Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-22
DEATH CLAIMS MANY
Fourteen Burned, Suffocated and
Otherwise Killed in a
New York Fire.
PEOPLE JUMP FROM THE WINDOWS
Cyclone in Nebraska Kills by Whole
Families-Tcrrible Effects of a
Dynamite Explosion.

Paterson, N. j., June % Search
ers today have taken Is bodies from
the ruins of the building destroyed by
fire yesterday after the explosion in
the Rittenbergs store. The 6remen
today found a quantity of dynamite Q
torpedoes in the cellar. The explo-
sion is believed to have resulted from
bursting torpedo of this kind.
New York. June 22-Fourteen peo-
pie are believed 10 have been killed
and a number injured yesterday as the
result of a fire following an explosion
among a quantity of fireworks in the
store of Abraham NJ. Rittenberg, at
Paterson, y. j. The store was on the
ground floor of a tenement building.
The cause of the explosion is not
known, and the property loss will not
exceed $4,000.
List of Dead, Missing and Wounded.
The dead are: Mrs. Lucinda Adam
son, Mrs. Charles Williams burned
trying to save her husbandD. Charles
William ta cripplel, Harold Rittenberg
us months old and Henry ElsasSer
tbaby). Those missing and almost GER
tainly dead are: Mrs. Bert Bamberg.
Charles Bamberg % months child of
foregoing). Mrs. Andrew Elviu. Mrs.
Mary ElsaSSer. Joseph Elvin (baby OF
Mrs. Andrew Elvin), Mrs. - Burns,
Clarence Burns (6-year-old son of fore
COingl. Mrs. Ann Fentemann and Mrs.
Annie Lannigan.
The injured are: Mr.. !. JeSsup,
bruised and burned: Mrs. ]. JesSup,
bruised and burned: /. hamburger,
head and face burned: George SOder.
head severely cut; Nicholas Hillman,
cut on head: Fireman Edward y Ling
land. injured by falling wall: Mr.. and
Mrs. John McGIone. burned about face
and body. \ number of people re-
ceived minor injuries. but went to
their homes.
Building Just Shifted Grim Death.
The explosion occurred shortly after
noon and many of the occupants of
the building We're out at dinner. The
building in which the explosion oc-
CURED was Il frame tenement. four
stories high. with stores on the ground
floor. The middle store was occupied
by Rittenberg. Ten families occupied
fats in the building. So great was the
force of the explosion that boy play
ing in the street half n block away
was lifted from his feet. hurled against
an iron fence and one of his legs
broken \ trolley ear was directly in
front of the building when the eX-
plosiOn occurred. The burst of flame
blown out into the street Scorchcd the
sides of the car and singed the hair of
the passengers.
Fire spread Like Lightning
A number of those who were on the
upper floors of the building when the
explosion took place were either
stunned and then burned to death or
found escape cut off and were suffo-
Gated. Every window seemed to be
emitting fame within n minute after
the first explosion. Mrs. Williams. her
clothing on fire. leapcd out of one of
the windows and fell to the yard be-
low. Her dead body was dragged out
of reach of the flames. but the flesh
was roasted and dropped from the
bones. Her husband was n cripple,
and she probably remained longer than
II was safe in an effort to save him.
He was found burned to n crisp on his
bed. Some of the occupants of the
rooms dropped from the windows and
We're bruised. Others hung from the
windows until the firemen came.