The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-03-29
TEN Are |
DEAD TN
WRECKED
BUILDING
Gas Leak, Bomb and Fire
works Are Theories Of
Explosion Cause

CHICAGO. March 1s--Tsn 49,
torn to death and 50 injured eeln1
when an explosion rocked @1l111o
Italy" In the heart Of ChioaGUD
tenement district
The blast occurred m the fAsowy
Of the Joseph Wen Paper Ca -
i4th and Halstcad sts, which 4 nn
the Bloody Nineteenth- wae4
where Chicago Italians reside. ~
The damage win run close . :
million dollars. police estimated.
Officials Of the company 80
they believed the explosion -
caused by gas leak. They said they
had no labor troubles or feuds.
BOMB Is THEORY
or THE POLICE
Police. however. Immediately vcu9
10 work on the theory that the -
plosion may have been caused b. .
bomb and part Of the political feu1
that has been wagcd In the -B1ooay
Nineteenth" for year1
A torpedo cap was found By Ch1of
Of Detectives Mike Hughes, 49,
reached the scene soon after ths ~
aster.
Police ase also working On Z ~
ory that the explosion may h0No
been caused By ignition OF nrgWugaro
stored In the merchandise wxrshouno
Of Finger q Schaffer. a.
n. Schaffer. one Of H. paRen1ru
together with others n the vscen1oR (
has besn taken - ths pe,ieo gen11r
for questioning.
Police reserves rushed fs0n =
over the city when the gennGn1
alarm Of disaster was given.
Fire crews from al points arT1vo4
The explosion was not followed ~
a fire. so the fire fighters became -
gagged In digging the dead an1
wounded out OF the wrecixaga.
Three dead have been taken oue
and II Ia estimated that at least thxuo
others are under the debrs-
Injured were rushed to imprOv1noo
hospitals in the vicinity. Homw
were thrown open for the care -
those hurt
The three victims Of the explou1om
who were pulled from the ruins WuEo
badly mangied. II Is expected tho1
Identification viii be difficult Y ~
impossible.
The explosion was heard for milns
around.
Heavy plate glass windows wuo
smashed on the sidewalks within =
radius OF one mile.
Pictures In homes were crashed =
the floors.
A Gordon OF police was immediaoo.
ly thrown about the scene. to keep
back the frantic Italians who rushed
to the scene to determine II any q
their relatives were among the We.
Tins.
grown wild over the fear that some
OF their loved ones had been killed =
injured. battled with the police %
see II they could identify any OF III
victims.
The first body to reach the county
morgue was identified with difficuI.
ty as that OF Mike Tipansky. 80. :
truck driver. He was found under.
meath the wrecked building.
CROWD Is SILENT
AS BODIES APPEAR
Thousands OF Italians. men. womeo
and children. held back in their re.
peated efforts to rush the police
lines. fell into silence as they sAw
two bodies pulled out and put on
stretchers.
The foot OF girl. still neat with IL
satin pump. was placed on a white
canvas-covered strctcher--waiting foe
the remainder OF the shattered body.
A horse. with its legs blown OH.
was still alive when firemen arrived.
Its suffering was ended by a revolvor
shot.
The Wen Paper company was sun.
rounded by shabby cottages inhabited
by Italians.
Many of these little homes wero
smashed to atoms and the occupants,
bleeding and bruised. forced to the
street.
These unfortunates were cared for
by more fortunate fellow countrymen
who took them In their homes and
cared for their injuries.
Police estimated that loss from the
explosion will reach the million dollar
mark. This included the wrecked
factory and the little homes near II