Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-22
TIE DEAD ARE:

=
son of the keeper of the fire works
store.
Henry Elsnsser, six weeks old.
tainiy dead are;
Mrs. Bert Bember.
Charles Bamber, six months old
child of above.
Mrs. Andrew Elvin was in the
Mrs. Mary Elsnsser.
Joseph EIvin, two weeks old,
child of Mrs. Andrew EIvin.
Mrs. Burns, not seen since explo-
sion and known to have been in the
house.
Clarence Burns, six years old, son
of cbove.
Mrs. Ann Fenteman, not seen
since explosion and. known to have
been in house.
Mrs. Annie Lannigan, seen to en-
ter her apartments a few minutes
before explosion.
Two nephews of Mrs. Lannigan
were with her when she entered
her rooms. Their names not yet
nsccrtaincd.
The injured:
Mr.. j. Jessup, bruised about the head
and body and burned about head.
Mrs. J. Jessup, bruised and burned
about body
l Bamber, head and face burned.
George Solder, head severely cut.
Nicholas Hillman, cut on head
Fireman Edward Singland, injured by
falling wall.
Mr.. and Mrs. John McGleen, burned
about faces and bodies
"A number of people received miner
injuries, but went to their homes.
The explosion occurred shortly after
noon and many of the occupants of the
building were at dinner. The building
in which the explosion occurred was
frame tenement, four stories high, with
stores on the ground floor. The middle
store was occupied by Rittenburg. Ten
families occupied flats in the building.
So great was the force of the eS-
rlosion that boy playing in the street
half 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 of the build-
ing when the explosion occurred. The
burst of fame blown out into the street
scorched the sides of the car and singed
the hair of the passengers.
A 81 bo Ia
upper floors of the building when the
explosion took place, were either stun
ned and then burned to death, or found
escape cut off and were suffcated After
thc first explosion there were series Of
smaller ones and then came a second big
explosion which was muffled and dead
ened and probably occurred in the eel
la. Every window seemed to be emit
ting fame within minute after The
first explosion. A woman, her clothing
on fire. leaped out of one of the Win
dows and fell to the yard below. Her
dead body was dragged out of reach IF
the flames, but the flesh was roasted and
dropped from the bones. She later prov,
ed to be Mra Williams
Mrs Williams husband was a cripple.
His wife is supposed to have remained
longer than she could with safety in an
effort to save him. He was found
burned to crisp on the bed
Sorae of the occupants of the rooms
dropped from the windows and were
bruised, others hung from the windows
until iremen came, and twenty persons
were taken down in this way through
the fire and smoke by the firemen
while Others dropped into life nets.
Daniel Dooley, who was in the yard
when the explosion took place, saw the
.wo Rittenburg children in the rear
room and rushed into the flames for
them. He got one OF them and carried
il out and tried to go back for the 9TH
ar, but the room was then one mass of
fire and he was too late. He was badly
scorced in rescuing the first child.
While the rescues was going on the
fremen were fighting the flames. Cap
tain Allen led with hose line in an
effort to keep the fire from the upper
floors, where it was said many were
penned in. The men had hardly taken
their positions and begun on the side
walk to throw water into the upper
floors when without any warning, the
while upper part Of the building above
them sagged outward and fell. The
capatiu md two of bis men were buried
undsr fAe blazing debris. one d TIC