The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-02
MAN IS KILLED, WOMAN IS
INJURED BADLY, BUILDING
IS WRECKED BY EXPLOSION
Apartment Custodian Dies
Instantly in Basement
Boiler Blast.
SEVERAL LIVES PERILED
Woodwork Is Hurled Across
Street, Walls CrumbIed,
Windows Shattered.

A man was killed and a woman
injured critically early today, when
a boiler in the Avalon apartments,
244 East Tenth street, exploded,
wrecking the basement and first
floor of the structure.
John Tiller, SIS, Negro, 1904 Gar
field place, custodian of the build
ing, was killed instantly while work.
ing on the boiler, and Mrs. Olive r.
Williams, IS. Of Columbus, Ind, sus-
tanned internal injuries and scalp
wounds.
Tiller's death was the second in
explosions in Marion county in the
last twenty-four hours.
Mrs. j. w. Finchum, ST. of 8O7
Joseph street, died at city hos
pital Tuesday night from burns in
Cured when a stove in her home
exploded earlier in the day.
Blast BuIges Building
The terrific blast, which hurled
basement windows and woodwork
across the street and caused the
building to bulge in several places.
caused residents of the Avalon
apartments to flee into the early
morning cold.
Mrs. Williams and her husband,
the Rev. Elisha Williams, we're
spending the night with their son
and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie d.
Williams, in Apartment 1, over the
boiler room.
The wall in the apartment room
IN which the elder Williams and his
wife were sleeping crumbled with
the blast. Mr.. Williams was not
hurt, but his son and the latter's
wife were shaken badly.
Mrs. Olive Williams refused to be
taken to hospital.
Firemen of headquarters COM
pany removed Tiller's body from
the wrecked basement before steam
ing water from the smashed heating
plant flooded the room.
Two Have Narrow Escape
The boiler recently had been re-
paired, according to Homer L.
Cook, owner Of the building.
According to William williams,
! Negro, living in the rear of 1914
North Alabama street, and Walker
Tyson, Negro, BOAT Sheldon street,
Tiller had asked them to aid him
in repairing the boiler pumps,
which was clogged.
Both Negroes had been in the
basement with Tiller shortly before
the explosion, but Tyson had left
to fire a furnace a block away and
William Williams had returned to
his home to get tools to aid Tiller
in repairing the pump.
Tyson said he was a block away
when he heard the blast.
81 guess the Good Old Man Just
wasn't ready for me yet" he COM
mented to police on his narrow
escape.
Others Are Shaken
Motors and valves on top of the
boiler were blown against the base
ment ceiling.
Mrs. w. T. Regain, apartment 5,
said she discovered steam leaking
from the heating plant Tuesday
night and had failed in an attempt
to get in touch with Tiller.
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Broglin,
Apartment 4, and their daughters,
Jane, Il; Peggy, 9, and Millicent, 4,
were shaken badly by the explosion.
Mr.. and Mrs. G. r. Perry of apart
ment 2, and Mrs. Perry's mother,
Mrs. Addie Flint, also were shocked
by the blast.
Other persons in the structure
who fled from their residences were
not hurt.
Mr.. Elisha Williams and his son
said they nearly were choked by the
fumes which filled the apartment
following the blast.
Two canaries in the Williams
apartment were not injured, al
though the cage stand was snapped
by the explosion.
Loss Near $4,000
Cook and firemen could not give
a definite estimate of the loss but
it was believed it would be APP
proximately $4,000
Tiller is survived by the widow,
Mrs. Jessie Tiller.
Mrs. Finchum was burned fatally
when kerosene she had thrown on
smouldering Goals in the fire box
of stove caused an explosion. She
was covered from head to foot with
the flaming fluid.
Neighbors seized her as she ran
| screaming from her home.
Funeral services will be held at 2
Thursday afternoon at the john
son g. Montgomery undertaking
parlors, 1922 North Meridian street.
Burial will be in Floral Park ceme-
terry.
She is survived by the husband,
brother, Harry Suthern, r. r. 1,
Pendleton, and other relatives liv-
ing in the west.
Women's Life PeriIed
Mrs. Margaret Ressler, 1885 North
Alabama street, narrowly escaped
death Tuesday night when a heat
ing boiler in the apartment building
exploded.
Mrs. Ressler, living in the apart
ment above the basement, was
hurled to the floor while dressing.
She was treated for shock.
Force of the blast ripped hole