Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-13
TERRIBLE Explosion
Total Destruction Of l. u. Hub
by's Residence In Cleveland.
Several OF the Family Shocking
ly RufRed-~MiraeulOas Is
eapes-LOSS $4,000
q Patent GasOHeter sss
the CaUSl

= 4
Less than a year ago Mr.. L. III. Hubby,
} President Of the Cleveland and Column
bussrailrOad,- completed, in East Glove
land, at q cost OF between $4,000 and
$4,000, an elegant two story and base
ment brick house, which he began to oc-
eupy with his family soon after Christ
mas last. Such building was, of course,
incomplete without gas, and as the city
Gas Company had not then extended
their pipes out there. Mr.. Hubby rs-
sorted to one Of the patent machines, and
manufactured his own lights on his own
premises. The apparatus, retert and al,
was placed outside the building, so thar
in any conceivable accident the only in
jury that would result would be the
possible destruction Of the machine
ITSELF A main pipe was laid from the
gasometer to the partition wall Of the
cellar, passing through a thick brick
wall on its way. From this man one,
other pipes were arranged so as to coz
yey the gas to any desired part Of the
house. The apparatus had been in use
nearly as long as the house had been
occupied, and had been found to work ex-
ceedingiy well. On the evening Of Sat
Hrday Mr.. Hubby discovered that the gas
burned with only fitful light which,
while it was not only annoying, clearly
proved that there was something the mat
ter with either the gas or the apparatus.
Enduring it for some time and finding that
the light did not improve, he looked
through several Of the rooms on the first
floor to see if he could discover what was
the matter. There was no smell Of gas
about ths house, so be was led to suppose
/ that the trouble was the result Of any
thing but a leakage in the pipes, and not
being able to either account for or locate
the difficulty he decided upon personal
examination Of the pipes. Procuring
light he decended to the cellar, contain
| ing the main, but could discover nothing
the matter there. The faintest possible
sT'll Of gas pervaded the atmosphere,
but he attributed it to the apparatus out
side, which, when in use, always gives OH
a faint odor peculiar only to gas, and sup
posed that it came into hecellar through
| the open door. When about half way
across the floor, he set the candle down,
and in an instant an ex plOsiOn took place,
| producing noise equal in volume to a
loud peal Of thunder What happened
in the next few moments IS a
blank TO Mr.. Hubby.
At the time Of the explosion there
were five people in the house besides Mr..
Hubby. Miss Ella, young lady Of
eighteen years, daughter Of Mr.. Hubby,
| Frank, his son, and Franks vile, were all
in the library, Immediately over the
main gas pipe, and in the west side OF
the house Mrs. Hubby was in room
near by, and an old lady, mother OF Mr..
Hubby, was in back room on the second
! floor. The force of the explosion doubled
the floor ofthe library together, and then
it dropped almost bodily into the cellar
beneath. Frank found himself grouping
about in the ruins at the bottom OF the
basement, almost before he knew tina.
anything had happened. His wife was
soon after discovered by Mr. Estep near
an opening in the building, where, sfew
moments before, a window had been,
calling for some one to take her out. How
she cot there sire does not know, but sup
poses that she was blown there.
Miss Ella was first seen after the
shock on the lawn in front Of the house,
her clothes all in blaze, and in deadly
, peril. Mr.. Estep discovered her and
A rushed into the burning house for blan~
ket in which to wrap her to quench the
: flames. He found that the ceiling had
, fallen upon the clothes in the bedroom,
to which he readily made his way, and
that he could not extrieate them from
:, the mass of debris upon them Hastily
. grasping a c0npla Of pillows, ne rnshea
ont again. but found that others, who
Y had in tbs mean time arrived. had lore
It stalled him, and dozen or more we're
J. actively engaged in puttingOut the flames
r. in Miss Elias clothing. Just then he
heard some one call, and turning, discoy-
I cred Mrs. Frank Hubby as abOve stated.
To release her was but, thu, work Of mo
IA ment. and then he turned his attention
% to the other members Of the family.
g. Bursting open the back hall door he
IL found the grandmother standing by it I'M
lie injured and vainly trying some way to
J. undo the fastening. She says the first
= she knew Of the accident the ceiling oil
,r the room began to fall upon her, she saw
ID the walls rock, and then heard report
ir mingled with the crashing of glass. She
Of knew that something terrible had hap
l. pened. and instinctively sought the bach
" stairs, down which she rapidly sped, am
te so saved herself She was burning
Q. coal oil lamp in her room at the time, an'
the apartment did not take fire so qulckll
" as did those into which the gas-pipes ex
y tended. For a time it was feared tina
be the wife Of Mr.. Hubby had been buried i
m the ruins or killed outright by the ex
ca plosion. but an extended search reveals
he her with her son-in-law, Col. Doubleday
nd family, safe and uninjUred, with the ex
Of ception of a slight burn on one OF ne
re hands. How she got ont upon the groun
of is mystery to her. The first she r.
is. members she was running to the CoioneP
he as fast as she could.
he Instantaneously with the explosion th
ror whole house, from cellar to garrett, too
,as fire. Neighbors who looked out after tn
me roar had died away saw the flames burst
he ing from every aperture in the buildln
md So fierce was it from the first that =
fl mortal power could quench, and so n
on- Ientless was it in its fury that not
be | thing combustible within its reaG
,av escaped the general destruction.
not Those yersed in the manufacture
gas all agree as to the theory of the eau
ID of the explosion. Every one who has TAX
: any pains to investigate the matter, eV'
o'e slightly, knows the main cause Of the a
air. cident-the.iaBlti0n Of the gas by 4
by candle wIit - Hubby set upon I
cellar floor-6Sfhe reason why it q
not ignite as soon as he entered d
apartment, is thus accounted for : Nd
oc. Of the patent gas, and especially ii
such as used by Mr.. Hubby, is den'
''' than the atmosphere and consequent
anu sinks TO the surface instead Of risi
1t "A does that manufactured by
rsed CITY. Then again, the patent gas has
..,5 uerceptible odOr, and its presence in
room can be discovered only by tn
'lion whose sense Of smell is particularly scu
he Hence if there should be a leakage i
nine conveying this kind Of gas it wo
oral not be discovered from the disagreed
,un- odor. and could only be detected by P
the sonal examination by an expert, OF
foul. appIying the nOstrils close to the ca
han or floor. While, therefore, Mr.. Hut
nth. held his candle in his hand as he wall
Our along, the flames did not come in cont
are with the escaped gas and no serious c
eme sentences ensued. As soon, however
cor- he set the light down the flame ca
now within the reach Of the mass OF
yery. which had settled close to the floor
Dtion an explosion took place. In this insta
no one was TO blame for the accident.
what