The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-12
KILLED IN AN EXPLOSION
1t Resulted in the Loss of a
Dozen Lives.
THE BUILDING COLLAPSED
The List of Injured VIII Be a Long One.
Forty Gallons of Gasoline Did
the Work-The Cause
Is Unknown.


sion of 40 gallons of gasoline in the eel
lar of a grocery store at li44 South
street tonight, four and possibly a
dozen lives were lost. AS an immedi-
ate consequence of the explosion the
building where II occurred and those
adjoining 1t on either side collapsed,
and up to 10 o'clock, four hours after
the occurrence, four bodies have been
recovered from the ruins and three of
these Identified as follows:
Samuel Schattenstein, keeper of the
grocery store, his 10-year-old son.
Abraham; a lO-month-old child named
Goldberg: the fourth body was that Of
a girl about 10 years of age.
How the explosion occurred is yet
unknown. The front of No. 1444 was
Immediately blown out. and this was
followed by the collapse of that struc-
ture and No. 1442, occupied by Morris
Goldberg's furniture store, and No. 1446,
Louis Sallinose's shoe store. The west
wall of No. 1440. occupied by l.. Wag-
ner's clothing store. was blown out. In
the confusion and excitement following
the disaster il Is as yet impossible 10
secure anything like an accurate CEN
sus of the occupants, but IL is generally
stated that the upper stories were
crowded with families, huddled to-
Belnef III tenement ldsillpH.
Coming as IL did at the supper hour.
it is feared that the loss of life will be
heavy. The list of injured will be long.
They were taken TO all the hospitals
within radius of mile.
After the recovery of the four bodies
the authorities decided to postpone the
search for additional victims until to-
morrow morning. thus obviating the
dangers and delays Of working upon
the mass pf dabriS and Xraplaya In tho
darkness.
The corpses of Scattenstein and his
son were picked up on the steps of No.
1444. The unidentified 10-year-old girl
was found pinioned by a mass of tim
bers in the rear of the same building,
and the Goldberg child died while being
taken to a hospital.
The injured at the Howard hospital
are: l.. Schattenstein, aged u. broken
nose and laceration of scalp; Alexander
Schattenstein, aged s. lacerated scalp.
condition serious; Mary Healey. aged
60, fractured leg; Annie McPhilomy. 40
years, confusion of ankle: Harry
Rothmel, IL years. lacerated scalp;
Maggie Goldberg. IL years. lacerated
scalp; Sarah Goldbero IA years. lacer-
ated scalp and confusion of ankle. At
the Jefferson hospital are A. +. Fish,
80 years, fireman of truck ID. lacerated
scalp, and Yetta Goldberg, wears, con-
fusion Of leg and back and lacerated
wound of scalp. At the Polytechnic is
Rose Schattenstein, years. lacerated
finpers
The 1O-months-old child was Max
Goldberg, son of the furniture store
keeper. Estimate of the number miss
ing vary from IS to six.
The accepted theory Of the accident
Is that Shatzenstein went into the cellar
with a lighted lamp, which ignited the
fumes Of the gasoline From the posi-
tion Of his body and that Of his son on
the front steps. 1t is thought they were
from the house when caught
by the falling walls. The collapse OF
the buildings occurred within two min
utes 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
II died while being borne to a hospital.
Strangely enough, the mother escaped
with only trifiing 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
"a terrific explosion. which almost before
they could turn their heads. was follow
ed by a thunderous crush. Mingled
with this was cries OF human beings.
without loss OF time. one OF the police
men struck the fire alarm at box near
by, while the other ran for ambulances.
The engines and six Of the hospital wag-
ons were there within 20 minutes and a
large force Of policemen also summoned
10 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
into night. All the dead and injured
were i'm the buildings at the time of
the disaster and as the walls collapsed
almost in a perpendicular direction. no
passersby were injured by the debris.
The force Of the explosion was so
great, however. that all the windows in
the house across the streets were brok-
en- by the conclusion. The search for
more dead will be resumed at daybreak.
None Of the injured are expected to die.