The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-22
Fireworks Stock Blew Up, Wreck.
ing Tenement Occupied by
Ten Families.
BUILDING DESTROYED BY FIRE.
Many Occupants Of the Apart
ments Missing and Several Bod
les Found Burned Beyond
Recognition.

New York. June 2l.-Fourteen persons arr
believed to have been killed and number
injured to-day as the result of fire fol
| lowing an explosion among quantity oi
fireworks I'm the store Of Abraham NJ. Fit
tenberg. at Paterson. n. J. The store Wa:
on the ground floor Of a tenement building
The cause Of the explosion is not known
anu the property loss will not exceed So go
Ihe Killed Were:
MRS LUCINDA ADAMSON.
Mis- CHAS. WILLIAMS. burned while
trylng 10 save her husband.
CHARLES WILLIAMS. a cripple.
HAROLD RITTENBERG. IS months old
son OF the proprietor Of the fireworks store.
HENRY EI.SER. baby.
The Missing.
Ihosc missing are:
Mrs. Robert Bamberger.
-, MirieS Varies BaInberger. months old. child
Mrs. Andrew EIvin was in the house and
mas not been seen since the explosion.
Mrs. Mary Eisazer.
Joseph Eivin. baby OF Mrs. Andrew Elvin.
Mrs. Burns. not seen since the explosion
ana known to have been In the house.
olarence Burns. years old. son Of Mrs.
Mrs. Ann Fentemann. not seen since the
house.
Mrs. Annie flanagan. seen to enter her
apartments "A few minutes before explosion
TWO nephews OF Mrs. Iannigan were with
80 "H'h sir TppHs-
names are no. yet ascertained.
The injured.
The injured are:
J. Jessup. bruised about the head and
sup, bruised and burned about body.
1. Bamberger: head and face burned.
George Soler. head severely cut.
Nicholas Hiilman. cut ON head.
Fireman Edward S. Iinglaid. injured by
falling wall.
Mr.. and Mrs John McGlone. burned about
face and body.
Several persons received minor injuries.
but went to their homes.
Ten Families I'm Danger.
The building in which the explosion oc-
CURED was a frame tenement. four stories
high. with stores on the ground floor. The
middle store was occupied by Rittenberg.
Ten families occupied flats In the building.
So great was the force of the explosion
mat boy. playing In the street half a
block away. was lifted from his feet and
hurried against an iron fence. One Of his
A trolley car was directly in front of the
building when the explosion occurred. Tho
burst Of fame blown out into the street
the hair of the passengers.
series of Explosions.
A number of those who were on the upper
noors OF the building when the explosion
took place were either stunned and then
burned to death or found escape cut on
and were suffocated. After the first explo-
sion there was succession OF smaller ones.
and then came a second big explosion.
which was muffled and deadened and prob
ably occurred in the cellar.
Every window seemed 10 be emitting fame
within a minute after the first explosion.
A woman. her clothing on fire. leaped out
OF one OF the windows and fell to the yard
reach Of the flames. but the flesh roasted
and dropped from the bones. She later
proved to be Mrs. Williams.
Mrs. Wiluams's husband was a cripple.
His wife is supposed TO have remained long
er than she could with safety In an effort
to- to save him He was found burned to
Some OF the occupants OF the rooms
dropped from the windows ard were
bruised: Others hung from the windows
sons were taken down in this way through
the fire and smoke by the firemen. while
others dropped into life nets.
Tried to Save Children.
Daniel Dooley. who was in the yard
when the explosion took place. saw the two
Rittepberg children In the rear room and
rushed into the flames for them. He got
)ne of them and carried II out and tried to
go back for the other. but the room was
hen one mass Of fire and he was too late
lie was badly scorched in rescuing the
Firemen Injured.
While these rescues were going on the fire.
men were fighting the flames. Captain Al
EN- led with hose line In an effort to keep
he fire from the upper floors. where, il was |
said, many were pinned In The men had
hardly taken their positions and begun on
.he sidewalk to throw water into the upper
ioors when. without any warning. the
whole upper part Of the building above |,
he m sagged outward and fell. The captain |
md two OF his men were buried under the |
blazing debris. One Of the men Is badly |
lurt. The building in which the explosion |!
was destroyed
Rittenbers will probably be arrested pend /
ng an Investigation. In the debris was found |
he head Of a man or a woman. The hair /
> burned of and the features unrecognaza-
le The remainder of the body has not been /
Oarrd Tha hnd. foP n "a
lmost unrecoen:zable and are burned and 4
orn nv the fire and the collapsa of the