Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-05
.FR|GHTFUL EXPLOSION
Twelve Killed Outright, Sew
enty-Fout Injured
IN MADISON SQUARE
CROWDS WERE CHEERING ELEc-
TIoN RETURNS AT TIME
And Were oblivious to the Slaughter
That Had Occurred Within
Their Midst.

| NEW YORK, November 5.-With d list
| of twelve persons killed and seventy-four in
| jured before him, Coroner Scholer has in
| augurated an investigation of the explosion
| OF fireworks In Madison square last evening.
Eight men already have been locked up,
| charged with criminal neglect, and the cor
| oner has issued warrant for the arrest of
John Dimundio of Coney Island who is al
! legged to have been in charge Of the fire.
| works.
1T is case of absolute criminal neglect"
| said the coroner. zone of the mortars was
| set off and it was pointed at a row of other
mortars in a line. There was Il defect in
| the bottom of the mortar and it leaned to-
ward the others, which were set off by the
fire ball thrown toward them"
District Attorney Acted Promptly.
District Attorney Jerome, who was at the
Union Club in 9Th avenue, not far from the
| scene of the explosion, hurried to the scene,
| and after an investigation ordered the arrest
| of the men in charge of the fireworks. He
| had the prisoners taken to police headquar-
| ters. together with the unexploded fireworks
| Inspector Brooks of the police department
| also ordered the arrest of the manufacturer
| of the bombs, but he has not yet been
| found. .'t-
| The district attorney said:
Dynamite bombs should not be allowed
| in such public place. l have no doubt
| that a permit had been Issued for the eX-
! hibition, but a rigid investigation will be
| made. Steps will be taken to prevent any
thing like this occurring In the future
Revised List of Dead.
revised list of the dead follows:
| Policeman Dennis Shea.
| VIM. r. Varcle, fifteen years old
Nathaniel Dingley, thirteen years old.
Harold Roblee, twelve years old
Joseph Heber.
| Unidentified man. twenty years old
| Albert Kaemtf jr.
William Penney, twelve years old.
VIM. S. McAVery, sixteen years old
Conciello Gapprento.
| George LANDAU,
Unidentified boy fifteen years old.
An informal inquest was held today pre-
paratory to the formal inquest set for Fri
| day.
| The scenes at the hospital, at the morgue
| following the terrible crush after the eX-
! plosion in Madison square were heartrend-
| ing.
$4,000 Persons in the Square.
1t is estimated that $1,000 persons were in
| the square al the time Probably 20O0O of
| these were massed around the point where
| the explosion occurred, and While they were
| scrambling to reach places of safety. knock
ing one another down and falling over park
| benches 10000 others were cheering from
| the opposite side of the park, where they
| were viewing the election returns which
| were thrown upon a screen before the new
! skyscraper known as the "Flat-iron build
| ing. -
The persons in this portion OF the park
! apparently were elatsd: over the returns
| and supposed the explosions which rent the
| air were part of the program, and were
| totally unaware of the tragedy being enact
ed so near at hand until detachment of
police fsreed their way through to I'u make k
| mangled body of their comrade, Patroiman
| Shea. . t.
Terrible Calm Swept Over Crowd.
Instantly a terrible calm swept over the
| crowd, and all interest in the returns i'm
mediatey died out. AS the long line of pa
| troll wagons, ambuances and other vehi-
| cles carrying dead and injured filed through
25th street for Bellevue Hospital thousands
| of persons lined the walk and gazed awe
! stricken at the conveyances
Five hundred persons gathered outside~o
| the mOrgue, and hundreds of others came
and went during the night seeking among
the unidentified dead relatives and friends
whom they had lost during the fearful
crush following the explosion. Thousands
| of persons gathered at the hospitals gates,
among them many women. The scenes
around Bellevue were, the most exciting in
| the history of the institution.
Entire Hospital Force at Work
Within the entire force was at work over
the injured Sixty-five emergency surgeons
and physicians, forty visiting surgeons and
physicians and two hundred male and fe-
male nurses, together with every attendant
| at the hospital, was summoned for imme-
| diate duty. Sixteen of the best-known sur
| geons in the city and one hundred and fifty
| extra nurses hurried to the institution to
| perform operations. Many amputations
| were found necessary.
| At the hospitals the injured were report
| ed as being In a fair way toward recovery.
with the exception Of Mortimer Butler, who
became unconscious after the amputation
| of one of his legs and Is not expected to re-
| cover, and Frank Leisten, one of the men
| engaged in setting off the fireworks. Leis-
| tens right leg was blown off and his chest
was badly mangled. His death is probable.