The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-29
Fifty Are Hurt by Explosion
in Chicago.
Only One of Mangled Victims Is
Identified.
HUNDRED FAMILIES HOMELESS
Police Hold Two Men for Probe
of Cause.
Labor Feud. Political Feud or
Leaky Gas Main.

Chicago. March 29.-Ten were torn
to death and fifty injured today when
an explosion rocked Little Italys in
the heart of Chicago's tenement dis
trict.
Investigation leads authorities TO
believe the blast started in the paper
warehouse of Joseph We'll & Company.
Damage will run close to million
dollars. police estimated. This in
cludes the loss of several buildings
and homes in the vicinity that were
splintered. One hundred families
/, We're made homeless.
Two Held by Police.
Harry We'll. son of the owner of the
part owner of the F'inger-Schaffer
company, merchandise warehouse
near the scene, were taken to police
headquarters for questioning
cause of the blast is undetermined
but these three theories have been ad-
vanced: Labor feud, political feud. or
leaky gas main
Explosion. Was Terrific.
The conclusion was so great that
Qmbers and bricks were thrown hum
areas of feet and windows in a de-
, partment store several blocks away
| SA4oAtOASo- IN Ine immediate
cinity or the warehouse scarcely a
pane of glass was left intact porches
were torn from houses and apartment
buildings and corpices were ripped
/ loose.
| Witnesses of the accident said there
were two reports in rapid succession.
me first, low in tone, was succeeded
| at once by a deafening crash. A great
cloud of smoke shot up, bricks and
| shattered umbers rained about the
street. adjacent store fronts crashed
IN and then what was left of the ware
house walls crumbled into a heap.
Only One Identified
| Residents OF the neighborhood.
which is thickly populated, ran
1 screaming into the street. 1t was sew
| eral minutes before the cooler heads
set set to Werk tp AID passersby who had
| been struck by flying debris. Calls;
Tor the police. ffremen and hospital
! aid followed and the work of rescue
was soon organized back to police
| lines.
The first six hodies recovered from
the ruins were those of workmea.
I One of the survivors of the accident
| told the police that about a dozen men.
! were employed in the place. but there
were some truck drivers in the ware
i mouse when 1t blew up. The body of
one of these, Mike Tapiskie. was found
and he was the only identified victim,
! tHIee hours aItef the acCident.
Seven seriously injured were talef-
/ to the county hospital. branch of
the public library was turned into a
dressing station and thirty persons
were given first aid there. Eight 9TH
ers were treated at drug store
Police Start Probe
In an endeavor to learn possible
causes for the catastrophe, the police
detained Harry Well, son of Joseph
Well, head of a paper company. Tho
exact implication of this action was
not made public.
we are not accusing Well of set
ting fire to the place." said Charles
f1tzmorris. general superintendent OF
police. Neither are we ready to saw
mat there was a bomb in the case
one of our officers found what an.
peared to be parts of a detonatinp de-
wee and another picked up some wad.
dlng that smelled strongly of gum
powder. but those may have been mart
OF the fire workers which was stored
7 in the basement
! nave been told also that the gas
mains in the neighborhood were in
pad shape. and that an inspector fro,,,
the gas company looked over the
warehouse piping about half an ho,Ir
/ before the explosion took place.