great. however,
that all the windows in the houses across
the street were broken by the conclusion.
The search for more dead will be resumed
at daybreak.
None of the injured are expected to de-