The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-09-24

A Sheet OF Flame Issues from q st.
Joseph Well.

from Ine VI joe nerad
Late Monday afternoon the people Who
dsell IN the vicinity of Sixth and Edmund
streets we're startled By lond report.
which shook the earth and ratified winiows
like an earthquake. There WA consid~ra-
bic excitement in the neishborhood for
time, until the csuse ii the unusual com.
motion Vas ascert.ined.
THE PARTICULARS
OF the occurrence could not be reliably a.
certained until yesterday, when Gazsae
reporter wss fortunate enough to obtain an
au.,. nee with DE-. William s. Leach. q,
his Palaiial residence. on Francis street,
between Twelfth and Thirteenth. The
doctor SAID il Was the most terrible thing
that could be imsxined-ths
! MOST wOSDERFCL OCCURRENCE
on record in this or any other country.
He owns . number Of wells in this city
and frequently finds it nect~ssry to have
them cleaned out and repaired. lie always
sup~rintends this work in persen. A. he can
get it done cheaper and better than
By letting the work out to cOntrac
tori. Monday he employed q man
named John Dobt,s to s-sist him in cleaning
out veil in the rear Of Darby & shorts
carriage factory Office. on Edmond street.
between Sixth and Seventh. After arr.n2-
ing his hosting machinery, Young Dohb~
- in~ INT, ebo IL =
ihiry-6ve feet deep. He s.d not gone
down more than h-lf way when he
GREW FAINT
and came up again. Then man named ].
NJ. Owsley, a professional veil digger, Who
was also employed to assist in the work,
arrived on the scene. but the doctor. finding
that Dobbs vas nearly suffocated, forbade
Owsley entering the we'll. To ascertain
whether or not there we're danps in the
veil, Dr.. Leach procured . quantity Of
shavings. and placing them in the bucket,
sat THEM ON FIRE
ard sent the bucket down, believing that ii
the damps were dangerous the IRE would
he extingnished. This, he says. il the |
u-u.I test. Dobbs and Owsiey we're reclin-
ing over the edge Of the curbing when the |
doctor lowered his bucket OF FIRE. The |
doctor says he observed this fact, bat for
the next several minutes his mind wAa too
much occupied to take particular note Of
the details Of his surrcundings. He heard
LOUD REPORT
and then picked himself up from an I'M
disniied position which he had assumed.
some six or eight feet from where he stood
when the explosion took place. He looked
about him then and Jaw
AGREAr SHEET OF FLAME
shooting up above the we'll curb. Ovsley
and Dobbs we're doubled up and laundering
about in the weeds, trying to assume up
right and natural positions. The doctor,
occupying the most favorable position, vas
less injured than His eo,ployes. and conse-
quently was the 6~t to realize the situation.
By this time Fiank Smith, having heard
the report, arrived on the scene, and soon
aiierward several Others came. Then
SURGICAL ATTENTION
was givs0 70 the unfortunate men, all Of |.
whom we're badly wounded. They we're ell
conveyed to their homes, when it Vas a.
certsined that none Of their injuries we're Of
. serious character, though all the burns
we're very painful. DR.. Leach's beard and
we're badly singed. and his entire
face is discolored yet fsasHssAe effects Of the
burns. The faces If the other men blis,ered
Immediately, and the men presented
used-up appearance generally. They suffer
pain. Of course. but the burns are only skin
deep and will not prove serious.
THE WELL
Vas visited yesterday and FIRE thrown into
il sgsin when another explosion occurred.
though not 40 terrific a. the 6sst. but the
blue 6ames shot up above the surface OF
the ground. A little later another bunch
Of burning slsssises vss thrown in. This
time there wss No explosion, but on sp-
preaching the curb sad looking in the men
found
FLAMES DANCING ABOUT
on the surface Of the water, and blue flames
licking the sides Of the we'll. several ieet
above the water. Some Of the water Was
pumped out. coming from several feet be-
loo the surface. and found to be strongly
impregnzsed with substance akin to coal |!
oil.
WHAT IS IT?
DR.. Leach in unable to account for the
strange freak Of the veil, and doesn't know
how to investigate this strange occurrence.
but he hopes some scientific peraOm will !
look into isa The Doctor thinks he hss
found coal o,l veil, bat 10 not inclined |
to psospec for Others on the same princi- |
pie By which this one Was discovered.
-
Saline County Criminal Court.
This eoa's opened on Mooday last, judge
w. H. H. Hill on the bench. On Tuesday
Judge Hill vas i'll and unable to proceed
With business. Sam. Davis vaa elected |
special judge 70 cit in the Gaze Of the State
~. Taylor. charged With perjury. A
motion vas made to quash the indictment,
which wss oserruled, when the case wss
continued.
subsequently, Hon. ]. P. Serother vas
elected - special judge to occupy the
bench the balance Of the term. There are
ten OF twelve prisoners in Jail to b dis
posed Of.
Befkshire0.
The following were the awards Of pre- |
miums on Berkshises ct the Kansas City |
fair yesterday. Il vill be seen that Nick |
Gentry Of this county has been successful
in getting three premiums.
Boar over TOO year old-N. H. Gentry, I
Sedslia, NO.. lat premium, SIS. Pat Gold |
sDn1v ~x,ons,,0n a.