Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-04
WILL PROBE BLAST
THAT KILLED BOYS
Dynamite Left Easy Of Access
in Unlocked Shack, One
., Child Says ..
QUARRY OWNER IN DENIAL


the police today to determine whether
the dynamite that exploded and killed
three boys yesterday was kept under
lock and key.
The foreman of the quarry. where
the accident occurred. says the tool
house was locked and as far as he
knows no dynamite or caps were in the
building. A brother Of two of the dead
victims says he visited the quarry
Saturday and the only bar to entrance
TO the structure was a nail stuck
through the eye of rusty hasp. ,
The dead boys are:
Walter MolisIli. thirteen years old,
2Ol3 Ruan street.
Frank Hagen. thirteen years old, 1895
West Cayuga street
stanley Hagen. six years old. 1885,
West Cayuga street.
The quarry in which the accident took
place is between the Reading Rail
way tracks and Roberts avenue, about
one block from Wayne avenue.
Bodies Mutilated
Walter Moliski's body was so badly
mutilated that it was not until seve-
raj hours after his parents began to
examine it that they we're able to make
positive Identification.
Frank Hagen also was terribly mu-
tilated. He was found where he had
crawled. halfway up the side of the
steep hill surrounding the quarry exca-
walton. with one leg and one arm blown
off.
Little Stanley. who had been allowed
to leave his home only because he was
to be under the guardianship Of his
Older brother. and Moliski. cousin of
the EIagens. was found buried in the
ruins. Fragments of lumber from the
wrecked building had pierced his abdo-
men.
William Humcs. 4443 Grant street. a
Reading Railway brakeman. was the
first to reach the scene of the accident.
He was working few hundred yards
from the quarry when the explosion
occurred and was thrown from his feet
by the impact.
He uncoupled his engine from the line
of cars being shifted to siding and
had the engineer speed to the quarry.
He and Edward Clemens, another yard :
man. quickly got the two Hagen boys
to the level ground surrounding the
quarry. and. summoning passing au =
tomObilp. had then taken to st. Luke 5
Hospital.
In less than ten minutes after the
accident. tho boys were on the ourrat-
ing table in that institution. but the
doctors held out no hope for their re-
covery.
Third Boy Found
1t was some time later when it was
discovered that another boy had been
| killed in the explosion. Search Of the
/ scene of the accident resulted in the
discovery. and the Moleski boys body
was taken TO the morguc.
Mrs. Moleski in the meanwhile, had
gone to st. Lukp's Hospital and idrn
tilted the two injured boys as hcl
nephews At that time she had nt
thought that her own son might have
, been hurt in the same accident.
| Her husband was the first to suspect
it. The police told him of the tndiu,
Of the third body. and described tn,
texture of the trousers and hat the boy
had worn. and Mr.. MolcSki was sure i
was his son.
The final identification was made b.
the clothing and part of the dead boy
head.
1T is nearly month since we dit
any excavating at the quarry sat
. Vincent Mercaldo. 3J3 Price street. il
charge of the quarry, ''and then W
moved to another job. The tools ant
dynamite were taken away and only
few old picks and sh0vfls that were n
good were left The shack had bee
securely locked and the boys must hnv
forced their way into it,
THE shack was not locked Josep
Hagen. older brother of the two dea
boys. said. II was there a few day
ago. and it was merely fastened by
rusty hasp and nail Anybody coul
,, remove the nail and enter.
walter came over and wanted MS t
go out and play yesterday. i didn
want to 60. and did not want Frank t
, GO but he insisted upon it. Finally
said he could go if he took little Stanle
+ along. They left home about = o'clock.
Joseph denied the story that the boy
had visited the quarry on Saturda
and forced open the shack. Frank, /
said. was employed as errand boy i
= a Germantown butcher and had workc
all day Saturday. y