The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-12-05

Friday evening about GAO the city was
shaken by terrible explosion, the concus-
sion being felt twenty miles distant 1t
took but few minutes to learn that the
large naphtha tanks ut the gas works had
been blown up.
Almost Immediately the fire depart
ment was at the scene Of the disaster,
where the flames were rising thirty
feet high. Two streams of water were
played upon the fire and buildings of the
Gas Co. No expectation of extinguishing
the flames was hoped for until the naphtha
had burned itself out, the fire company en-
deavoring only to save the buildings.
The finding of Engineer Chapman's hat
and lantern, the latter battered and the
globe gone, furnished some clew to the ex-
plOsiOn and at the same time added to the
certainty of added misfortune.
The storage tanks OF the Gas Co. had
been filled that day, containing over 400
barrels of naphtha, and rumor that rail-
road hand had seen someone near the works
with q lighted lantern was cOnfrmat0ry of
worst fears. Inside the house of the en-
gineer, Mrs. Chapman was endeavoring in
vain to maintain hope against what seemed
inevitable. The half-eaten supper on the
table told of the suddenness of the over
whelmlng misfortune that had come that
night.
Outside the scene was strangely weird,
the flames shooting high in the air followed
by dense column Of black, curling smoke,
and the immense crowd surrounding the fire
at safe distance. The east bound passenger
train had every window and platform
crowded to witness the scene.
About IL O'Clock, when the flames died
out for want of fuel, the sickening sight
was revealed Of the dead engineer in the
pit between the tanks, the water in the pit
having preserved him from complete incin-
Grafton.
Chapman had been i'm the employ of the
gas company about two months and was re-
garded as unusually trustworthy. Previous
ly he had been the engineer in charge of
the engines at the coal mines near COrunna,
having left there on account of the supposed
danger in that connection. His neighbors
at Kerby speak in the highest terms of the
deceased.
The theory advanced by the Gas Co. is
| that Chapman fell into the pit and the
| naphtha gas, escaping from the tanks, ig-
nited with the lantern. Chapman leaves q
wife and family. lie carried $4,000 life
insurance and was member of the L. o. o.
+. and X. o. L. NJ. On the night of the
accident he intended to have gone to attenC
| tuC ihCCtiuS ut SOiuHhN' uhSi"
services were held Monday at Corunna, thu
Odd Fellows of Owosso and Corunna hay
| ing charge of the Obsequies.
Nov. Goth the inquest upon the body o
Jonas Chapman was held by Corone
Baldwin, the jury being e. A. VanGieson
David Dwight John Perica, Frank Smith
Lester Brewer and Albert Van GiesOn.
G. W. SprOut, workman for the Ga
Co., testified to leaving the gas works abou
twenty-five minutes before seven. AT tina
time Chapman was putting on his overalls
the work being done for the day and every
thing ready to close up. Chapman had
lantern sitting OH the floor. That was tn
last seen of him until he was taken out o
the pit. The tanks were not sealed; l toll
him to keep away from the tanks with
lantern.
Martin Cute and Chas. Greenwalt testifie
to assisting in taking Chapman out of tn
pit.
The verdict of the jury was that iona
Chapman. of the city of Owosso, came
his death by an explosion of an oil tank q
the gas works on the oSth day of November
accidentally, casually and by misfortun
and not otherwise.
The gas company have continued to max
gas every day since the explosion and wi
soon be in as complete condition as the
were before the accident. So, 900 wi
probably cover the loss.