The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-23
BY EXPLOSION AND
FIRE FOURTEEN DIE
Terrible Disaster Caused by
Bursting Fireworks.
SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS
A Moment and Every Window Seem
ed to Vomit Flames.
AwoMAs ALL A8LAzE lEAPED TO DEATH
Some People Dropped Into Life Nets While
Others Sprung 10 The Ground Receiving
Many Bruises. Several Bodies
Taken From the Debris.
Taken From the Debris.
(By the Associated Press.)


New York, June 21.-Fourteen people
are believed to have been killed and a
number injured today as the result OF
fire following an explosion among a
quantity of fireworks in the store OF
Abraham M Rittenger at Paterson, N.
j. The store was on the ground floor
cause of the explosion is not unknown
and the property loss will not exceed
$35,0OO
The killed are:
MRS. LUCINDA ADAMSON.
MRS. CHARLES WILLIAMS, burned
trying to rescue husband.
CHARLES WILLIAMS, cripple.
HAROLD RITTENBURG, 18-months
old, son of the keeper of the fireworks
store.
HENRY ELSASSER. six weeks old
Those missing and almost certainly
dead are:
!, MRS. BERT BAMBIGR.
CHARLES BAMBER, six months old
child of above
MRS. ANDREW ELVIN, was in the
house and has not been seen since the
explosion
MRS. ELSASSER.
JOSEPH ELVIN, two weeks old
child of Mrs. Andrew Elvin.
MRS. ------ BURNS, not seen since
explosion and known to have been in
the house
CLARENCE BURNS, 6-years old
son Of Mrs. Anne Fenteman, not seen
since explosion and known to have been
in the house.
MRS. LANNIGAN, seen to enter
apartments a few minutes before ex-
plosion
Two nephews of Mrs Lannigan were
with her when she entered her rooms
Their names could not be ascertained
The injured are
j. JESUP, bruised about the head
and body and burned about head.
MRS. j. JESCP, bruised and burned
about body.
i. BAMBER. head and face burned
GEORGE SOBER, head severely cut
NICHOLAS HILLMAN, cut on head
FIREMAN EDWARD SLINGMAN
injured by falling wall.
MIR. and MRS. HOLM M'GLEONE
burned about face and bodies.
A number of people received minor
injuries, but went to their homes.
The explosion occurred shortly after
noon and many of the occupants of the
building were out at dinner. The
building was frame tenement, four
stories high. The middle store was oc-
cupied by Rittenburg. Ten families oc-
Tod 0af 20 in hl1i1
So great was the force of the explos-
ion that boy playing in the street hall
a block away was lifted from his feet
and hurled against an iron fence. One
of his legs was broken.
A trolley car was directly in front o
the building when the explosion occurred
The burst of flame thrown out into the
street scorchcd the sides OF the car anC
singed the hair of the passengers.
number Of these who we're on the
upper floors of the building vths IN the ex-
plosion took place were either stunned
and then burned to death, or found cs
cape cut off and were suffoeated Aftei
the first explosion there was a series o.
smaller ones. and then came second bis
explosion which was mufncd and dead.
ened and probably occurred in the eel.
lar.
Every window seemed to be emitting
flame within minute after the explo
sion. A woman. her clothing on tire
eaped out one of the windows and fel
0 the yard below. Her dead body was
dragged out of reach of the flames. but
the flesh was roasted and dropping from
the bones. She later proved to be Mrs
Williams. Mrs. Williams husband wa.
cripple. He was found burned to 6
crisp on his bed.
Some of the occupants of the room;
dropped from the windows and were
bruised: others hung from the windows
until the firenen came and twenty per
sons were taken down in this way through
the fire and smoke by the firemen while
others dropped into life nets. DAME
Cooley who was in the yard when the ex
plosion teok place, saw the two Ritten
burg children in the rear room ant
rushed into the flames for them. He go
one of them and carried it out and triec
to go back for the other, but the room
was then one mass of fire and he was too