The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-09-12
AN AWFUL EXPLOSION.
It Results in the Wreck of Three
Philadelphia Buildings.
PROBABLY A DOZEN KILLED.

After the Recovery of Four Bodies the
Search was Suspended Temporarily.
The Disaster Was Caused by an Ex-
ploslon of Gasoline.
Philadelphia, Sept. 12.-By the explo-
sion of 40 gallons of gasoline In the
cellar of a grocery store at l444 South
street last night surely four and posi-
bly, dozen more lives were lost AS
an immediate consequence of the ex-
plosion the building where 1t occurred
and those adjoining 1t on either side
collapsed. -Four bodies have thus far
been recovered from the ruins, and
three of these identified, as follows:
Samuel Schattenstein, keeper of the
grocery store; his 19-year-old son, ABB
raham; a 10-months-old child named
Goldberg. The fourth body was that
of a girl about 10 years old.
How the explosion occurred is yet
unknown. The front of 14i4 was i'm
mediately blown out. and this was fol-
lowed by the collapse of that structure
and Nos. 1872 occupied by Morris Gold
berg's furniture store, and 1446, Louis
Sallonose's shoe store. The west wall
Of 1ii0 occupied by l.. Wangers s cloth
Ing store, was also blown out. All the
buildings were of brick, three stories
in height
In the confusion and excitement fol-
lowing the disaster it is as yet impos-
sible to secure anything like an accu-
rate census of the occupants, but II Is
generally stated that the upper floors
were crowded with families, huddled
together In tenement fashion. Coming
as 1T did at the supper hour, 1t Is feared
the loss of life was heavy. The list of
injured will be long. They were taken
to all the hospitals within a radius of
a mile.
After the recovery of the four bodies
the authorities decided to postpone the
| search for additional victims until to-
day, thus obviatlng the dangers and
delays of working upon the mass of
debris and wreckage in the darkness.
| The corpses of Schattenstein and his
son were picked up on the steps of
No. 1444. The unidentified 1O-year-old
girl was found pinioned by a mass of
timbers in the rear of the same build
ing and the Goldberg child died while
being taken to a hospital.
The injured at the Howard hospital
Alexander Schattenstein, aged years,
broken nose and laceration of scalp:
lacerated scalp, condition serious;
Mary Healy aged 65 years, fractured
leg; Annie McPhllomy 40 years, en-
fusion of ankle; Harry Rothermel, II
years, lacerated scalp; Maggie Gold
berg, 80 years. lacerated scalp; Sarah
Goldberg, IA years, lacerated scalp
and confused ankle.
At the Jefferson hospital are A. f.
Fish, 80 years, a fireman, lacerated
wound of scalp, and Yetta Goldberg, 0
years, confusion of leg and back and
lacerated wound of scalp.
Estimates of the number of missing
vary from six to IS.
The accepted theory of the accident IL
that Schattenstein went into the cellar
with lighted lamp, which ignited the
| fumes of the gasoline. From the po-
sition 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 collapse OF the buildings occurred
within two minutes of the explosion,
and the occupants had little time or
| chance to escape. Mrs. Goldberg
snatched up her 1O-months-old child in
her arms and rushed for an exit but
the child was so badly injured that 1t
| died while being borne to a hospital.
Strangely enough, the mother escaped
with only trifling Injuries.
| At 6:45 o'clock last night a sergeant
of police was talking to one of his men
on the opposite side of the street when,
without a moments warning, there was
a terrific explosion, which. almost be-
fore they could turn their heads, was
followed by a thunderous crash Min
gled with this were the cries of human
beings. Without loss of time one of
| the policemen struck the fire alarm at
a box near by, while the other rang for
ambulances The engines and six of
the hospital wagons were there within
| 20 minutes, and a large force of po-
licemen, also summoned to the scene,
had the street roped off from corner to
corner.
The work of rescue was begun forth
with 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 dis
aster, and, as the walls collapsed al
most OF a perpendicular direction, no
passersby were injured by flying de-
1 bris.
The force of the explosion was so
| great, however. that all the windows
In the houses across the street were
broken by the concussion.