Huntsville gazette., 1884-02-09
AN AGENT OF DEATH.
Seven Lives Lost, as Many More Persons
Injured and Four Buildings Demolls shed
by an Explosion of Gasoline at Alliance,
Ohio.

Dy an Explosion OF Gasoline Ut AIlabcS'
Ohio.
ALLIANCE, o., Feb. l.
The most dreadful disaster that ever oc-
Cured in the city Of Alliance befell us
about four O'Clock this afternoon. At that
hour a terrific explosion of gasoline took
place in the store of F. M. Orr, the result of
which WAS the entire demolition of the Orr
block, together with the Miller building on
the west side and two frame buildings on
| the east side. But great as was the loss of
property, il is as nothing compared to the
| loss of life which resulted from the explo-
| sion.
The following are the names of those
grown to have lost their lives:
f. NJ. Orr, proprietor of the store and
| block.
Elmer Orr, his son.
Mrs. Homer Highland, his daughter.
| A two-year-old son of Mrs. Homer High
land.
Mrs. Frank Evans.
Two small children of Mrs. Frank Evans,
aged respectively two years and four
months.
| Besides those above named there were
| two or three others in the store at the time
| been learned, but who were spok n with
| beneath the ruins before life had been
| crushed or burned out of them At present
all those positively known TO have per-
| ished have been extricated from the de-
| bris. Some of these are charred and man.
gled beyond recogni ion. The work, how
ever, of clearing away the rubbish
and searching for bodies is being vigorous
ly pushed forward by the aid of such light
as is afforded by the moon and a bonfire in
| the street.
Besides those who perished the following
| persons were more or less injured: Robert
Joyce, Jerry Miller, F. ank Evans, Maggie
Miller Mrs. Frease, Mr.. Baker, j. d. Lew
| is, John Curry, Charles Hayden. The two
| last named are of the minstrel troupe of
| Duprez & Benedict.
| Some escaped, as it seemed, almost by a
| miracle. The grocery store of Mr.. McCon-
mel, adjoining, had some seven or eight per-
| sons in it, but all Of them were dragged
out not severely hurt.
The scenes Immediately following the
| disaster were well calculated to affect the
most indifferent. The buildings were an
| indescribable mass of ruins. Men and
| women were rushing about frantically be-
seeching that something might be done.
| Mr.. Homer Highland, whose wife and
| child perisbed, was almost beside himself
with grief and horror, as was also Mr..
| Frank Evans, whose wife and two children
| likewise p6flSnoO. MIS-. UT was COIL
pletely prostrated by the shock.
| The only person in the building known to
| have escaped save some employees engaged
| in the workshop attached to the rear, was
Mr.. Frank Evans. The great loss of life
resulted from the fact that the second and
| third stories were nsed as dwellings.
The persons within were not all killed
outright, as could be too plainly told by
| their audible but unavailing cries for help.
| Everything was done that could be to res
cue the victims. but the rapid spread of the
flames, notwithstanding the heroic efforts
OF the fire company, soon drove the res
cuers back.
The explosion was caused by the 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 mopping
it up which gas arising therefrom ignited
from gas light.
John Curry and Charles H. HAYDEN Of
Duprez q Benedict'S minstrels were blown
out of Orr's store through a plate glass
window and carried clear across the street,
where they were picked up badly injured.
They were carried to hotel, They will
recover.
The Orr block, one of the finest in the city
and completed only last fall, is total
wreck, as are the Miller block and the
building occupied by Mr.. Fullerton as a
leather store and by Miss Stanly as a mill
linery establishment. A reasonable esti-
mate of the value of the property destroyed
would be $4,000, a very small part of
which was covered by insurance.
The explosion was OF such force that it
was felt and heard for a distance of two
miles. Those in the immediate vicinity
thought for moment that there had been
an earthquake. Some idea of its force
may be q aned from the fact that team
o, horses standing in the street in front
were thrust az ainst the walls of the build
ing ON the opposite side of the street. All
the win ow-glass on either side of the
street for distance considerably more
than tlock was smashed. 1t will take
$1,000 or $1,000 to replace the glass broken.