The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-06
SIX FIREMEN NOW KNOWN TO
HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES.
Six of the Crew of the PittsburE Tow
boat Missing-One Dead and
Others Injured.


and injured:
The Dead
OTTO TROsTEL. shirty-hye years of
age, butcher.
MRS. OTTO TRoSTEL. thirty-ive years
OF age.
OTTO TROSTEL, JR., two years old.
LENA TROSTEL, seven years.
ANNIE TROsTEL. nine years.
MAMIE TROSTEL, eleven years.
FRED TROSTEL. butcher. nephew of
Otto Trostel. twenty-three years.
SOPHIE KNIGHT. domestic in Trostel
family.
MARY ROSENTHAL. thirty-two years
of age. 21l1 Purple street.
MRS NJ. KAUFERT. S74 Twenty-second
street.
EDWARD KAUFERT. fourteen years.
MAMIE KAUFERT, four years.
ANDREW KOLB, roomer with Mrs.
Kaufert.
LUCY MERRANOwsKY. cut on head
and face by glass.
ANDREW FINSTALKI. cut and internal
injuries.
AUGUSTUS ROSLER, cut about face.
SING wAH, Twenty-third street and
Archer avenue, blown through window, cut
and bruised.
NELLIE MERCHAND. cut by glass.
KATIE SEAvER, cut on face and head.
EMMA FOLZ. cut by glass
j. W. MLEOD. cut by glass.
MRS. ]. w M'LEOD, cut and badly
bruised
TIMOTHY MOYNIHAN, fireman, hands
badly burned.
p. E. DoNoHUE, fireman. left arm cut
with ak.
PETER DANUSAND. cut by glass.
]. p. COLLINS, street car conductor,
blown through car from end to end, cut
and slight internal injuries.
4. BARNES, street car conductor, blown
from car into street, badly bruised.
NEARLY ONE HUNDRED INJURED.
The list of injured might be extended to
seventy-hve one hundred. as there were
many people I'm the neghborhood who suf-
fered slight injuries from flying glass or
slight bruises caused by falls, but whose
names have not been reported. Only one of
the bodies of the dead-that of little Lena
TrosteI-has been recovered. All that is
known of the fate of the other twelve
ported dead is that they are thought to
have been--the most of them are known to
have benin the demolished houses and
since the explosion no trace OF them has
been found.
The cause OF the explosion is unknown
and II has not yet been determined whether
IL was sewer gas Illuminating gas Mains
filled with the latter were instantly abaze
after the explosion and succession of ex-
pIosions. followed. the flames shooting up
through the manhoes in the street. 1t
will be difficult to ascertain whether the
Illuminating gas exploded or whether the
mains were broken by the explosion of
sewer Cas
Many people living in the vicinity believe
that the first explosion was in a main at
rTsx-o.
Then the manhole half a block south on
Archer avenue was thrown into the air by
loud explosion. Flames leaped and roared
from the hole. The fire spread below the
street and smaller manholes were blown
into the air. The flames from the first
main shot high into the air and reached.
with the aid OF the wind, the Trostel
butcher shop. The building was a three
story frame structure and IL had been
weakened and nearly wrecked by the shock
1t is supposed that the occupants of the
building were knocked unconscious or were
too panic stricken 10 rush from the place
The flames caught the weather-worn tim
bers. The dry and rotting wood was food
for the fire and i'm instant the flames
had envelOped the structure. With roar
the building collapsed and the occupants.
with one exception were carried with it
20 the basement.
WRAPPED IN FLAMES.
The adjoining building. two-stOry struc-
ture, fared up, the next building was
wrapped in flames. and then another struc-
ture caught fire. Ii seemed that the whole
block would be wiped out before the fire
men could bring the blaze under control.
A FIRE wall OF a brick building at the corner
OF Archer avenue and Twenty-second street
held the fire in that direction. On the west
OF the burning buildings were two small
one-st0ry cottages. They were a few feet
from the burning buildings. and that gave
the firemen an opportunity for heading off
the FIRE.
Window glass throughout the neighbor-
hood was broken. and bottles and glassware
In the dwellings and stores were thrown to
the floor and broken
Many persons in buildings near the expIo-
sicns were knocked down. Scores OF men
and women. many or them carrying chill
dren, rushed 10 the streets. They were
greeted by the glare OF the fire from the
manholes. Fearing further explosions. the
people rushed down the street, many OF the
women screaming with fear. On several
street cars near the place the windows were
smashed and the passengers severely