The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-06-04
6eurrnl 8uttlliorntt.
TERRIFIC
BurstInR ofthe Gasometer at M Ca
cInuatl Gas Works.

CrScrNNATI, May 2L-At a few minutes
past ~ O'Clock to-day, our citizens were
startled with q dull, rumbling explosion,
accompanied by q trembling of the earth,
and all the phenon ena OF an earthquake.
The sound came from the southwest part
of the city. Dense volumes Of smoke arose
in that o%riarter. The hre-bells were rung,
and the engines came out, but their SER
vices were not required. The gasometer
q the city passwords had exploded with a
stunning report. The huge iron holder,
one hundred and thirty feet in dianetera and
forty-two feet in height, with q capacity
Tor half a million cubic feet of gas, was
torn in pieces, aud tumbled in q confused
mass into the cistefn. h the cause
WINS no one can tell. The explosion COM
menced on the north side, next 30 Front
street. Ten or twelve workmen who bad
been engaged in painting the odd had
lust descended, and att timo were stand
ing by the engine house, but miraculous-
" escaped with their lives, aud without se-
tious injury. One man, Pat Mckenzie, an
employe OF the gas company, was on top OF
the column, on q level with, and nearly
touching the top of the gasometer. He
was not blown of by the explosion, though
his clothes were all burned of, and his en-
tire body was crisped so as TO cause his
death in three hours.
Dick and Pat Sheridan were driving lum.
Der carts near the scene, and they and
their horses were severely burned. These
men will recover, but the horses will prob
ably die.
A imam 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 Heighboring hold
ems were injured by the conclusion, N so
badly as to leak n large amount Of gas.
The buildings near were scorched, but, sx-
cept starting the roof Of one, no ether
damage was done. The report was heard
at a great distance. The loss to the gas
company will be $50. 600. 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.
CNcGNNArI, May 25.-All the forenoon
Yesterday Is 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, q big fire was
burning, and in q cauldron over that the
tar was boiling,
At noon the big bell rung, and 10 men
started 30 60 10 dinner. Since early morn
ing the holder had risen q considerable
distance, and it had become 30 difficult TO
reach the top of the ladder, that one Of the
men, Patrick Mckenzie, of large and heavy
frame, fearing 10 swing himself down 10 Il,
concluded to send for his dinner, and re-
main OF the holder until il should sink TO
the top OF the ladder. That decision cost
him his life. He was aitting in the shade
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 seyeml feet
above his head. He had seated himself
there, u strong. healthy man, comfortably
clothed, and thinking only of his dinner.
Ia al instant, in the midst OF FIRE, and
amoke, and thunder, he reclined there a
naked man, stripped Of every patch OF
clothing, save some rags that chung TO his
ankles From his chin to his toes he was
nothing but a mass Of burned andbleeding
flesh.
When the runs of the holder Numbered
back down into the deep water of the tank,
the bursting ont of flames from n cauldron
of tar produced a terrible panic among the
thousands of spectators. IL was a panic
stricken crowd, terrible in its fear. The
weaker men gasped for air in the crush,
and some Of them fell 10 the ground. Boys
were trampled into the gutter. Some
stumbled over the hose, aud were unable
10 rise again until they had felt many q
cruel heel. Several women had the same
desperate experience. II was a struggle 10
escape fire or conclusion, all thought, and
80 they fed without reason.
young man named Albert Warren had
his left arm broken. A lad named John
AIallAU. hnI NhA aAlN q 800 a IL.
tllated in n shocking manner. A woman,
Mrs. Krider, living near by, and strangely
ont Of place ~there-unless, as was stated,
she saw one of her children-was so yio-
lently iostled and trampled upon that a
miscarriage very soon resulted 10 her. Jas.
Harper, Il large, strong man, had two Of the
fingers Of his left hand broken. Various
other accidents occurred.
So Tar as can be learned, the only suffer en-
as TO property by this affair il the pas COM
pany, whose loss IL about 500, 900, on
which there is no insurance.
By the force of the conclusion, 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 N on the north
side recently finished. This is a telescope
holder, of the same capacity as No. 4.
$500 - - NhN' IL hHh
up, and dropped in such a 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 10 the
ground, shattered the stone bases and in
one instance broke out a big half section of
the inch iron Of the column.
Holder No. 4 was lifted out of line, but
was righted 80 az 10 be Of service last even
ing.
The explosion is not accounted for by
any-eyen the best informed gas manufac-
turers. Your correspondent wal informed
last night that when IL occurred there wal
no are 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 Inc
flame, which was communicated to the
escaping contents from the stack of the
Globe rolling mills, The idea was quite
generally presented that there is no dan
ger of IN explosion TO a holder. In Octo-
Der, 1866, a gasometCr of the London Gas
works at Nine Elms, Battersea
road, exploded, killing ten men. It was
the size of this. Not long since there
q similar explosion at Chicago. Both
these explosions were accounted for by
the hre communicating from the governor
In the first instance. How this ever oc-
CURED, no one seems TO know. The Off
and employees of the works seem
puzzled, and cannot solve the mystery.
The theory above given seems plausible.
The explosion could not occur until the
gas had become mixed with atmospheric
IN, and II does not seem likely that that
ould occur except in the way mentioned.
II. J. Miller, President of the Company,
'asin Chicago to-day. He was ~telegraphed
o Immediately and returned word that no
Expense should be spared in repairing the