Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-02-25
Strange and Dreadful Accident.
TREMENDOUS GAS EXPLOSION.
AZ the Sixth Street Methodist Church
LIST OF PERSONS INJURED.

LIST OF PERSONS INJURED.
From the Gin. Commercial of SATURDAY m ,rning.
+ The city startled carly last evening by the
news that disastrous explosion of gas had occur
rcd Mt the Sixth Street Metho list Church. itsd
at the south side of Sixth street. between Vine and
Race, near the latter The most alarming rrmors
were afoat. Over large portion OF the city the
report and shock Of the explosion has been heard
and felt. Ii WAS known to many that Revival
in progress in the church, and that large congre-
cations were nightly gathered there. Proceeding
to the scene of the disaster, looked with aston
ishmen, upon the ruin wrought; and were amazed to
learn, while viewing the wreck. that person had
been killed outright
The basement of the church had been LIT up for
the purpose of worship and il was there that the
explosion took place. The several apartments into
which it hid been plr.itioned sliiverei into
misses Of s2lntcr,, covered with mortar dust. So
far as one could Judge from the appearance Of things
by the light of lantern, there Wis hardly plank
of the floors. lath of the walls seat, but was
thoroughly shvered. The windows were broken to
atoms, the rubbish in places heaped US high the
ceiling. and floors ripped into kindling wood. The
sexton, Mr.. Reese, and family, lived in the base
mcnt, and their rooms were heap Of nextrcably
mi xed rags, spntcrs and mortar Some ofthc iron
pillars supporting the floor OF the church pom above
were thrown and all were swerved from their pla
ces. The upper part of the church WAS badly dam
aged. Wherever gas pipe had been laid, the
flooring was ripped up as if BY powerful current
of lightning. About one third of the seats were
ovcrthrown, and with The cushions and carpets
huddled about in curious piles. The b;b.c was
hurled forth from the pulpit and the water pitcher
and goblet overthrown and Knocked to pieces and
the joints ofpipc lay scattered about The windows
we're nearly annihlatcd, and it is feared that the
walls, which were very substantial, were shaken
until unsafe. The whole floor had been lifted up
several inches and the vibration of the building
was If it had been tottercd to the throc of an
earthquake.
The explosion took place just about seven o'cloci
before many persons had reached the church, and
ladies' who had been in the yestry. found TIE smell
Of gas 30 strong that they retreated so that but few
persons were in the church when the disaster oc
CURED.
LIST OF PERSONS HURT
Mrs. Hook an son and daughter. Mrs. III. is 4
poor but worthy womn who in of the
class engaged sewing c,pets for the Church.
She lvei on the south side of Court street, near
Elm. Both her legs arr badly fractured. One of
them, VIC arc informed, was pierced by splinter
II is thought that her injured limbs must be amputa-
ted and that it will be impossible for her to survive
the operation Indeed. it WAS deemed probable
that she could not live through last nigh. She is a
widow, and her children, son and daughter, were
with her, and are among the wounded. The boy,
whose age perhaps is twelve years, hts compound
fracture of the right thigh. The girl was severely
hurt, but not seriously injured.
Mr.. r. d. Williams, middle aged man, was in
the entry at the moment of the accident, AID had
an ankle so spraincd as to be unable to walk. fl
Mr.. V. Williams, youth, was badly burned in
the face. f
The Rev. Daniel Kinney, President of the Meth
odis Protestant Conference, had just arrived in the
city. and was standing on the pavement in front OF
the Church, with Rev. Joseph White, pastor of the
Church and other gentlemen. Mr.. Kinney was
FRUSTRATED by the shock, and a fragment of glass
pierced his left eye, destroying it. Mr.. White was
overthrown. but got off with crushed nose and
bruised knee .f--efss ; 5i.e ,i..s. .t..
Mrs. Hummcl and son, who reside on Gutter ST.,
were in the entry, and were amid the wreck. She
suffers from brvk ankle and many slight bruises,
and her son, youth, WIS badly hurt 81
Mr.. Reese, and Mr.. Chas. Meads, who was will,
him trying to discover where the gas was escaping,
escaped narvellousIy, being considerably, but not
dangerously, scorchcd and bruised. n ieiif
Mr.. X. Wolscy, messenger Of the Valentine Elk
press Company, coming down town from his supper
at the Southgatc House, hearl the alarm Of fire
and the of the ladies', and rushed into the
Church to helpput out the fire. He ran to the
preachers desk and caught up pitcher of water
standing there With this he was making his way
to the fire, when amid the flame, and crash OF
the explosion he lost Consciousness, and knew
nothing more until dragged out of the wreck. He
is sever ely hurt, bat not in dangerous condition.
q Mrs. John H. Gerard, Mrs. d. A. Huston and
Miss Hattie Banks, were slightly cut and bruised
with fragments of glass and bts OF timber flying from
the windows and floors.
From the force of the explosion, tho gas must
have been escaping for a long time, and the parti
tons, the SPACE between the earth an the ground
floor and betwcen tho ceiling of the basement and