The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-05
Horrible Disaster in AeW York During Preparations
 for Display
MORTARS FIRED BOMBS
 INTO 4 DENSE CROWD
Widest Confusion Followed Exploding of the Bombs and Dead and ln- Iured Persons Scattered All
 Along Madison Avenue.

New York, November By a series of explosions of fireworks tonight among the vast multitude gathered in Madison Square to witness the ascension of an airship and the display of the election re- turns, twelve persons were killed out. right, many being blown almost to pieces, and at least fifty injured. many of them fatally.
 It Is estimated that at least 5000 per- sons thronged the square at the time of the explosion. which was succeeded by frightful panic, in which hundreds were thrown and trampled under foot.
 Five hundred policemen and all the am- balances in the city were instantly sum- moned. and the dying and those most seriously hurt were removed to the hos pitaI In addition to these, many of the wounded were taken away by friends.
 Nine men in charge of the fireworks display were placed under arrest im- mediately after the explosion.
 The list of dead Is:
 The Dead.
 Policeman Dennis Shea
 W. G. Finney, policeman.
 George Ritzle, policeman.
 Harold Robley. policeman.
 Six unknown men.
 Unknown colored man.
 Unknown colored boy.
 The densest portion of the throng that packed the square was gathered along Madison avenue, close to the place re- served for the discharge of the fireworks. Along the border of the square, facing the avenue, were arranged three groups of cast iron mortars. twenty In each group, and loaded with heavy bombs.
 Mortars Touched of.
 A few minutes after 10 o'clock the first row of mortars was touched off, but be- fore the discharge took place one of them fell over on its side and the next instant the bomb was shot into the thickest of the crowd, where 1t exploded. and hurled the people into heaps. The fall of the mortar and the ccncussion of the explo- sion knocked down the rest of the row or mortars and a laundering volley Of huge projectiles ploughed through the crowd. Almost instantaneously the second row of twenty mortars, about 100 feet further LID the avenue discharged their contents into the crowd and moment later the third group, evidently ignited by the showers of falling sparks, exploded.
 In the panic that ensued thousands ran blindly across the square, tripping over the seats and benches and falling, were trampled upon. The policemen upon duty were carried along by the rush. and for half an hour the widest confusion reigned.
 Sixteen Lying In Madison Avenue.
 After the smoke of the explosion had cleared away sixteen persons were found lying on Madison avenue between Twen- ty-third and Twenty streets. Scores of in1urad were scattered about the ave nue and the square. Among the dead was a policeman who was standing close to the first mortar, and whose body was frightfully mangled.
 A force of 800 policemen were soon on the spot and upwards of 100 physicians and 200 nurses were summoned from the hospitals, every available vehicle being pressed for the transportation of the wounded.
 The following persons connected with the fireworks company in charge or the display were arrested:
 Perry Temple. Frank Iistvan, James T. Allen, Sdward Smith. Herman Rogers, Charles Holland, John Fullan.
 None of them could give an explanation of how the explosion took place.