The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-05-28
THE GAS-W0RKS EXPLOSION
IN CINCINNATI.
SCENES AT THE RUINS.
From the Cincinnati, commcrc,,, .a,

Al a few minutes after 70 Yesterday noon
the city felt the rumble and roar Of a great
explosion, Men on Fourth street thought
that it could not be further of than Third
street, and so ran in that direction. man
sitting nj fottrth-story window on the
north sidc OF Sixth street near John was
startled ut being struck on the cheek hy =
breath of heat. jumping ur, and lookincto
The south. he saw. way down by the river. 4
great mass of black smoke rise
then came q conclusion that shook
the windows, and immediately fhc
smoke was crowned With bic. rcd
flamc-hurSt that shot up to an amazing
height. People over in Coyngton and New
port felt the shock and saw the smoke.
Printers in the fifth story Of the Commercial
office felt it, heard the windows rattle, and
felt the immense shock of the eyp,osion
some Of them looked 10 the southwest, and
saw what the man on Sixth street had seen.
over in the mercantile library the windows
were shaken and many thought tornado
was n hand; and so it was all over the city,
except in The extreme limits and probably
not less than n third of our population real
lied immediately that something eytraordi.
nary had occurred.
The hour was favorable for the accumula-
ton Of a crowd. Within ten minutes after
the noise, men by thousands were rushing
along score of the principal Strccts-all in
the direction whence the sound had come
I'll loI the southwest.
THE GAs-woRKS.
The gasomctcr (or HOLDER on the south
side, known aS - No. ), was a mass ofboiler
iron of aquarter of an inch thickness l21
feet III diameter, and thirty-iiyc feet in
height. 1t was an immense inverted cir
cuiar tank that rose and fell slowly, accord
ing 10 the amount OF gas confined between
It's top and the surface Of the water. Sunk
INTO the ground, with Il depth OF thirty-iivc
feet. Is the tank proper. circular Of course
Of stone, brick, and mortar. This holds
the sheet of water which confines the g;,s
on the one side, while the iron holder keeps
1t down. Through pipes, the mouths of
which rise above the water within the
holder, the gas enters il temporary prison.
As the gas recently made is forced in to
keep up the supply the iron tank rises very
slowly, few inches to the hour, until.
when the full capacity of half a million
cubic feet is reached, the roof Of it, so to
speak, is away up among the spread-caGlcs.
This point had been almost reached yeStcr-
day when the sudden and terrible collapse
occurred. There were $4,000 feet in the
holder then. in 4 moment this immense
volume Of gas had rent the iron plates like
50 much glass, and disappeared i'll smoke
and tame.
TIRE EXPLOSION.
An the forenoon Yesterday sixteen men
had been working up there. on the top Of
the holder and on the columns, tarrng and
painting the vast surface OF IRON. Below
Them on the gro,ind, within about twenty
feet CT the holder, biz fire was burning
and in a caldron. over that. the tar was
boiling. At l. VI. the big bell rang. and
fifteen men started and descended to 90 to
dinner. Since early morning the holder
had risen Il considerable distance. and it
Ind become 50 difficult 10 reach the top of
the ladder that one Of the men, Patrick
Mckenzie. of large and heavy frame, fear
ingto swing himself down to it. concluded to
-endlo his dinner and remain on the holder
until il should sink t. the top of the lad
der. That decision cost him his life. lie
was sitting in the shade of an angle of one
Of the pillars on the south waiting 10 pull
hi dinner up. when suddenly he was deaf
"ned, blinded. and overwhelmed, rs the
immense holder rushed up several feet
above his head. He had seated himself
there big. strong, healthy nun, comfort
ably clothed, and thinking only of his dim
ncr. In an instant, in the midst OF fire,
smoke, and thunder, he rcclined there
naked man-Stripped OF every patch OF
clnthin- save some rags that chung to his
ankles. From his chin 10 his toes nc was
nothing but Il painting mass of burned and
bleeding flesh when the ruins OF the holder
Numbered back down into the deep water
Of the tank.
We find it impossible to state the cause of
the explosion, aud difficult to convey any
idea of the appearance OF it. IT appeared rs
though the roof of the holder was rent III
twain from north to south. that rs ii rose
and fell back the overwhelming sound was
heard, and then the great bursts Of flame
and smoke arose III awful splcndor.
THE GREAT HEAT.
For an instant. for Il square around. the
breath of mighty heat played. The wood
work Of doors and windows was blistcrcd
and hlackcncd. Men a hundred feet away
found their faces, arms. and hands, Scorched
to the flesh. and for many squares around
he close, sitting heat was felt; and then it
it was all over.
TIE CROWD THAT RAN,
rs before stated, closed in around the
wrcck-a denScly- packed mass, full of curl
o>i1v to see and hear, and apparently re-
gardlcss of any danger they might incur.
Men were there in twenty minutes from
every ward OF the city. " hat they saw may
he imagined. Those who could get upon
the wall from the sidewalk saw pond OF
water, in which appeared, torn and twisted,
the top of the holder and quite Il lot OF de-
hri>. The tank was llninlured, and so were
tn" splendid columns, only that two OF the
globes and eagles on the north side had
fallen down upon the ruin OF the holder.
The upright iron rods or guides were some
what twisted.
THE VICTIM.
The most terrible feature OF the affair was
the spectacle toward which ten thousand
hanrhcd faces were uDturned-that OF Il
large. powerful. naked man, black ana blue
and red in botche>, and nowhere Whlte.
The man had been roasted alive; and yet he
lived and moved little, and retained MS
consciousness. as he covered there, III Il
corner, on thc base OF the capital OF one ol
those tall and stately monuments. lie was
waiting for relief, not from his burning
agony, although he died i'll every breath he
drew, but from the dizziness OF the altitude:
He felt that he was growing weak, ana
might not long be able 10 hold himself there,
and he called piteousy TO those who were
bringing the ladders to hurry up. he
wanted to reach the ground and see Ills "iic
and three children, whose terrible anguish
ne felt and knew. And he wanted TO nave
the hand Ola priest on his forehead, ana leel
the touch Of holy watcr-nOt that Inc drops
could cool Il spot OH his criSpcd BODY, pui ne
looked beyond the dry and his death. Ana
50 this Notwithstanding man, whose lnl'ti-
lated trunk and limbs were thrown OUT III
bold relief against the shining backnesS OF
the tarred and painted angie OF ornamental
work, waited there, fifty feet or more aDoF'
The ground. while Il long ladder OF the fifG
Department was elevated to him. The crowd
,huddercd and wondered as they looked
there and saw this naked, dying man'sloWly
raise himself to Il standing position rs nc