The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-10
STATE MARSHAL LAUNCHES
PROBE IN PENDLE TON BLAST:
4 KILLED, IS ARE INJURED
Town Hall Wrecked by Explosion and Fire;
Sewer Gas in Cistern Blamed;
Believe Transient Identified.
Continued From Page One)

The worker refused to give his
name.
Another remarkable escape,
though it was tinged with tragedy,
was that of Homer Thomas. Mr..
Thomas had been standing talking
to Mr.. Taylor and had seen him
drop his spectacles and left as Mr..
Taylor started down into the els
tern.
He went to a Mushroom and
was shaving. When the gas egplod-
ed the floor went out from under
him and he found himself prone
near an opening in the wreckage
and crawled out.
He spent the remainder of the
night walking about the wreckage
and at his job in a nearby restau-
rant in such dazed condition that
officials were unable to get a plausi-
BILE account of his experience.
Victim Meets Ironic Fate
Ironic was the fate of Convict
Wapienik, the East Chicago truSty
from the Indiana Reformatory, who
was doing 2-to-14 years. He had
driven a truck to the town and
heard the explosion. He is reported
to have bravely entered the burn
ing Wreckage and to have rescued
at least one person.
Then he went back into the in
ferno because he had seen another
helpless in there. A wall tottered
and fell over on him, killing him.
He was to have been freed on
parole today.
Mr.. Kelsey, it was said, was in
conference with board members re-
garding a contract for work con-
templated by the group.
Proximity of the two cities re-
suited in hundreds of Anderson
people coming here soon after the
alarm was sounded. Most uptown
business establishments remained
open until after midnight as groups
gathered to discuss the explosion.
The concrete cistern, unused
since 1882 when the city installed
new water plant, measured some 20
by 80 feet, with a capacity of $4,000
gallons.
AS the walls toppled, they tore
down high voltage power lines,
throwing part of the city in dark
ness. To assist in fighting the fire,
electricians soon erected flood lights.
Rescue Work Is Slow
Difficulty in combating the blaze
during the first 80 minutes was
shown by the experience of Frank
Lukens, farmer living four miles
southeast of here. Told of the blast
by sister, who had seen it at the
outset, he returned to town in her
car, arriving in time to assist with
the first rescue work.
Not until 10 was there any def
mite idea of how many might be
trapped in the pile of timber, bricks
and wreckage. The body of Wapienik
was the first recovered and work
ers continued their frenzied search
two hours before the first of the
unidentified transients was found.
Wapienek was serving time for
grand larceny. Only 10 days ago he
was assigned to the job of driving re-
formatory officers to and from here.
He had stopped at Town Hall mere
~ to converse with whomever might
be there, while awaiting an inter-
urban from Anderson.
Everett Brattan, a farmer living
nearby, was trapped for 80 minutes
before rescuers succeeded in free
ing him. His condition is regarded
as extremely critical.
Lee Rider, garageman and bust
ness partner of Frank Silver, hur-
ried from his home to the scene to
find his associate pinned to the
north wall of the crumbled build
ing.
Rescued From Wreckage
when I heard the explosion" he
said, Il ran from the house to nv
car and headed for the scene. When
I drove up, Silver was still PINNED
in the wreckage piled about him
almost waist high. A couple of us
threw him the cable and finally got
him out"
He wasn't badly injured, aside
from his leg, and I loaded him into
my car and drove to Anderson. He
appeared quite rational, despite the
shock, and we talked all the way
to the hospital"
One of the towns two fire trucks
was pulled out from under the de-
bris soon after the work started. The
ether was not extricated until two
hours later. Both were so melted
by the terrific heat that they could
be scarcely recognized as vehicles.
Fire Chief Claude Taylor was out
of the city when the explosion oc-
CURED and did not arrive at the
scene until an hour later, when he
took charge of operations.