Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-12-11

Total Deetruct ton Of l.. Nj.
uubby's Residence in
Cleveland.

se~er~s orthe Family shoektssg. !
~ NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Es.
cspes-.A.oas ssOO0O--1 Pa
lent GasO~sser tbs
Ca use.
1rsusAs Cisvslssa Herald. Dec.Y.
Less thsp yesr ago, Mr.. L. N. Hubby.
Of ths Cleveland and Columbus
completed. in East Cleveland, at
\ cost Of between SCR. 900 and $40, 900, IN
elegant i've etcry and basement bsi X house,
which he began to occupy With bis family
soon af,sr Christmas Last Sush building
vas. Of course, laesoplsas without sss, and
- the City 60 seoposy bad Dot then ex-
tended their vipss cut there. Mr. hubby
rsssste1 - ooe sf ths psoeos machines, and
Manufactured bic evn lights On his own
prsm,ses. TIE apparatus. rstsrt and oil.
vas placed sstetds ths bsi.ding, 20 that in
any observable oesideue the emily injury
,het weuld ssssls Wsuld be the possible
destsuction Of the 0sco1ao itself. A main
pipe vss laid iron The gasomster to the
partition wall efths csllss, passing through
thick brick wall on It's way. From this
main one, other pipes we're arranged 80 ss
to convey the gas to any desired part Of the
house. The apparatus had been in use
nearly A. long ~ the house had been occu.
pied, and had been found 10 work exceed
ingly we'll. On tie evening Of Saturday
Mr.. Hubby discovered that the gas burned
with only ftful light which, while it was
not only annoying, clearly proved that
there was something the matter with eth
sr the gas or the apparatus. Enduring j,
for sssns time, and finding that the light
did mot improve, hs locked through several
Of tho reems on the 0rst floor 10 see il no
could discover what was tho matter. Thsss
vas no smsll Of gas about the hUuss. 90 he
vas led 10 suppose that the trouble vas the
result Of any thing but . isaksgs 10 the
pipes, aud not being atls to either account
for or locate the difficulty. he decided upen
. personal s1aminstsen Of ths pipes. Pro-
curing light he descended to The cellar
containing the msis pipe. but could diseev-
sr nothing the matter there. The saintsst
possible s0sll Of gas psrvadsd the atmee.
phsss, but b. attributed il 70 The apparatus
outside, which, whss in use, alwas eives otg
faint srdss pseuiias only v gss, and sup
posed that Il came in.s the cellar through
the epsn dser. WAen about half way
scross the Gesr be set tho candle down, and
in an instant an sxplssion took place, pro-
duciag nsiss squal in volume TO lsud
peal 81 thunder. What hsppensd in the
ssxt few oemeats 10 Q bank to Mr..
Hubby.
Al the time Of the explosion there we're
Ave people IN the house besides Mr.. Hubby.
Mss Ella, young lady Of Is years,
daughter Of Mr.. H., Frank, Lis sen, and
Franks wife, were al in The library, i'm
msdiatsly ever tbs main gas PIPE, and In
he west eide Of the house. Mrs. Hubby
~as in . room near BY, and an old LADY,
mother Of Mr.. H., vas in back room on
Tho second floor The force Of the explo-
sion doubled the floor Of the library togeth-
sr, and then it dropped amcs, bodily into
The cellar beneath Frank found himee (
creeping about In the ruins nt the bottom Of
the basement, almost before be knew that
any thing had happened Ills wife was
soon after discovered by Mr.. Es,ep near an
opening ia the building where, few no
'nents before, a window had been, calling
for ssmc one 10 take her out. How
she got there she does not know.
but supp,sss that she was blown there.
Mss lila wss first sesn after the shock OF
The lawn in front Of tie house. her clothes
oil in blaze ana in deadly peril. Mr.. Es-
| tep first discovered her and rushed into
the burning house for a blsnket in which
to wrap her 30 quench the flames. lie
found that the ceiling had fallen upon the
| clothes in tho bed room to which he read
lily made his way. aud that he could no,
extricats them from Il . mass Of debris up.
on than. Hastily grasping . couple Of
pillows he rushed out again, but found
| that others. who had in the meantime ar
| rived, had forestalted him, and dozen ~
more were actively engaged in putting on,
the flames in the ME Elias clothing. Just
/ then he heard some enc call, and turning,
discovered Mrs. Frank Hubby ~ above sta.
/ ted. To release hcr Was but the werk Of
moment, and then he turned his atten-
lion TO the other members Of the family.
bursting open the back hall door hs found
the grandmother standing BY 1t unnjursd
and va'nly trying some way to undo the
fsstsnin9 She says the first she knew of
the accident the coling Of the rcem began
to fall upon her. she saw the walls rock and
| then heard a report mingled with the
crashing OF glass. She knew that some
| ively sought the back stairs, down which
| shs rapidly sped, and so saved herself
She was bursing coal oil lamp in her
room ct the time, and the apartment did
not take fire % quickly ~ did those into
which the gas pipes extended. For . time
| il was feared that the wife of Mr.. Hubby
had been buried in the ruins Or killed out
right BY tho explosion, but an extended
search revealed her with her son in Law,
Colonel Doubleday ., family safe and un-
injured. with The ssesptien Of Z. slight burn
or one Of her hands. How che 70 out upon
the ground 10 mystery to her. The frst
she remember she vas ruuuip4 70 the Gel
snel's - fast - che could.
1nstantanssusly viii yhe explosion the
whole house from cellar to garrett took fire
Nsighbors who, locked out after ths roar
had died away oaw she flames busstioe
from every aperture in the Building. So
0erss was u fDm the 6rst that No mortal
pswsr could qusnch il. and - relentless
wAs II 10 its fury that not thing eombue-
siSle Wishie Ne reach escaped The ssnesal
dsstsueties.
agree % = the theory q the cause Of to
sxplesiea. Every one whs has taken asy
p4anAts iavseeio1as The AaAlsr, ssoo slitht-
y. knows the main cause Of the accident
The issition sf the gss BY the candle which
Ar. Hubby ct open the cellar 6oss--bss
the reason Why il did not ignite 10 seen -
he satsrsd the apartment 10 thus accounted
fer: Nest Of the patent gas, and ss,se-
taIly tha1 such - used Ay NJ. Hubhy. 10
dsnssr thas the atmosphere, and, esnss.
qusntly, sinks 70 the surface instead Of sis.
ing, - dsos shat Manufactured By the citv.
fhsn agais, the patent gas has no psreepsi
BE eder. cd il psses~cs in ruem csn be
diseevsesd enly By thess whose ssuss Of
susll 10 particularly acute. Hence, II there
should be- Leakage in . pipe conveying
this kind ofgas it would not be discovered
from the disagresabls od,r. and could only
be dstsctsd By persossl exsuination by an
expert, or by applying the nostrils close to
the earth or Door. Whiles therefore, Mr.
Hubby held his candle in his hand a. he
walked along, the flames did not come in
contact with the escaped gas and NO serious
consequences ensued. AZ soon. however.
~ hs set ths light down the hsms came
~ithin the reach Of the mass CT gas which
had settled clcss . the h,or. and an explo-
sion took plscs. In this instance no one
zoe 70 blame .fos The accident. FISK
Wac Carr NJ Rn su0vpsn Qvv~,s.uv