The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-02-24
TREMENDOUS GAS EXPLOSION
A Church Partially In Ruins.
Ten or Twelve PersonI geriousIy
injared-Wond e sc ape OF OF n

~Aa w AEcAFS ferB0nl seriously
InJured-Wonderfu fui e sc ape OF 9th
ers.
singular and fearful explosion from defective
gas'pfpes took place on Friday evening in the
Methodist Protestant church on sixth street near
race, In Cincinnati, by which some ten or twelve
persons were seriously injured, and two or three
OF them, 1t Ia feared, fatally The explosion was
OF the most terrific character and shook all the
buildings In the neighburhood Frop, the Cucin
na'l oazette, OF Saturday, gather the following
particulars of the accident:
Happears that when the sexton of the church
OPENED the doors of the basement for the burmese
of preparing for the evening meeting he ttrnd
thGt the lower hall was filled with eaS and bav-
lng procured light, proceeded with two or thras
10 ascertain the point at which it was leak
ius: hr. Charies Needs and two other gentlemen
Wlth the sexton, opened the door of the closet :,
the nall, near the onter door, and putting in the
llght TO examine the metre the gas was sat am
hre and burned brightly. Water was imned;ately
Drought and the flames eXtinguished but min
ute after it was discovered that a blaze nrocaadad
from the noor, where the gas pipe led from tha
metre to the various rooms in the building Tho
discovery bad ..ardy been made BIZ the persons
stanuing by, before the explosion OF the gas nine
took place, and in instant the lower part of the
church was amass of ruins.
The basement of the building consists of three
small rooms on each side of the hail. aud Iertura
TOoih III INC rear occupying the entire width Of
the church The partition wall between the first
and second rooms on the west side Of the hall was
completely taken out. as smoothly as il could have
been done by skilful carpenter The partition
between the second and third rooms blown
nearly down. The floors of all these rooms were
completely torn mp and thrown in a heap of ruins
The ath and plaster from tho ceilings and sides
wern torn off, and the windows of every room
gass. sash and aIl-~blown out. The doors were
smashed TO pieces, ana tho furniture made com
MIA Ia hc first q nd ~ "a
east side were nearly in the same condition-hGors,
doors, furniture and windows complete mass Of
ruins. The third room on that side escaped with
slight damage to the furniture aud the blowing
out of the window.
In the lecture room, the damage was very great.
Almost the entire flooring was torn up and scat
tered about: the seats we're smashed as though by
the lightniugs stroke: doors and windows blown
out; the supporting posts torn down; the stove
and pipe scattered; the ceilings rent IN hu5dred
places In the upper ceiling large holes were
made by portions Of the flooring aud seats beneath
being thrust up by the force Of the explosion
One general wreck of almost the entire lecture
| room greeted the eye.
On preceding to the body of the church in the
second story, We found large portion of that in
the same ruined condition. Abo1t Onefourth OF
the flooring had been torn up and scattered about,
and full onefourth of the seats had been removed
from their places and either smashed or greatly
damaged. The cushions Of the seats We're scat
tered in every direction, and nearly every window
in the room, and most of the inside blinds, were
| blown to pieces. Most of the sashcs of the in
dows were thrust out. as though some heavy body,
| filling the entire window, had passed through.
When the explosion occurred there were some
eight ten persons only in the church, Tut NIL OF
these were or less injured, and some OF them
we think fatally So
| At the moment of the explosion. Rev. Daniel
Kinney, president Of the Ohio conference, accom-
panied by the Rev. Mr.. White, the pastor of tie
church, had reached within five or six feet of the
| door, and in an instant they blown nearly
across Sixth street. Mr. White. it seems, struck
upon his face and LETT knee in the street, but fer
| tunately received no othes injuries than severe
brnise on the nose, from which the blood flowed
protusely. and an unimportant bruise on the knee
| Ills escape from serious injury was most fortu
nate.
President Kinney had arrived from his home iu
| Mechanicsburg, Champagne county, on the eve
ming train, and was proceeding to the church to aid
| in the services Of the evening. lie blown
about halfway across the street, his face badly
| cut and his head bruised The severest w9unj
| was under his left eye, and the physicians last
night feared hHm ght los the ght Of it altogether
| Margaret Hook, a widow lady resi- hing at No
| I79 Court street, had entered the church but a
| short time previous to the explosion, with heI
| daughter Charlotte, young lady, ana her SON.
| William Henry, some II or II years of age At the
| time of the explosion they were in the lecture
| room. and the mother and sou were most serious
| ly injured The daughter escaped with slight
cut upon her left check, aud uniDpOrta bruises
| upon her person. Mrs Hook taken from the
| rnins in a perfectly helpless and painful cond
tian. Her face and person were bruised, the right
leg broken above the knee, the bones of which pro
trnded through the flesh; the left leg broke below
the knee, and the bones of both crushed in sick
| ening and painful manner. Thk physicians in at
| tendance generally concurred In the opinion that
she must suffer Hmputation ofb0th limbs, II, indeed
| she survive her injuries.
| The son of Mrs. Williams received compound
complicated fracture of the left limb above the
| knee, the thigh bone being crushed to pieces. He
| was also injured internally. Mrs. Mary Hamill, a
| widow lady residing at No. 81 Cutter street. was
| in the lecture room, and when che saw the flash
| attempted TO escape. She was caught, however,
| by the falling boards and seats, and almost com
| pletely buried in the ruins. When taken out. ii
was found that the bones of the right foot had been
| crushed, AS though cut through and through by
| some heavy iron instrument. Mrs. ii. will pro
| badly nave to suffer amputation Of the foot.
| VIM IIamilI a son of the last named, q small lad
was tadly cut in the lip, and was otherwise bruised
| about the head. Mr. L Williams. residing ut l67
Front street. stood Just nside the DOR hen the eS
side rooms distance Of some twelve or fifteen feet,
out received other injury than the sprai'lnS OF
the left foot son OF NJ who %as " s standin
| Mr Harris residing HI nth street, was son:e-
| what iuju juTed in the face, but not seriously
The cape the pers0ns standing lm mediateIy At
| tie door is truly remarkable. mr Needs, and two
ofthrec other per- ons were within t" feet OF where
the III the pipe Iyp!ted ana ali escaped WITH mt
| material injury, while pei sons approach ng tn
door We're blown nearly across the street. Mrs Ge-
! rard. wife Of Mr. g. the county commissioner, and
her daughter Mrs Houston, We're IN Of the rooTns
but moment previous 10 tbs sex poson, but escaped
without injury, the flow OF ga probably forcing
| them TO leave the building.
| Iwo ladies were i'll one of the small rooms on the
east side the basement hal, at work, sewing but
reached tie street before the eXplosiop ant escaped
| uni jUycd.
! F,r several weeks a revival has been going on in
| this church, and the meetings have Gten nightly
| crowded Had the explosion taken place half an
hour later the loss OF life must have been fearful
indeed.
The church building had Just been repaired at an
expense If some $ldGG and the body Of il WAS
opened for divine service Sunday last for the frs;
| time since the repairs commenced. When the cause
of the ex plosion became known. thousands ru.hed
to the spot 10 asc rtan the extent OF the damage
| done and 10 inquire after the wounded,
The damage 10 the building y ii doubtless amount
| to several thousand dollars.