The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-12
DISASTROUS EXPLOSION
AT LEAST -FOUR LIVES LOST AND
MANY PEOPLE INJURED.
Death List May Reach Twe1ve-GasO-
line Ignited by Lamp and Three
Buildings Destroyed.

PHILADELPHIA. Sept. 11.-By the ex-
piosion of forty gallons of gasoline in the
cellar of a grocery store at No. 14A South
street tonight surely four, and possibly
dozen more, lives were lost. AS an immedi-
ate consequence of the explosion the build
ing where it occurred and those adjoining
it on either side collapsed. and up to ID
o'clock. four hours after the occurrence,
four bodies had been recovered from the
ruins, and three OF these identified, as fol-
lows:
SAMUEL SCHATTENsTEIN. keeper of
the grocery store.
ABRAHAM SCHATTENSTEIN, nineteen
years old, son OF the above
A ten months old child named Goldberg.
The fourth body was that of a girl about
ten years old.
How the explosion occurred is yet un-
known. The front of No. 1874 was immedi-
ately blown out and this was followed by
the collapse of that structure and Nos. 1442,
occupied by Morris Goldberg's furniture
store. and 1446. Louis Sallonoses shoe store.
The west wall of No 144O, occupied by l..
Wanger's clothing store, was blown out.
All the buildings were of brick, three sto-.
ries in height In the confusion and excite
ment following the disaster it is as yet i'm
possible to secure anything like an accu-
rate census of the occupants, but it is gem
orally stated that the upper floors were
crowded with families. huddled together in
tenement fashion.
Coming as it did at the supper hour, it is
feared the loss of life will be heavy. whe
list of injured will be long. They were
taken to all the hospitals within radius of
a mile. After the recovery of -FOUR bodies.
the authorities decided to postpone the
search for additional victims until to-mor-
row morning. thus obviating the dangers
and delays OF working on the mass OF debris
and wreckage in the darkness.
The corpses of Schattenstein and His son
We're picked up on the steps of No. 1444
The unidentified ten-year-old girl was
found pinioned by a mass of timbers In the
rear of the same building. and the Goldberg
child died lie being taken 10 hospital.
The injured at the Howard Hospital are:
l.. Schattenstein, aged twelve. broken nose
Schattenstein, aged six, lacerated scalp,
condition serious; Mary Healey, aged sixty
years. confusion of ankle; Harry Rothermel.
twelve years, lacerated scalp; Maggie Gold
berg. thirty-two years. lacerated scalp;
Sarah Goldberg, fourteen years, lacerated
scalp and confused ankle
At the Jefferson Hospital are: A. +. Fish,
thirty-nine years, fireman of Truck ID,
y
nine years, confusion of leg and back and
lacerated wound of scalp.
At the Polytechnic is Rose Schattenstein,
eight years, lacerated finger. The ten
nlonIhs-old child was Max Goldberg son of
the furniture stOTekeeper.
Estimates of the number of missing vary
from eighteen TO six. The accepted theory
OF the accident is that Schattenstein went
into the cellar 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 1t Is thought they were
emerging from the house when caught by
the falling walls. The collapse of the build
ingS occurred within two minutes of the ex-
plosion. and the occupants had little tim
up her ten months old child in her arms
and rushed for an exit, but the child was ss
badly injured that it died while being borne
to hospital Strangely enough, the mother
escaped with only trifling injuries.
AT 6:45 o'clock tonight sergeant of no.
lice 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 followed by a thun-
derous crash. Mingled with this We're the
time one policeman struck the nre alarm
at the box near by. while the other rang
for ambuianceS. The engines and six of the
hospital wagons were there within twenty
minutes, and a large force of policemen
also summoned to the scene had the streets
roped on from corner to corner. The work
OF rescue was begun forthwith. but was
temporarily abandoned later when twilight
had deepened into night. All of the dead
and injured were in the buildings at the
time of the disaster, and as the walls coll
iapsea almost IN 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 con-
cussion The search for more dead will be
resumed at dayhreak. None of the injured
are expected TO die.