The Portland daily press., 1898-09-12
GASOLINE CAN EX PLODES
UNDER TENEMENT.
Accident Occurred In Grocery Store
il Philadelphia.
FORTY GALLONS OF THE LIQUID
EXPLODED.

Impossible to Tell How Accident Oc
curred-Explosion Came at Supper
Time and 1t Is Feared Dozen Lives
Collapsed.
Philadelphia, Septem ber l1.-By the ex-
pIosion of 40 gallons of gasoline in the
cellar of a grocery store at 14t0 South
street, tonight, surely four, and possibly
dozen more lives were lost. As an
immediate consequence of the explosion,
the building where it occurred and those
adjoining it on either side, collapsed and
up to IL o. block, five hours after the
occurrences, four bodies had been recovered
from the ruins and three of these identi-
fed as follows:
Samuel Schattenstein, keeper of the
grocery store.
His 19-year-old son, Abraham.
A 1O-months old child named Goldberg
The fourth body was that of a girl
about 10 years old.
How the explosion occurred is yet un-
known. The front Of 1440 was immediate
ly blown out and this was followed by the
collapse Of that structure and number
144a, occupied by Morris Goldberg's fur
niture store, and 1446, Louis Sallonses's g
shoe store
81 ind HxyT r.
Wanger's clothing store, was blown out.
All the buildings were of brick, three
tories in height. In the confusion and
excitement following the disaster, it is
as yet impossible to secure anything like
an accurate census of the occupants, but
it is generally stated that the upper floors
were crowded with families, huddled to-
~ether in tenement fashion.
Coming as it did at the supper hour, it
is feared the loss Of lifs was heavy. The
list of injured will be long. They were
taken to all the hospitals within the radi-
us of mile. After the recovery Of the
four bodies, the authorities decided to
POSTPONE the search for additional victims
until tomorrow morning, thus o5viating
the dangers and delays Of working upon
the mass of debris and wreckage in the
darkness. fgs
The corpses of Sohattenstein and his
son were picked up on the steps Of No.
1444 The unidentified ten-year-old girl
was found pinched by mass of tlmbers
in the rear Of the same building and the
IL laI 10 10
the hospital.
The ten-months old child was Gold
berg, son of the furniture store keeper.
Estimates of the number of missing
vary from 1s to six.
The accepted theory of the accident is
with lighted lamp which ignited 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 the falling walls. The col
lapse of the buildings occurred within
two minutes of the explosion and the &C.
oupants had little time or chance to es-
cape.
Mrs. Goldberg snatched up her ten.
months old child in her arms and rushed
for an exit. but the child was SO badly
injured that it died swhiAs being borne to
"a hospital Strangely enough the mother
escaped with only trit1ing injuries. At
6. 45 O'Clock tonight, a sergeant Of police
was talking with one of his men on the
opposite side Of the street when, without
moments warning there was q terrific
explosion which before they could turn
their heads, was followed by thunderous
crash Mingled with this were cries OF
human beings. Without loss Of time, one
of the policemen struck the alarm box
near by while another rang for ambu-
lances. The engines and six of the hos
utes and large force of policemen also
appeared on tho scene. The work of
rescue was begun forthwith, but was
temporarily abandoned later when twi-
light had deepened into night. All of the
dead and injured were in the buildings
at the time of the disaster and as the
walls collapsed almost in o perpendiculaz
direction no paesers.by were injured by
flying debris. The forces of the explosion
was SO great, however, that all the win
dows in rhs house across the street were
broken by the concussion.
The search fer more dead will be. re-
sumedsat day break. None of the injured
is expected to die.