Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-06
FIREWORKS KILL AND WOUND
Trightful Explosion Occurs in Madison
Square Garden, New York.
TWELVE PEOPLE INSTANTLY KILLED
s-eventy-Four Are Horribly ManRIed,
Many of Them Losing Arms
and Legs in the
Catastrophe.

NEW YORK, Nov. with a list OF
twelve persons killed and seventy four in
jured before him Coroner Scholer has in
augurated an Investigation Of the explosion
Of hreworks in Madison square last even
ing.
Eight men already have been locked up
charged with criminal negligence and the
coroner has issued a warrant for the arrest
Of John Dimundio Of Coney Island. who is
alleged TO have been in charge of the fire.
works.
ut is a case Of absolute criminal neglect, ="
said the coroner
zone Of the mortars was set of and II
was pointed at a row Of other mortars In a
line. There was a defect In the bottom Of
the mortar and il leaned toward the others,
which were set of by the fire ball thrown
toward them.
District Attorney Jerome, who was at the
Union club In Fifth avenue. not far from
the scene Of the explosion. hurried to the
scene, and after an investigation obtained
the arrest OF the men in charge Of the
fireworks.
He had the prisoners taken to police
Headquarters, 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
get been found.
The district attorney said:
Dynamite bombs should not be allowed in
such a public place. 1 have no doubt that
Ia permit had been Issued for the exhibition,
lbut a rigid investigation Will be made.
Steps will be taken to prevent anything
like this occurring in the future.
List of the Dead.
A revised list of the dead follows:
PATRoLMAN DENNIS SHEA of the
Brooklyn Bridge squad.
WILLIAM G. Penney. IL years old.
nephew of Major w. H. Buck, of this city.
HAROLD ROBLEE, IL years old. son of
Milton Roblee. proprietor of the Bartholdi
hotel.
DANIEL BINGLEY, 10 years old.
JOSEPH ABER, Fl years OF age.
Five unidentified white men and two I'M
identified colored men.
The scenes at the hospital and at the
morgue following the terrible crush after
the explosion in Madison square were be-
,yond description. 1t is estimated that 50.-
900 persons were in the square at the time.
Probably 20, 1000 of these were massed
around the point where the explosion oc-
CURED and while these we're scrambling to
reach places OF safety, knocking one another
down and falling over park benches. 1000
others we're cheering from the opposite side
of the park, where they were viewing the
election returns which were thrown upon a
screen before the new sky scraper known
as the "Flatiron Building"
Calm sweeps Over Crowd.
Tn persons in this portion Of the park
apparently were elated over 1.-THE returns
and supposed the explosions which rent the
air were a part of the program and were
totally nawar OF the tragedy being
enacted so near at hand, until a detach-
Iment OF police forced their way through to
make room for the passage of the men
bearing the mangled remains Of their com,
Irade. Patrolman Shea. Instantly a terrible
calm swept over the crowd and all interes:
In the returns Immediately died out.
When the long line of patrol wagons
Ambulances and other vehicles, carrying
the dead and injured filed through Twenty
NTH street for Bellevue hospital, thou.
sands lined the walk and IEazed awe
stricken at the conveyances. Five hundred
persons gathered outside Of the morgut
and hundreds came and went during the
might seeking, among the unidentified dead
relatives and friends whom they had losi
during the terrible crush following thC
explosion.
Hundreds OF persons gathered at the
hospital gates, among them many women.
Scenes at h Hospital.
The scenes around Bellevue hospita,
were the most exciting in the history o.
the institution.
Nearly the entire force was at work
Sixty-fve emergency surgeons and physi,
clans. forty visiting surgeons and physi.
clans and 200 male and female nurses, to.
gether with every attendant at the hospi.
tai. were summoned for immediate duty
Sixteen of the best known surgeons IN tn,
city and $50 extra nurses hurried to tn,
institution to perform operations. Man!
amputations were found necessary.
At the hospitals the injured were re,
ported as being in a fair way toward re.
covery, with the exception of MortimeI
Butler, who became unconscious after tn,
amputation of one of his legs and is no
expected to recover. and Frank Leisten
one OF the men engaged in setting OF tn,
fireworks. Leisten's right leg was blown
of. his chest was badly mangled and hi
death Is probable.
Seven legs of victims of the hreworki
explosion were amputated at Bellevue hos
pital today. Besides the amputations Their,
were dozens of minor operations on hand
and feet and for burns. Many OF the pa
tients underwent several operations an,
some lost both hands.