Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-06-15
Terrible Explosion of Oil
~. and Gas
Boltz's, Grocery Blown 10
Atoms
Great Destruction of Life and
Property.
Men Burned in a Horrible
Manner.
The List of Killed and Woun-
1ed.

that about half-past eight O'Clock Mr..
Frank Fowler, the driver of The estnb-
lishment. had occasion to 60 into the
cellar for potatoes Taking a match, he
struck il on the wall as he passed down
the S.airs, for the purpose of lighting the
gas, the burner Of which was near the
stairway. The match. igniting and break
ing, fell into = coffee sack and quickly
kindleda flame Mr. Fowler attempted
TO extinguish the blaze by stamping II
out and afterward smoihering it with
another old coffee sack which was near
at hand. Finding his efforts fruitless, he
rushed to the door and gave the alarm of
FIRE The reflection of thu fame had been
seen by outsiders and the cry given i'm
meiiately, so that in less than fifteen
minutes water was being poured into the
cellar from 10th the engines Bat hardly
had the firemcn rot to work before n
bright fash resembling the burning of
unconfined powder, burst through the
grating without and the stairway within,
throwing up Of the same time small
trap door few feet from the entrance.
This flash. so sudden and forcibie, was
regarded by the firsnen and spectators as
an explosion, but. as afterwards ascerta;l2
ed, was nothing but the ignition of tie
oil in the can and the gas generated from
il. Three or four persons who We're At
the time several feet within the cellar hold
ing the hose. were very badly burned.
Their places were quickly filed by other
firemen, however and such stream OF
water poured upon the burning mass,
that in twenty minutes no signs of fire
were visible; and had the cellar then been
closed up and no one permitted to enter
il until the heat and. gas had been diSsi-
mted, no further accident would have oc-
CARED. But the sympathetic firemen
fearing that some one of their coln--5c1
had been left in the baSene1: alter the
first explosion, tFavely took their torch
Is. leaped through the outside opening
and commenced the search. 4 brave act.
indeed, but one that has caused many
poor fellow intense suffering an marked
him for life Scarcely had the cellar been
reached before sheet of fame developed
The building and filled the street, foil wv
cd by a terrible. explosion, like a heavy
peal Of thunder. fearfully rocking and
shaking the building with the entire block
Il was the work Of an instant, terrible in
it, effects Firemen were hurled from
the cellar, workmen thrown from the
store md spectators lining the street.
struck with flying missiles. This of itself
was horrible, but when attended with the
fame of bt ming gas, the scene became
the most CHASTITY and appalling which tn c
citizens of Fort Wayne have ever been
called upon 10 witness. Thirty-six men.
healthy. brave. and at their posts Of duty.
are wrapped in a burning atmosphere,
compelled to breathe the deadly fame
and given no chance OF escape. 1t can
only be compared to the lsite gas expio-
sions in Cincinnati and the Pennsylvania
coal mines.
of Coarse after such an accident, a
thousand rumors were instantly afioat
Gunpowder, eoal-oiI chemical explosives
and everything else conIbustible were said
to be the cause The excitement knew
no limits, but iaen and women, eager 10
hear and report, seized upon every word
that was uttered and fIlstei ed TO increase
the exaggesation- Twent.--one barrels OF
kerosene, two hundred bounds of gun
powder, or definite numb n of something
else, had exploded, and men buried be-
meath the ruins. The facts. however,
when known Alright, are simple, and the
cause <of.the explosion perfectly plain
Only one barrel of rose oil was in the eel
lar, and this contained in lage in tank,
open at fhe top and placed a few feet from
the bottom Of the staircase, where the
fire commenced. There never was any
ginpowder in the cellar and only small
quantity ever stored for sale This was
kept ON the main hoor in tightly sealed
can and never opened after night. Mr..
Mensch, the book keeper of the establish
meBt, showed as this can two hours after
the fire, In the same condition and place
in which it had been left at o'clock.
The fire originated within three feet of
the oil tank, and the first explosion was
the ignition of the oil and gas at the mo-
ment when this tank was upset by the
force of the water thrown against it, 1t
could hardly be called an explosion, but
rather fash--rushing through The win
dows and grating, so great surface be-
ing presented to the flame. The fire was
then wholly extinguished, and had the
torch been kept away until the gas, natur-
ally generated by so intense heat, had
found its way from the cellar, no second
explosion would have taken place. The
basement. how ever, being srnr" and
close, and sufficient escape not be; W
en-, it was quickly filed with gas { ser
which water had no power of control, but
which the presence of q torch could in
s.antly ignite into most terribly fatal
explosion No blame can be attached to
any one. The french did their work
nobly 4AndPthe desires of finding COM
-f1de, added the zignorsnce Of the exist
ing danger, in our opinion, exculpaies
those entering the cellar with light.
s sWe-.give the names Of the dead and
! wounded, and aisosthe cosoner's inquest
over the body of Huelsman:
John Kresseler, burned in face Sc
vsTz EU - TsSz
3sdn Blo0ahhuf, badly halrned in head.
Man named 0rtman, badly burned
Henry Reeker, badly burned.
Iamss seihing, badly burned = -
-. Frederick Huelsman, killed instantly
VIM. Wellington, slightly burned. -
DIR. Rodman, burned slightly 90
Geo. NJ Myers, badly burned.