Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-31
p. r. r. FOURTEENTH ST.
BRIDGE DYNAMlTED
THIS MORNING
Continued from page /

whom he had heard talking had dis
appeared and he saw no one either
right In the nclEhborhood or hurry |
Ing from the scene In any direction.
His mother narrowly escaped seri- |
Gus injury. She was in bed at the
time and hanging on the wall right |
picture. The explosion shook this
loose and 1t dropped. fortunately |
missing the bed and Its aged occupant |
and striking the floor II was shattered
into a thousand pieces. Every win
dow In the mouse was demolished and |
every gas mantle was broken. Plas-
ter was cracked and knocked from
the walls and in the kitchen the dish
es and cooking utensils were tossed
from the shelves and scattered about
the floor. Az Balbach described the
scene this morning, the kitchen look
ed like n room In which a wild bull
had been loose. He described the
noise he heard as a sharp. loud crack.
In the adjoining house. 1908 East
Fourteenth street. Mr.. and Mrs. Fred
erick Balbach and family make their
home. The children include George,
Frederick, Jr,. Anna. Della. Elizabeth,
William and Marie. They were al,
home and all in bed at the time OF the
explosion. In the room where Della,
aged IS. Vas sleeping, the plaster
was shaken from the walls and It fell
upon her before she could leap from
the bed. She Was covered and some
OF the big Jumps bruised her about
the head, but she was not seriously
hurt and this morning was able TO go
to her place OF employment. None OF
the other occupants of the house
were injured. Every window pane in
the building was shaken out and
smashed into thousands OF pieces.
Mrs. Balbach this morning described
the report as "A sharp loud crack which
badly frightened everyone In the
house. They all got up and hurried
to see what had happened. None of
this family heard anyone in the vi
cinity before the blast or saw any
one hurrying away after It. and those
who We're on the scene immediately
thereafter were their neighbors. The
husband and father OF this family Is
an employee OF the Pennsylvania Rail
road Co, and works AT the Todd's Cut
shops. He is still working. not having
Joined the strike. but he has never
been molested or threatened by any OF
the strikers. his wife said.
At 1910 East Fourteenth street Mrs.
Rachel Nandever. middle-aged wild
ow. lives alone. She said today that
about 2 o'clock this morning she had
been aroused from sleep by hearing
some men in the vicinity talking and
not being able to go 10 sleep again she
got up and sat In rocking chair al
! the window OF her bed room in the
! front OF the house. She had been there
about half an hour, she stated. when
the explosion occurred. The. blast
caused the house 10 rock 10 its foun-
! dstions and 1t smashed several OF tn,
windows. The one before which sh,
was sitting was demolished but the
glass fell out into the street and none
OF Il struck her. Mrs. Nandever ad-
mitted this morning that the explosion
scared her so badly that she coult
not move. She was unable even TO get
out OF the chair for few minutes. bu
finally, when others started TO appea
in the street, she was able 10 get III
and go ont TO see what had happened
She did not see anyone around Their
while she was sitting at the window
before the blast and she did not know
who had been doing the talking. SHE
was unable TO hear what was said b.
the persons whom she had heard.
Mr. and Mrs. John Ballach maxi
their home at 1912 East Fourteenth
street and their house was shaken h,
the explosion and several window
in the front and rear parts of tn
house were broken. They We're not in
jured although frightened at frs
until they knew what had happened.
Mr.. and Mrs. Max Keller live in tn
next house. 1914 East Fourteenth
street, and windows in. the front ant
rear of their home were dana ged
They were asleep when the explosion
occurred and were frightened by IN
loud report.
Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Zimmerma
and their one-year-old baby. Russo
occupy the next house down the stree
. 1916 East Fourteenth. They were !
bed at the time. Both Of them state
. this morning that the house was shak
en- by the force Of the blast and tn
front and rear windows were broke
4 in the first and second stories. TIL
glass panels in the vestiblue door an
the transom over the front door wer
also demolished.
Mrs. Elmer Bryan and her fou
. children are tenants in the next hous
1918 East Fourteenth street. All
them were in bed at the time the blow
/ UP occurred. The windows OF the
home, up and down stairs. front an
rear. were broken. The mother VS.
away at her place Of employment III
morning. but the children were pla!
ing about in the street, apparent
none the worse for their experience.
This is as far east on Fourteen
y street as the shock of the blast seen
: 10 have reached. at least with sufficiel
force 10 do any amount of damag
l. The occupants of the other houses g
lie the way down on the south side state
~ that their homes had been shaken b
no windows were broken and no dan
age caused.
= On the north side of Fourteen
4, street the first building is lar'
. structure formerly used as an !.
house an dnow a store house used
r the J. ID. Sisler Co, wholesale gr'
10 GERS. Some OF the windows in In
!. building were broken. William Vile
, the manager OF the place. lives In
house on Fourteenth street west
tho ,oil,oad tracks about biD(