New Britain herald., 1917-02-02
FORTY BELIEVED KILLED IN
 WRECKING OF BUILDING BY
 EXPLOSION OF FLEAKING GAS
Chicago Apartment House, Containing Sixteen Flats, Reduc- ed to Debris \
PEOPLE IMPRISONED
 UNDER FROZEN MUD

UNDER FROZEN MUD Babies Tossed to Safety From Win- dows-FaniIies Separated by Blast
 -Detonat;on Felt in Wide Area
 Fire Adds to Horror of Spectators
 Poverty stricken Families Flee .to
 Safety.
 Chicago, Feb. 2.-Forty persons are \ sbelicved to be dead and as many more injured as the result of gas explosion and fire that wrecked d tenement building at 813 West Four teenth street in the heart of the West Side early today.
 @ Injured persons and residents i. forced from their homes scantiiy clad suffered miserably in temperature of ten degrees below zero, and the cold hindered the work of f1remen and resouers Burning gas from main prevented search of the ruins and at daybrcak only two bodies had been recovered, those of an unidenti- fled man about 50 years old, who was crushed when the walls crumbled. and Mrs. Charlette Stittwery.
 @ The explosion was heard for miles. -By some freak, buildings few yards away were undamaged, while win- dows were broken many blocks away.
 Children Tossed to Safety.
 The explosion wrecked one end of the tenement building, which con. tained twenty-four flats, sixteen of which were occupied. The flames < hurst throughout the lower story im- mediately.
 able to rescue a few children who < who were dropped by their parents from the upper windows. Some adults also were saved in this way. A groAp. of railroad switchmen, who happened on the scene in advance of the fire men, were reported to have rescued fifteen children.
 At daybreak Fire. Chief O'Connor said the ruins were so hot that it would be many hours before search of the wreckage could be made and the loss of life ascertained.
 The explosion is believed to have followed the bursting of a gas main III Luc UdSculShI oL lAO bCAAVA4ASAAs house. N
 The water thrown upon the ruins froze almost as fast as it fell. Many !. whose homes were in no danger from the flames, CT who heard the explo- sions, carried their household goods painto the street. Pavements and slde- walks were filtered with cradles, chairs and tables, meagre exhibits tes- f tifying to the poverty of the neighbor- hood.
 Sixty-seven in Building. t "A score or more of persons were i injured in adjoining structures by broken glass or in their rush to escape into the street.
 .fl Morris Feldman. janitor of the | building, said that sixty-seven persons were, or should have been. in the building last night. Of these he said forty were missing and probably dead'
 To exting,lish the fire it was neces- sayy to dig down to the gas main, This owing to the frozen ground. was slow work and seven hours after the exnlosion tho main had not been ' reached.
 Six adults, three of them believed to have sustained fractured skulls by leaning from the crumpling timbers of the structure also were taken to 
 t}re hospital
 call sent throughout the district brought a number of persons who volunteered to care for the scores ol homeless persons who fled from theil wrecked rooms scantily clad.
 Pinned Under Wreckagc. Water freezing almost as fast as i fe1l formed a thick glaze over the Eg-rrac,xape and still further hamperec 411e work of the rescuers and f1remen zCr,es heard gave rise to bellef Una N a number ot persons might De anVe wnnder the wreckage. Physicians salo Nbowever, that they could not survlv' !, long in the zero temperature.
 The force of the explosion was fel Throughout the entire west side O ! 9tbe ity and gave rise to rumors tha ans earthquake had occurred. Ever room in the Garfield. on an opposit corner, was damaged by the nerce ex plosion, while structures nearny wer elmost completely wrecked. In man. .ns+.nces the entire front of house were crushed in and the streets for voi,c around were filtered with broker ] glass.
 N Stories of survivors being cared fo 1 at rescue stations tended to sub stantiate the fears of heavy JOSS o l life At the Henry Booth settle l rent house, q block away. Mrs. Rosl Kilnwsky sad she believed her bus
 hand. son ant daughter had perished
 rhe entire family was caught be
 meath the wreckage but Mrs. kilow
 s,-v was taken from the wreckage un conscious. Joseph Bielk, 12 year old ssaid his father. George, hi
 icontinued on Tenth Paee.)