The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-07
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Property Bad
Very Seriously Injured.
THE ACCIDENT A MYSTERY
DRUG CLERK LAWYER CARRIED A
CANDLE INTO THE CELLAR.
The Explosion Immediately Followed
Some Doubt About Ii Being
Natural Gas-The Injured.

Whitehead laundry, 542 and 544 Massachu-
setts avenue, yesterday afternoon at AS
o'clock seriously injured four people and
slightly injured several others Those most
seriously injured were:
MRS. ALICE FORD. sOs Bates street.
right leg broken in two places below the
FRANK LAWLER, 1916 Belefontaine
street tvs, severely burned and bruised.
HATTIE RYAN, 127 Hermann street, cut
and bruised about head and body.
CLIFFORD WALTERS. colored. 500
Adelaide street, cut and bruised on legs
and body.
Mrs. Ford and Frank Lawler were TAX
EN- to the City Hospital and the others to
their homes. Lawler was a clerk in
Weiss store. Under the laundry is a large
basement, half of which is used by the
laundry people and the other half, the one
next to Massachusetts avenue. in which
the explosion occurred. is used by Theodore
NJ. Weiss druggist. The two apartments
are separated by brick wall. extending
from the bottom to within about ten inches
of the floor above. Entrance to the base
ments are by separate stairways. AS near
as could be learned LAWYER started down
stairs about AIS o'clock to get some tur-
pentine. AS there were no lights In the
basement he took a lighted candle with
him. He had no sooner entered the base
ment at the foot of the stairway than a
terrific explosion took place. The force
was such as to tear hole in the brick par
tition in the basement, tear out the entire
floor of ore room In the laundry and raise
the floor in another room adjoining, and
also to raise the floor and ceiling above.
Every window in the laundry and drug
store was shattered and the glass broken
into small pieces Several windows on the
opposite side of the avenue were broken.
Large timbers supporting the floors and
walls were broken into splinters. The
greatest force of the explosion seems to
have been in that part of the basement
directly under the floor where those OF
the laundry employees most seriously In
jured were working and near the bottom
of the stairway leading from the drug store.
Several other laundry employees working in
another room were not injured. That cor
ner of the basement was left comparative
ly clear, the other portions being filled with
the debris of the wreck.
Mrs Ford who was most seriously in
jured, was working at a machine directly
over where apparently was the greatest
force. She, together with the machine at
which she was standing. was thrown up
ward, with the floor, to the ceiling, and then
she fell into the basement and was almost
completely covered up with the falling
wreckage. o. w. Brooks drug clerk. was
the only other occupant of the drug store
at the time. He had just stepped on a stool
to wind the clock, which hangs on a pillar
i'm the middle of the store. He heard
LAWYER scream and the next thing he knew
he was out in the street picking himself
up He said he saw a flash. but did Not
seem to know. what it was.
| LAWYER was found under the wreckage
at the bottom OF the stairs with his face.
hands and body frightfully burnt. His
clothing was full of holes and his hair was
burnt off, He was also bruised by flying
timbers. Others of the injured were picked
up from the laundry floor and none seemed
to know just how they had been hurt Ed
ward Stickleman, foreman of the laundry,
| was thrown against the ceiling and was
slightly scratched on the head. Hattie
Ryan, Lottie Everly and Clifford Walters
| were, it is thought. injured by the flying
glass and timbers.
CROWD SOON GATHERED.
A crowd of several hundred people was
| soon gathered, and. with the patrol wagon,
| the City Hospital and City Dispensary am
| balances and the fire department wagons
| the avenue was the scene of intense excite
ment. When the explosion occurred flash
was seen to come from the building. and IL
| was thought the place was fire. There
appears to have been no fire other than the
| one flash caused by the explosion In the
| drug store everything was in confusion
Show cases were broken. bottles broken
and strewn about, and the place presented
an appearance similar to what might be ex-
pected from cyclone. The floors of the
| drug store and the rooms above 1t were moi
much damaged, the stairway giving free
exit to the power below; Several doctors
Thomas who were near did all possible to
relieve the suffering of the injured until
taken home or s9 the al sba
| and last night as 10 the cause Of the acct:
| dent All who pretend to know anything al
| entrance into the basement with the lighted
| candle was the immediate cause, but the
| question to what exploded is somewhat
| in doubt. Some say 1t was gasoline and
| others say it was artificial gas while others
maintain that ii was natural gas. No one
| was found who had before the accident de.
| tected the slightest smell of gas of any
| kind The effect which the force below ex.
| erted upon the laundry floor would indicate
| that there must have been gas of some
/ kind throughout the entire basement. Mr.
| Weiss the druggist, declares there was but
a small quantity of gasoline in can in his
store. and this can was afterwards found
| was claimed, was in the stairway, and was
| afterwards found behind one of the count
| ers, being considerably battered. Only one
| can, it Is claimed. was kept in the laundry
| and this was found intact.
| The building occupied by the laundry anc
| drug store belongs to Mrs Caroline Schwab
living on Massachusetts avenue. 1t Is al
| most a wreck. The walls and floors are
| without support and are leaning. The police
1 took charge of the place last night and N
one was allowed 10 enter. An investigation
/ will be made this morning to ascertain, II
| possible, the exac. cause OF the explosion
/ @f mill ~
| brought up. Though there was some fire
! those interested believe the insurance com
| panes may decline TO pay on their policies
| H. l.. Whitehead, proprietor of the laun
dry estimates his damage TO machinery
| stock etc. at about $780, AS he will b.
| obliged to move. he WILL he claims. suffer
| other losses in expenses and loss of bus
| mess Theodore NJ. Weiss 1.-THE druggist
| roughly estimated his loss last night a
/, In the basement and did not know how badl,
/ they were damaged. The damage to tn
| buildings was placed at S1.5O0.
AT THE CITY HOSPITAL.
At the City Hospital last night Mrs. Ford
whose right leg was amputated below TIT
knee was resting well, as was Frank Law
| Ter. who was burned from head to foot. Th'
physicians think both will recover. Law
| ler's burns are not much more than Skin
deep.
Several little incidents In connection with
| the accident tend to show the terrific forc'
| exerted A well-dressed woman whose Ma m.
| was not learned. was about To entei
the drug store Just as the explosion tool