The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-12-10


force ofthe explosion seems almost to
defy comprehension, when it is con-
sidered thatsthis mighty power was
only an Invisible, intangible agent.
Many of the large foundation stones
of the walls were forced from their
places and broken in pieces, and the
keystone of an arch over one of the
doors, weighing two OF three hundred
pounds, was driven out, leaving the
remainder of the arch standing, and
thrown ddistance@of ten or fifteen
feet. A mine of gunpowder could not
more effectually have wrought the
work of destruction.
The most terrible force of the explo-
sion was spent upon the front portion
of the house. The division of the
basement corresponded with that of
the rooms upon the first floor, and the
mere mention of this. will aid to bet
ter understanding of the disaster. At
/ the 'front.' of the house were the. draw
fing-room- on the east and the library
on the west. Immediately in rear of
these was a spacious hall, extending
across the entire building from east TO
west, and beyond the hall the dining
room, kitchen, sleeping apartments,
etc. In the basement, as above, a door
led from, each of the front rooms into
the hall Previous to the explosion
both these doors in the basement had
stood open, thus permitting the deadly
vapor to find its way into the hall and
thence, into the, foom under the library,
adjoining the, one in, which was the
generator. The door leading to the
rear of the house was closed, thus con-
fining the gas to the front part of the
| house. f,ss.a..s ->s.-: .r.i,o4.. 49,. r..
THE CoNFLAGRATION.
/ Withthe upheayal of the floors great
Fsheets of fire swept through the
| doomed building with an. angry roar,
bursting in huge volumes from the
doors aud windows and the holes and
fssures in the wall caused by the ex--
plosionsi d Almost in a moment the
flames leaped to the roof, and were
rapidly making their way through the
rear portion of the building. In less
than half an hour the elegant ediice
was wholly envelopedl in the flames.
The mad billoWs of fire surged with
the wildests fury against the blacken-
ing walls, and rolled high into the air,
telling for miles around their fearful
tale. of ruin and desolation.. Huge
masses of the. shattered walls ,tumbled
with. a dull crash into the blazing yor-
tex. By 8 O'clock the work was COM
pleted, Only portions, of the walls
remained standing, grim monuments
of the destruction which had been
wrought, while within everything COM
bustible had been .deyoured, by. the
names. au ono rreay .,.r- ra-. -..5s 4
THE NEIGHBoRHooD AROUSED.
The noise of the explosion was heard
a great distance, and the adjoining
houses were fairly shaken by the con-
cussion. The alarm was instantaneous
throughout the entire neighborhood,
and from every direction people rushed
to the scene of disaster. Efforts to 1
check the ravages Of the fire were ut
terly futile, and SO rapidly did they
spread through the house that it was
even impossible to save its contents,
the falling. walls and roaring flames
-forbidding a near approach Hence
it was that scarcely a farthing's worth
of property was rescued. All was
iost-furniture, including two valuable
pianos, clothing, plate. and household
treasures upon which money could fix
no value.
81 THE INJURED ONES. II
The inmates of the house at the time
of the disaster were NIT. Hubby, his
wife and mother, his son Frank W.
Hubby and wife, Miss Ella Hubby and
three domestics. Mr.. L. NJ. Hubby,
who was in the basement, was terribly
burned about the face, neck and hands.
His clothing being Of woolen, did not
take fire, and protected other portions
of the body. He was partly stunned
by the explosion, and must have been
entirely enveloped in flame. How he
escaped seems little less than miracle,
and the same may be said of those who
occupied the library. By an effort
which which must have been almost
involuntary, he made his way into the
hall and thence up the stairway lead
ing to the first floor, at the east side of
the house, and out into the open air.
This must have been but the work of
a moment, as the suffering man was
found Immediately after the explosion,
lying insensib1e, near the house of E.
J. Estep, Esq, next east from the burn
ing building. He was taken up and
carefully removed to the house of Col.
Doubleday, his son-in-law.
In the library were the younger Mr.. |
Hubby and his wife, and Miss Ella
Hubby. The former was reclining
upon sofa and the two ladies sitting
near. Mr.. Hubby states that the shock
came with such appalling suddenness
that he has not the least recollection of
hearing the report of the explosion.
The first intimation of the disaster
was the bursting up of the floor, the
rending of the carpet, and the flames
rolling upward into the room. Mr..
Hubby. was thrown up, he thinks,
nearly to the ceiling, and Immediately
fell to the floor of the basement, the
first floor having been entirely carried
away when he came down. A mass
of bricks, timbers and debris fell about
him, and how he escaped being buried
OF rendered insensible by blows from
falling fragments, in either of which
events he must inevitably have per-
ished, can be nothing less than provi-
I L, Il,