Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-13
BURNED IN AN EXPLOSION
i LIGHTED LAMP SETS FIRE To
AROOM FULL OF GAS.

d. Y Dancy. Esq, Painfully Injured in
an Explosion at His Residence-Escap-
ing Gas Fills a Room ard Is Set on Fire
by a Lamp Carried in His Hand-The
Walls and Windows shattered and the
Building Shaken-The Cause of the
Disaster-Theories as to the Escape Of
the Gas.
About 10 o'clock last night a loud ex-
plosion, followed BY a crash and the
rafting Of window glass on the pavement,
startled the residents Of the vicinity Of
Jones and Whitaker streets. 1t was some
minutes before the explosion could be
located. Intense excitement prevailed
for a time. A bright light in the base
ment Of the residence of D. Y. Dancy, Esq,
No. las Jones street. and the WlndOWless
sash on the south side of the house indi-
Gated the sceneOf the disaster. The door
opening from the basement floor upon the
sidewalk was blown open, and the win
d0ws were without a single pane.
The occupants Of the hOuse-Mrs. Dancy
and her little daughter-were in the par
Tor when the explosion occurred. and
rushed down stairs where Mr.. Dancy had
gone a few minutes before to examine the
gas metre, which was leaking, and found
him badly burned lying on the floor
among the plastering, which had been
Jared from the ceiling. and with the
walls Of the room in flames. Assistance
was summoned and he was carried up
stairs. DR.. Charlton was called. and after
an examination found that his injuries
were very severe, his neck, shoulders and
body being frightfully burned. He was
placed under the influence Of a powerful
medicine, with orders that he be kept
perfectly quiet.
Mrs. Dancv stated 10 a MORNING NEWS
reporter that the superintendent Of the
new gas company with his assistants had
during the day changed the metre from
the old 70 the new service, contrary to the
orders Of Mr.. Dancy, who had given eX-
plicit instructions that it should
not be changed until he had
authorized it. During the eve
| ming the gas had been escaping and
was perceptible throughout the whole
house. About 10 O'Clock Dir. D2ncy took
lamp and went down TO the metre TO
see il anything was wrong, and as he en-
tered the room with the lighted lamp IN
| his hand the explosion took place, shat
| tering the windows and knocking the
plaster from the walls and ceilings and
jarring the whole house.
The explosion, so far as Mrs. Dancy
could learn. was due TO neglect IN
properly sealing the pipe leading to the
metre.
Mr. \. F. Thompson, Secretary of the
Mutual Gas Light Company, was sent for
and examined the metre. He stated that
he found it intact, with no gas escaping
and no possibility for any to escape. Mr..
Thompson sent for Superintendent Byers,
who had charge Of the work OF fitting the
metres and pipes, and who had person
ally directed the work in this in
stance. Superintendent Byers said he had
removed the metre from the CidsservIce
pipe, which was side by side with the
new pipe, and had made the connection
in the forenoon. before dinner, and that
after dinner, about 3 O'Clock, he had, in
company with Mr.. Dancy, inspected the
| metre. and had gone over the entire house
without detecting the slightest OdOr Of
| gas. The only way in which he could
account for its presence was that
| in all probability the air in
| the pipes had caused the gas
! 10 flicker upon being lighted and that
| some member Of the household had gone
| TO the metre, and in attempting to turn the
stOn-cOck had by mistake opened the old
service pipe and allowed the gas to es-
cape in this way. The pipe, it was GER
tain, could not have been left open by the
men, as the flow would have been so great
| that il would have been detected at once.
Mr.. Remshart, who was in the house a
| few minutes after the explosion, Rad par
| italy. succeeded in turning the stOp-cOck
| i'm the old pipe and stopping the flow. Mr..
Thompson was certain that the explosion
was due to no neglect upon the part Of
the company. There are, however, con-
tlicting statements by Mrs. Dancy and
superintendent Byers, which tend to show
that someone is either mistaken or there
is criminal negligence.
Mr.. Dancy being under the physicians
care, was not able to be seen, or his state
ment might possibly have thrown some
light upon the cause Of the disaster.