Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-12-12

The elegant residence of L. II. HUBBY, ESQ
prest of the C. c. & c. railroad co. situated
at East Cleveland, was consigned to destruc-
tior early on Saturday evening last, by the ex-
plosion of gas that had escaped from some OF
the apparatus for supplying and lighting tie
house. Some unsteaGiness in the light led Mr.
II. to the basement with light 10 learn ihe
cause, when the surcharged atmosphere took
and an explosion with something Of the terri
blencSs OF, an earthquake instantly followed
So terrific was it rs TO reduce the house and
all il contents TO heap of ruins. One of the
most miraculous as well as gratifying features
Of the affair." was the escape of the family with
their lives, though all were more or less scri-
ously injured, and especially the daughter OF
Mr.. Hubby, whose case is considelcd quite
critical from the burning Of her clothing and
person. \ reporter OF. the Leader gives the
following Interesting account of The Effects OF
this frightful occurrence:
Portions Of the heavy walls were
blown outward and fell to the ground
and the entire building was shivcrcd
and rent as with an earthquake, from
roof TO basement. Bricks were hurled
through the air with terrible force, and
were picked up two houses Distant
Floors were uLheaycd, torn to fragments
and together with chaotic mass OF tim
bers, bricks and articles Of furniture, fell
down into the burning abyss The win
Qows, even in the chamber, were blown
out, and the broken sash, shutters, trag-
ments Of furniture and pieces of wood
torn rom the inside OF the building were
scattered over the yard as far as the
street. Doors were Wrcnchod from
their hinges and shivcrcd to atoms,
while TIE one on the west side of
the huuse was hurled To the edge Of
the stream, distance of fifty feet The
terrific force Of the explosion seems al
most to defy comprehension, when ii is
considered that this mighty power was
only an Invisible, intangible agent
many Of the large foundation Stones of
the walls were forced from their places
and broken i'll pieces, and the Keystone
of an arch over one OF tie doors, weigh
ing two or three hundred pounds, was
driven ont, leaving the remainder Of the
arch standing, and thrown distance of
ten or fifteen feet. A mine Of gunpog-
der could not more cflectualy have
wrought the work of destruction.
The most terrible force Of the explc-
sion was spent upon the front portion of
the house The div:>i.n Of the base
mcnt correspondent with that Of tie
rooms Of the first floor, and n mere men
lion Of these will aid to q better under
standing of the disaster. At the front
Of the house were the drawing-room oil
the east and tie library on the west.
Immediately in rear Of these was spa
ciuus hall, extending across the cnulre
building from cast TO west, and beyond
the hall, the dining bail, sleeping apart
ments, etc In the basement as above
a door led from each Of the front rooms
mto the hail. Previous to the explo-
sion both these doors III the basement
lad stood open, thus PERMITTING the
deadly vapor to find its way into the
hall and thence into the room under tie
library, adjoining the one in which was
the generator The door leading 10
rear Of the house was closed, thus CON
fining the gas to the front part Of the
house.
With the rphcayal OF the floors great
sheets OF fire swept through the doomed
building with an angry roar, bursting
i'll huge volumes from the doors and
windows and the Eolcs and liSsures in
the wall caused by the explosion. Al
most the moment the flames leaped to
the roof aud were rapidly making their
way through the rear portion Of the
building. In less than half an hour the
elegant edifice was wholly enreloped in
the flames. The mad pillows of fire
surged with the widest fury against
the blackening walls and rolled high in
TO the air, telling for miles around their
fearful tale Of ruin and desolation.-
Huge masses of the shattered wallis
tumblpd with crash into the blazing
vortex. Only portions of the wall re-
main standing, grim monuments of the
destruction which had been wrought,
while within every thing combustib!e
lad been devoured by the flames.