Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03
SEVEN DEAD AT ALLIANCE
VICTIMS IMPRISONED IN THE
DEBRIS BURNED ALIVE.

The Only One to Escape Bereft of his
Wife and Two Children-A Sickening
Smell of Burned Flesh Pervading the
RHins-HOw the Disaster was Pre-
cipitated.
ALLIANCE, ONO, Feb. 2.-Orr's block
was leveled to the ground by the gaso-
line explosion, and two brick blocks, one
on each side, succumbed to the shock,
while others further away, were shattered,
riddled and badly injured. In few mo-
ments flames rose from the ruins and a
fire alarm was sounded. Such excitement
prevailed that the fire gained so much
headway as to nearly consume the ruins
and burned two houses before it was got
under control. In the meanwhile the
scene was narrowing in the extreme, as
it was known that six or more people
were killed or were then imprisoned in
the wreck and would perish by fire.
Women and children wfinging their hands
and relatives of the inmates of the build
ing destroyed wandered about in the hope
lessness of despair at their inability to
save the inmates.
THE VICTIMS.
F. NJ. Orr and Elmore Orr, his son,
Holmer Highland, his daughter, Mrs.
Frank Evans and two children, aged two
and four months, were known to have
been in the building at the time of the
explosion. These all perished. The
woman and her children were in the sec
ond and third stories, and are supposed
to have been killed by the falling walls.
MIR. Orr and his son were both spoken to
while confined under the debris, but were
burned to death. Their bodies were all
recovered last night, and were crushed or
charred so as to be hardly recognizable.
The only person in the Orr building
known to have escaped was Frank Evans,
whose wife and children perished. Be
sides those killed seven persons had
broken limbs, or were cut and bruised by
flying bricks, etc.
THE CAUSE.
The explosion was caused by fumes
from the gasoline. A child of Mr.. Orr
turned the faucet in a barrel and the fluid
ran out on the floor. Mr.. Orr was mop
ping it up when the gas arising there
from ignited from a gas light. John Cur
rey and Charles Fl. Hayden, of DupreZ
u Benedict's MinstreIs, were blown out
of Orr's store through plate glass win
dow and carried clear across the street,
where they were picked up badly injured
and carried to their hotel. They will re-
cover. The damage is estimated at from
100000 to $4,000. Business was entirely
suspended here after the explosion, and
the minstrel entertainment was post
poned.
WORKING AMONG THE DEBRIS.
ALLIANCE, OHIO, Feb. 2. 2 P. NJ
WOrkmen are busy clearing the street of
debris from yesterdays explosion, and
saving property from the wrecked build
Tho fro ayfi loo
night. No more bodies have been found.
Nobody is missing and no name is to be
added to the list of killed or wounded.
The remains of those who were crushed
and burned to death were placed in cOfins
to-day and conveyed to their former
homes to await interment tomorrow.
CROWDS AT THE SCENE.
CLEVELAND, Feb. 2, II P. MA special
says: "Alliance has been crowded all
day with people from the surrounding
country attracted here to see the wreck
made by the explosion. At the Coroner's
inquest to-day it was developed that Mr..
Orr kept gasoline in an air tight galvan-
lied iron tank for his customers. About
a gallon of gasoline had run out on the
floor and had been wiped up by Mr.. Orr,
who then turned to other affairs, when
the gas generated by the gasoline ignitad.
The tank contained not more than half a
barrel Of the liquid.
THE MINSTREL MEN BADLY HURT.
Charles Haden and John Carey, of
Duprez & Benedict's Minstrels, are the
most seriously injured. They will be
taken to the Sisters of Charity Hospital in
Canton.
A circumstance which has excited much
comment is that the WOmen's Christian
Union appointed a meeting
TO be held in the Orr block yesterday after
noon, but some trifling matter prompted
them to postpone it until to-day.
An offensive Odor Of burned flesh is still
perceptible about the wreck, and suggests
that all the bodies have not been recoV-
cred, but nobody is missing.
An eye witness says that when the ex-
plosiOn occurred the entire building
seemed to be lifted into the air and rent
apart, falling back in a cloud of dust,
scarcely one brick clinging to another.