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FIREWORKS BLAST AND BLAZE TAKE 2 LIVES SATURDAY
Wm. Boedeker, 52, Adam Maltry, 64, Meet Death In Dreadful Form
Explosion In Storage Shed At Former Lakeside Plant
Boedeker Dead When Found, Maltry Lives Six Hours:
Cause of Blast Not Determined
Contributed by Alice Horner
Freeport Journal Standard, Freeport, Illinois Monday, September 19, 1932

Explosion and fire claimed two more victims late Saturday afternoon (September 17, 1932), when William Boedeker, 52, of 1227 East Shawnee Street, was burned beyond recognition, and Adam Maltry, 64, of 718 S. Hancock Avenue, suffered burns and injuries which resulted in his death at St. Francis Hospital at 10:15 o’clock Saturday night. The explosion took place in a shed at the abandoned Lakeside Signal and Fireworks plant, on South Hancock Avenue.
Fireman, called to the scene, broke open a door and found the interior of the frame shed a mass of flames and the burned and blackened body of Boedeker in a semi-reclining position against the door. Water, poured from two leads of hose into the interior, soon extinguished the flames and it was found that the body of Mr. Boedeker, from which every particle of wearing apparel had been burned except the sole of one shoe, was in a position indicating by the arms extended across the face that the victim had died attempting to protect his fact from the flames as he groped about the room filled with smoke, fire and fumes from the explosives.
The first intimation of the tragedy came when members of the Maltry family, residing in the house just north of the fireworks property, heard an explosion about 4 o’clock and rushing out they saw Maltry, his clothing ablaze, came stumbling towards the house, groping his way along a path between the buildings.

Woman Comes to Rescue
Cries for help brought Mrs. Geo. Lebrecht, residing next door to the Maltry home to the scene. Taking a rug Mrs. Lebrecht smothered the flames enveloping Maltry, and rolled him on the ground. Afterward the victim was rushed to St. Francis Hospital, while in an unconscious condition. Members of the family who spoke to him were recognized but he was unable to give an explanation as to how the tragedy occurred.
The shed, which is located about one hundred feet from where Maltry fell to the ground and which is 20 feet west of the main buildings on the property, had been used for storage purposes. The Lakeside company had paid a year’s rent in advance on the property, the lease expiring September 20. During the past week trucks removed some of the stored stock, and Saturday afternoon members of the Maltry family stated that two truck-loads had been taken away from the shed prior to the explosion.
Enter Building Together
Mr. Boedeker, who was day watchman for the Arcade Manufacturing Company, located across the street, had been instructed to also watch the fireworks property, which is owned by the Arcade company, to prevent any possible fire. Fifteen minutes before the explosion Mr. Boedeker had been at home. He crossed the street to the plant, where he was joined by Maltry, and the two men went to the shed, where they found several children of the neighborhood playing. They ordered the youngsters away from the building to prevent any possibility of fire or accident.
Keys and blackened money in a pocket-book were the only means of identifying Boedeker’s body, and it was believed by the family that the truckers had left the keys to the shed with the watchman or had informed him they were not returning, which caused him to enter the shed and inspect the premises. The firemen in breaking open the door on the side of the building nearest to their approach were not aware that around the corner of the shed another door was open through which Maltry had left the shed when his clothing caught fire.
First Traces of Explosives
The shed is 16 by 20 feet in size, and in addition to the outside paper coverings of the railroad signal flares there evidently had been stored some kind of powder or mixture used in manufacture of the explosives as a deposit some ten inches deep was found bearing the round formation of the barrels which had been destroyed and which were still smoking after the flames had been extinguished. The signals stored in the building are of such a nature that if the contents dropped onto the floor a shoe sole coming in contact with it will ignite it through friction.
That the building was not entirely destroyed was due to the fact that it is covered on the exterior with corrugated iron sheeting; the frame interior had been charred half through by the flames.
Shunk Death Recalled The two deaths are another link in the chain of similar happenings, one of which was the tragic death of James Shunk, former part owner of the fireworks plant, who was fatally burned while riding n a truck load of explosives several weeks ago when the automobile in which he was riding was wrecked. Recent deaths from explosion and fire during the past few weeks have taken a toll of nine lives in this county, in four of which instances two lives have been taken.

OBITUARIES --
William Boedecker
Adam Maltry