Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-06-09
General Snttlli9ente.
4 TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Bursting of the GasOmeter Rt the u"
eInnatl Gas Works.

The sound came from the southwest part
of ehe CITY. Dense volumes OF smoke arose
in that quarter. The fre-bells were rung,
and the engines came ott, but their SER
vices were not required. The gasometer
Of the city gas-works had exploded with
stunning report. The huge iron holder,
one hundred and thirty feet in diameter and
forty-two feet in height, with capacity
for half million cubic feet of gas, was
torn in pieces, and tumbled in confused
mass into the cisteTF, What the cause
was no one can ter The explosion COM
menced on the north side, ,Iiext to Front
street. Ten or twelve workmen who had
been engaged in painting the holder had
lust descended, and at the time were stand
ing by the engine house, but miraculous
ly escaped with their lives, and without Sc
rious injury. One man, Pat McKinzie, an
employe of the gas company, was on top OF
the column, on O level with, and nearly
touching the top of the gasometer. he
was not blown off by the explosion, though
his clothes were all burned of, and his en-
tire body was crisped so as to cause hlf
death in three hours,
Dick and Pat Sheridan were driving lum
Der carts near the scene, and they ano
their horses were severely burned. These
men will recover, but the horses will prob
ably die. -.
A man named Charles Kelley walking
by ON the opposite side of the street, was
badly burned.
Foliage on trees four hundred feet dis
tant was scorched. The Reighboring hold
ers were injured by the concussion, one SC
badly as to leak large amount OF gas
The buildings near were scorched, but, ex'
cept starting the roof of one, no other
damage was done. The report was heard
at great distance. The loss to the gas
company will be $4,000. Rumors are
ahoat that much more injury has been suf.
fered. None of the huge iron columns
were blown down, but the massive capitals
of some of them were torn of.
CINCINNATI, May 25.--All the forenoon
yesterday 16 men had been working on the
top of the holder, and on the columns,
tarring and painting the vast surface Of
iron below them. On the ground, within
about 20 feet of the holder, big fire was
burning and in cauldron over that the
tar was boiling,
At noon the big bell rung, and Is men
started to go to dinner. Since early morn
ing the holder had risen considerable
distance, and it had become so difficult to
reach the top of the ladder that one of the
men, Patrick Mckenzie, of large and heavy
frame fearing TO swing himself down to it,
concluded to send for his dinner, and re-
main on the holder until it should sink to
the top of the ladder That decision cost
l. IL, IL attki,,r, ~, 4bn ho1 1e
Of an angle, on one Of the pillars
on the south, waiting TO pull up his
dinner, when suddenly he was deaf
ened, blinded, and overwhelmed, as the
immense holder rushed up several feet
above his head, He had seated himself
there, a strong, healthy man, comfortably
clothed, and thinking only Of his dinner
In an instant in the midst of fire. and
smoke, and thunder, he reclined there 0
naked man, stripped Of every patch ol
clothing save some rags that clung to his
ankles From his chin to his toes he was
II othing but mass of burned and bleeding
flesh.
When the runs of the holder thundered
back down into the deep water of the tank,
the bursting ont of flames from cauldron
Of tar produced terrible panic among the
thousands of spectators. II was q panic
stricken crowd, terrible in its fear The
weaker men gasped for air in the crush,
and some OF them fell to the ground. Boys
were trampled into the gutter. Some
to rise again until they had felt many q
cruel heel Several women had the same
desperate experience. II was struggle to
escape fire or concussion, all thought, and
so they fed without reason.
A young man named Albert Warren had
his left arm broken. A lad named John
Mallon had the calf of one of his legs mu-
tilated in shocking manner. A woman,
Mrs Krider, living near by, and strangely
out Of place there unless, as was stated,
she saw one Of her children-was SO vio-
lently iostled and trampled upon that
miscarriage very soon resulted to her. Jas.
Harper large, strong man, had two of the
fingers of his left hand broken. Various
other accidents occurred.
SO far as can be learned the only sufferer
as to property by this affair is the gas com.
pany, whose loss is about 100000, on
which there is no insurance
BY the force of the contussion, the roof
OF coal house No 4, south of the holder
corrugated iron roofing, was lifted and
twisted. Considerable damage was done
to holder No 6-the new one on the north
side recently finished. This is n telescopic
holder, of the same capacity as No A.
and 8. BY the concussion il was thrown
up, and dropped in such manner as TO
break the chain of four weights of 1000
pounds each contained within four of the
iron columns. The heavy mass of iron,
falling within the hollow columns to the
ground, shattered the stone bases and in
one instance broke ont big half section of
the inch iron Of the column.
Holder No. was lifted out of line, but |
was rghted so as to be ofseryice last even
ing.
The explosion is not accounted for by
nny--eyen the best informed gas manufac.
turers. Your correspondent was informed
last night that when il occurred there was
no FIRE in the cauldron, and that no gas
had been let into the holder Tor six hours
One theory is that of great expansion of
the gas by solar heat on the holder, the
consequent bursting Of the roof and the
lame, which was communicated 10 the
escaping contents from the stack of the
Globe rolling mills The idea was quite
generally presented that there is no dan
ger Of an explosion 10 holder. In Octo-
Der, 1865, gasoineter Of the London Gas
works at Nine Elms, Battersea
'oad, exploded, killing ten men. Il was
,wice the size of this Not long since there
vas n similar explosion at Chicago. Both
hese explosions were accounted for by
he fire communicating from the governor
n the first instance. How this ever oc-
urred, no one seems TO know. The Off
ers and employees of the works seem
uzzled, and cannot solve the mystery.
The theory above given seems plausible.
he explosion could not occur until the
az had become mixed with atmospheric ,
II, and 1t does not seem likely that that
ould occur except in the way mentioned. !
II: j. Miller, President Of the Company, /
as In Chicago to-day. He was telegraphcd :
Immediately, and returned word that no !
tpense should be spared in repairing the /
Rmage and caring for the wounded. He
1joined particularly that the oity's sup :
" Of gas should be furnished M usnaI