The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-22
DEAD And MISSING.
PROBABLY SEVENTEEN VICTIMS OF
An EXPLOSION AND FIRE.
Havoc Created by Fireworks That
Were stored the Ground Floor
of a Frame Tenement.
TWELVE BODIES RECOVERED
AND FIVE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE
RUINS OF THE STRUCTURE.
Eight Persons Bruised, Cut, or
Burned while Escaping from the
Flames and Flying Debris.
EXPLOSION WAS TERRIFIC
BOY WHO WAS HALF A BLOCK AWAY
MANNED AGAINST A FENCE.
Hair of Trolley Car Passengers Singed
Two Men Killed and others In
jured by Giant Powder.
Eight Persons Bruised, Cut, or
Burned While Escaping from the
Flames and Flying Debris.
EXPLOSION WAS TERRIFIC
BOY WHO WAS HALF A BLOCK AWAY
MANNED AGAINST A FENCE.
Hair of Trolley Car Passengers Singed
Two Men Killed and Others In
jured by Giant Powder.

PATTERSON, y. J., June 21.-SeYenteen
persons probably were killed and a num-
ber was injured to-day in fire following
an explosion among a quantity OF fireworks
fn the store OF Abraham NJ. Rittenberg. The
store was on the ground floor of a four
story frame tenement building. The cause
OF the explosion is not known. The prop
erty loss will not exceed $4,000.
Dead Bodies Recovered
MRS. LUCINDA ADAMSON.
MRS. CHARLES WILLIAMS, burned
while trying to rescue husband.
CHARLES WILLIAMS, helpless cripple
unable to leave bed.
HAROLD RITTENBURG, one-month-
old child Of the keeper Of the fireworks
store.
WILLIE ELSAsSER, six weeks DID,
mother kept baker store.
MRS. BERT BAMBER, whose husband
Is In hospital
- BAMBER, six-months-old child.
MRS. ANDREW ELvIN. head only
found, trunk missing.
MRS. ANN BURNS.
CLARENCE BURNS. six years old.
found clasped in his mothers arms.
MRS. ANNIE LANNIGAN.
MRS. MARY DUFFY.
The Missing
JOSEPH ELvIN. two weeks DID, mothers
head found.
MRS. ANNE FENTEMAN.
TWO NEPHEWS of Mrs. Lannigan,
whose body has been found
MRS. MARY ELSAsSER. kept baker
shop: child's body found.
The Injured
Mr.. ]. JESSUP. bruised about the head
and body and burned about the head.
MRS: J. JEssUP. bruised and burned
about body.
/. BAMBERGER. head and face burned.
GEORGE SOBER, head severely cut
NICHOLAS HILMAN. cut on head
EDWARD S. LINGLAND, fireman, In
5ured by falling wall.
Mr.. AND MRS. JOHN MGLONE.
burned about face and bodies.
A number of people received minor in
Juries. but went TO their homes. The ex-
plosion occurred shortly after noon and
many OF the occupants of the building
were al dinner. There were several stores
on the ground floor of the building The
middle store was occupied by Rittenberg.
Ten families occupied flats in the building.
So great was the force of the explosion
that boy playing i'm the street half a
block away was lifted from his feet and
hurled against an iron fence One of his
legs vas broken. a trolley car was directly
IN front of the building when the explosion
occurred. The burst of flame blown out
into the street scorched the sides OF the
car and singed the hair of the passengers
number of those who were on the upper
floors OF the building when the explosion
took place were either stunned and then
burned 10 death, or found escape cut off
and were suffocated. After the first ex-
plosion there a succession of smaller
ones, and then came a second big explosion,
which was muffied and deadened and prob
ably occurred I'm the cellar. Every window
seemed to be emitting flame within a min
ute after the first explosion. Mrs Will
hams. her clothing on fire. leaped from a
window 10 the yard below. Her dead body
was dragged out of reach of the flames,
but the flesh was roasted and dropped from
the bones. Mrs Williams 5 husband was a
cripple and she is supposed TO have re-
mained longer than she could with safety
IN an effort to save him. He was found
burned to crisp in his bed.
Some Of the occupants of the rooms
dropped 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
IRE 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 two
Rittenbers children in the room and rushed
into the flames for them. He got one of
them and carried it out and tried to go back
for the other. but the room was then a
mass OF fire and he was too late He was
badly scorched in rescuing the first child
While the rescues were going on the fire.
men were fighting the flames Captain Al
len led with a hose line in effort TO keep
the nre from the upper floors. where il was
thought the people were penned in. The
men had hardly taken their positions on
the sidewalk and begun 10 throw water into
the upper floors when the whole upper par;
or the building fell. The captain and two
OF his men were buried under the debris.
One OF the men IS badly hurt. The build
Ing In which the explosion occurred was
DESTROYED Rittenberg will probably be ar
rested pending an investigation
In the debris was found a human head.
The hair Is burned of and the features are
Understandable. The remainder of the body
has not been found. The bodies taken out
thus far are almost unrecOgnizable and are
burned and torn BY the fire and the collapse
OF the timbers of the building.
Two Killed and others Hurt.