Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-23

Z
Company; George Walters, plumber, anC
two children of the owner, John KeOlsch
were more or less badly burned. House
holder, VINO is a youth of Is years, is the
greatest sufferer, being burned about the
head and upper portion fthe body, and is not
expected to recover, while Walters and the
two children, though also scorched by the
flames, are not injured to the same extent
There were II people in the house at the
time, and it is surprising that there were moi
more casualties than those recorded.
Tkesdwelling affected was owned and oc.
cupied by John Keolsch, an employe in the
Edgar Thomson Steel Works, and what oi
1t remains stands at the corner Of Robinson
and Wood streets, within short distance oi
the Pennsylvania Railroad. For some time
Mr.. Keolsch had experienced difficulty with
the gas, which resulted on Thursday morn
ing in a small fire originating in the kitchen,
but which was easily extinguished. Yester-
DAYS disasters were ushered in at $50 o'clock
in the morning, when Mr.. Keolseh was en-
gagged in preparing his breakfast. He had
removed a vessel from the stove, which was
heated by a four-light gas pipe, when an ex-
pansion of the lighted gas took place, which
set fire to the apartment and burned Mr..
Keolsch very severely about the head, face
and arms. He was able, however, to call
for assistance and the fire was soon subdued.
Concluding he had had enough of gas, Mr..
Keolsch notified the company to turn of
THE TREAcHERoUs FLUID
from his house, and having had his burns
attended to, went upstairs and lay down be-
side his wife, who had not yet left her room
since the birth OF her child, ten days pre-
viously. George Walters, brother-in-law
OF the owners, removed the meters, and, in
company with William Householder, on be-
half of the gas company, proceeded TO ascer-
tain where the leakage of gas existed. They
descended to the cellar, accompanied by
Keolsch's two sons, aged respectively IL
wears and z, and struck match to commence
investigations. Instantly the cellar was
filled with flame, accompanying the ex-
plosion which burst out the side and from!
of the house, thereby allowing the
floor of the room in which Mr.. and Mrs.
Keolseh were to drop, throwing the occu-
pants into the street. Owing to the circum-
stances of the family, friends and relatives
of the occupiers to the number of 13 were
assembled in the room at the moment of the
explosion, and were, in an instant, sliding
down the sloping floor to resting place on
the sides of the house. then lying half way
across the streets. Assistance was promptly
at hand and the unfortunates conveyed in
carriages to their homes; the Keolsch family
finding refuge with their relatives, Mr..
John Walters, on Railroad street. The ex-
plosion was so violent as to shake the houses
to considerable distance all around, and
drive in the windows of Patrick Foley's
store across the street,
CONDITION OF SUFFERERS.
When seen last night Mr., Keolsch was
invisible in bandages, but was not suffering
much pain, and expects to be at work again
in a few days. His wife complained of
bruises about the body, but was doubtful as
to whether her infant had sustained injury
or not. The two boys who were in the eel
lar reposed in bed, enveloped in bandages
and are getting around, WI lie Walters, who !
crossing toward recovery. A call was
made on Mr.. John Householder,
williams father, who said that though |
his son was badly burned he expected ne |
would recover. Those in the room at the |
time of the occurrence included Mrs. Winck- |
eubouck, Mre. Letzinger and her daughter, |
Mr.. and Mrs. John Walters, Mrs. Keolsch's |
parents, three children of the Keolsch's and |
two children of Mrs. Keolsch's brother, |
They all slid down into the street on the |
floor as it gave way at the front and side, |
Only those were burned by the gas who
happened in the cellar at the time, as above
mentioned.
When Householder, Walters and the two
boys went down to the cellar, the former
having first turned off the gas at the main,
they must have been unaware of the volume
of the gas which had concentrated there.
The match was struck, and the disaster fol-
lowed. The house is of four rooms, and cost
Mr. Keolsch somewhere between $500 and
81, 900. As it now stands it is minus two
sides and the floor of the front room, but the
chimneys, roof and other sides are intact.
ALoCAL UPHEAvAL.
A severe explosion of natural gas took
place in the basement of the three-story
brick house at No. 81 Wylie avenue Just
about 6 o'clock yesterday morning. The
house is owned and occupied by Mrs. George
Glass. and at the time of the accident nine |
persons were in the house. The members of
he family were nearly all asleep on the sec
ond floor.
The house is opposite the new power house
If the Central Traction Company, and the
he street has been excavated for the cable
raults. It is believed that the exeavating
.snsed a leak In the Philadelphia Com.
,apv's gas main. The gas escaped into the
,oai vault under the sidewalk and thence
nto the basement. When Barbara Ecken-
Iorfer. the young German domestic, de-
cended to prepare breakfast she
iphted a match and there was
b explosion. The building was ratified,
windows broken, ceilings cracked, chande-
iers shattered, the front wall rent in two
,laces, and the stone sidewalk broken to
,ieces. The servants clothing took fire.
Ihe rushed upstairs to Mrs. Glass bedroom.
here quilts were thrown her and the flames
Fere extinguished. The girl was badly
'urned on the fsce. breast and arms She