The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-04
UNDER THE RUINS.
Crushed. and Mangled People in an
Ohio Town.
A ra5y,s sreak Eresght with Awful
Cs.@ >eIuanccs--- Frightfai Case
line Explosion With seven
ARBWn Victims.

ALEIANCE. o., Feb A terrible ex-
plosia, -urred in the business centeS of the
city Glass in windows for blocks along
Man street was shattered, and CONSERVATION
rts, ,ncl supreme. Men lost their sense and
sIt1i>. and dust covered everything for
ra.iias of quarter of a mile When the
horrible clou arose it was discovered
that the explosion had occurred at
the brick business block of F. N.
Orr, oceapiel on the first floor as a stove and
tia store, and on the second and third stories
as tenement apartments. The block was
leveled 10 the ground and two brick blocks,
one on each side, succumbed to the shock,
while others, farther away, were shattered,
ridilea AMI badly injured. In few mo-
ments flames arose from the ruins and the
fire alarm was sounded. Such excitement
prevailed that the fire gained 50 much head
way as to nearly consume the ruins, and
burned two houses before it was got under
control
Meanwhile the scene was narrowing in the
extreme. 1t was known that six or more
people were killed or were then imprisoned
in the wreck, and would perish by fire, Men,
women, and children, bareheaded, wringing
their hands, and relatives of the inmates of
the buildings destroyed, wandered about
in. despair at their inability to save
the unfortunates. F. NJ Orr, Elmer
Orr, his son, Mrs. Homer Highland, his
daughter, Mrs Frank Evans, and two chill.
dren aged 2 and months, were known to
have been in the building at the time of the
explosion. These all persisted. The women
and children were in the second and third
stories, and are supposed to have been killed
by falling walls. Mr.. Orr and son were both
spoken to while confined under the debris,
but were burned to death Many were also
wounded
The list Of the killed and maimt d, so far as
known, lis as follows: Killed Mr. Orr,
proprietor of the store and block; Elmer
Orr, MS son; Mrs. Homer Highland, Mr.
OIT,s daughter; Mrs. Frank Evans, two
small children of Mrs. Evans, aged respec-
lively 2years and months; the 2-year-old
son of Mrs Highland. Injured Robert
Joyce, Frank Evans, Frank Fries, J. D.
Lewis, Jerry Miller, Maggie Miller and John
Baker.
Besides the above named there were two
or three Others in the store at the time of
the explosion whose names have not been
learned, but who were spoken with beneath
the ruins before life had been crushed or
burned out of them. At present all those
previously known to have persisted have
cen extricated from the debris Some
Of thesa. ara charrcd and mangled be-
yond recognition. The work, how
ever, Of clearing away the rubbish and
searching for the bodies is being vigorously
pushed forward by the aid of such light as is
afforded by the moon and bonfire in the
street. The only person in the building
known to have escaped, save some employees
engaged in the workshop attached to the
rear, was Frank Evans,
The scenes Immediately following the dis
aster were well calculated to affect the most
Indifferent. The buildings vera an indescrib-
able mass of ruins, Men and women rushed
about frantically beseeching that something
be done. Homer Highland, whose wife and
child persisted in the flames was almost beside
himself with grief and horror, as was also
Frank Evans, whose wife and two children
likewise persisted. Mrs Orr was completely
Frustrated by the shock.
The great loss of life resulted from the fact
that the second and third stories were used
as dwellings The persons within were not
all killed outright, as could be too plainly
told by their audible but unavailable cries
for help Every means that could be was
used to rescue the victims, but the rapid
spread of the flames, notwithstanding the
heroic efforts of the fire company, soon drove
the rescuers back The grocery store OF
Mr.. Mcconnell, adjoining, had some seven
or eight persons in it, but all of them
were dragged out not severely hurt
The explosion was caused from fumes of
gasoline, child of Mr.. Orr having turned the
faucet in a gasoline barrel, allowing the fluid
to run out on the floor. Mr.. Orr was
hopping up when the gas arising from the
oil ig1Iited from gaslight, and the explosion
occurred. John Curry and Charles Fl. Hay
den, OF Duprez & Benedict's minstrels, we're
blown out of OIT's store, through a plate
glass window, and carried clear across the
street, where they were picked up badly in
jured and carried to hotel, but will recover.
The explosion was felt and heard for dis
tance of two miles, while those in the imme-
date vicinity thought for q moment that
there had been an earthquake Some idea of
its force may be guessed from the fact that a
team of horses standing in the street in front
were thrown against the walls of the building
on the opposite side of the street.
The Orr block was one of the finest in the
city and was completed only last fall 1t is
total wreck, as are the Miller block and the
building occupied by Mr.. Fullerton as a
leather store and by Miss Stanley as a mill.
merry establishment A reasonable estimate
of the value of the property destroyed would
be $1,000 very small part of which was
covered by insurance
LATERAL the bodies missing have been
recovered.
Randall and tha T.rsR