The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-05-27
From the Cincinnati Enquirer, May 25thI
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
A GASOMETER BLOWN UP,
ONE MAN KILLED.
Loss About $4,000.

At little past twelve O'Clock NJ,
yesterday, the entire southwestern part
of the city was shaken by terrible ex.
plosion, which must have resemDled in
some respects the jar of an earthquake
and simultaneous herewith an immense
flame, in the direction of the City Gas
works, was seen TO shoot heaven ward
| followed by volume of dense and i'm
pregnable smoke. The city fire. bells
rang out an alarm; and soon vast sea
of humanity, men, women and children
were rushing to the scene of the disaster,
anxious to learn the mature Of the ca
Ilamity. On arriving at the Gas-works
we found the streets and avenues in
svery direction blocked with the excited
populaOe, ana learned that one of the
immense reservoirs, or. gasometers, the
largest one connected with the works,
had exploded. The reservoir-in question
was swung upon iron columns forty feet
high; it was composed of sheet iron, and
was seventy feet in diameter. Moth.
! ing now remained of it save the mass OF
| iron of which II was composed, lying
scattered iu the immense basin of water
over which it hung, and the huge iron
columns to which it was suspended. 1t
held at the time of the accident 375, ,OOO
cubic feet of gas, which had all in one
seconds time vanished like a flash OF
powder. So sudden was its consumption
and dissipation into the atmosphere that
no fire was communicated TO anything,
and strange to say, little or no damage
was done TO surrounding buildings gave
the jarring of walls and the cracking of a
few panes of glass. Not even chimney
was thrown down. The fact that all
the adjacent Buildings were brick, COW
cred with slate or iron roofs, may have
prevented a disastrous coDhagration,
but the entire force of the explosion and
flame seems to have been directly up
ward.
There was not, and has not as yet, been
any satisfactory explanation as to the
cause of the explosion, though one of the
officers connected with the institution
attributes it to the extraordinary expan.
sion of the gas, caused by heat, added to
the shallowness of the water at the foot
of the meter.
THE VICTIM-NHOCKISG SPECTACLE.
When we arrived at the scene of the
disaster, n sight met our gaze which
caused us to scken with horror Far
up on the iron frame work which sup
ported the immense reservoir, in a cor
uer against one of the iron columns,
there hung a man perfectly naked, with
the exception of one boot; his face was
blaokened, his hair burned from his
head, and his flesh crsped and scorChed
by the terrible heat. There he hung,
removed from human aid, the most pitt
able sight that ever We beheld. 1t was
fifteen minutes before the gallant fire.
men placed their ladder against the COL
umn, and lifted from his perilous posi-.
ton the poor sufferer, who bore the
stamp aud impress of death. 1t was
with difficulty that the poor man was
assisted down the ladder, and borne to
the office of the Gas Company, DR.. o.
(. Newton was present, and immediate
! ly proceeded TO administer suoh relief as
he was able 10 under the circumstances.
The agony and torture which he suffered
was terrible in the extreme, and it be-
ing evident that he could not live, at
the request of his friends, Catholic
priest was summoned to administer the
last rites of the Church, of which he
was member. The name of the un-
/ fortunate man was Patrick Mckenzie.
A little later in the day, he was borne to
his home, the Sixth Ward House." on
Columbia street, between Mill and
Fark' where he fingered in intense agony
until about six O'clock in the evening,
when death ended his sufferings.