Evening star., 1901-06-22
THIRTEEN BODIES FOUND
VICTIMS OF THE EXPLOSION IN PAT
ERsON, n. j.
Awful Holocaust Followed the Burst
ing Of the FfrewSrkx-TerrfbI
Scenes Witnessed.

PATERSON, NJ J., June 22--Gangs of
men worked all night and today searching
for bodies in the ruins of the building in
Main street which was destroyed by fire
yesterday after an explosion OF fireworks
in the store of A. M. Rittenburg. Up to II
am. today thirteen bodies and the head of
another had been taken from the ruins.
The bodies recovered today are those of
Mrs. Annie Lannigan, Mrs. Annie Fente-
man and JOS Elvin two months old. whose
mothers head was found last evening.
The store was on the ground floor Of a
tenement building. The cause Of the ex-
plosion is not known, and the property loss
will not exceed $4,000.
The bodies of L. Schuiman of Brooklyn,
N. Y, and Mrs. Simon, the mother-in-law
of Rittenberg, were found later In the day.
This makes the known fatalities sixteen.
The firemen while digging in the ruins
of the cellar beneath Rtttenbergs store
found a quantity of dynamite torpedoes.
and the police and fire officials are of the
opinion that the explosion and fire resulted
from the bursting of torpedo OF this
kind
Following is a list of the victims whose
bodies were recovered last night: Mrs.
Lucinda Adamson; Mrs. Charles Williams,
burned while trying to. rescue husband; !;
Charles Williams, helpless cripple unable
to leave bed; Harold Rittenburg. ten
works store; Willie Elsasser. six weeks
old, mother kept baker shop; Mrs. Bert
Bamber, whose husband is in hospital; - -
Bamber, six months old; Mrs. Andrew Ell
vim. head only found, trunk missing Mrs.
Ann Burns; Clarence Burns, six years Old
found clasped in his mothers arms; Mrs.
Annie Lanigan; Mrs. Mary Duffy.
The missing: Joseph Eivin, two weeks
old mothers head found. Mrs. Ann Fente-
man; two nephews of Mrs. Lannigan,
whose body has been found; Mrs. Mary
Esasser kept baker shop, child's body
found.
The injured: Mr.. J. Jessup. bruised
about the head and body and burned about
head; Mrs. ]. Jessup bruised and burned
about body; l. Bamber. head and face
burned; George Soder. head severely cut;
Nicholas Hillman, cut on thead; Fireman
Edward Slingman, injured by falling wall !;
Mr. and Mrs. John McGlone, burned about
faces and bodies.
A number of people received minor in
juries, but went to their homes.
The explosion occurred shortly fter noon.
and many Of the occupants of the building
were out at dinner The building in which
the explosion occurred was a frame tene-
ment. four stories high, with stores on the
ground floor. The middle store was occu-
pied by Rittenburg. Ten families occupied
fats in the building.
So great was the force Of the explosion
that a 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 direct
ly In front Of the building when the explo-
sion occurred. The burst of fame blown
out into the street scorched the sides of
the car and snged the hair of the pas
sengers.
A number Of those who were on the up
per floors Of the building when the explo-
sion took place were either stunned and
then burned to death or found escape cut
off and were suffocated. After the first ex-
ploson there were a series of smaller ones
and then came n second big explosion
which was muffled and deadened and prob
ably occurred in the cellar.
Every window seemed to be emitting
flame within a minute after the first ex-
plosion. woman, her clothing on fire.
leaDed out Of one OF the windows and fell
to 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 proved to be Mrs. Williams
Her husband |hs a cripple, and the wife
Is supposed to have remained longer than
she could with safety in an effort to save
him. He was found burned to a crisp on
his bed.
Some of the occupants Of the rooms Drop
ped from the windows and were bruised;
others hung from the windows until the
hremen came, and twenty persons were
taken down in this way through the fire
and smoke by the firemen, while others
dropped into life nets. Rittenburg will
probably be arrested pending an investiga-
ton