Telegram-herald., 1890-01-26
T. Explocss with Frightfm Results
a. Co1ambu AS. q.
SIX PERSONS Instantly Killed
IA az 0thers Badly Huri rWo Rous
lsgs Biewa o. Pieces sna ths Bsar..
Ii arled late q Crowd
ef Rsstau5er..
1GElBLE DlsAsrEn

corner 81 NlU an1 Noble aleKs a.
tas middle 81 TIE Sd ars bounded by
Higb and Front and Main 1nd Nouna
streets Patrol No WAS on the
scene. bit no rope wss stretched and
The peeple crowded by hundreds into toe
uarfou alley and pushed Up close 70 the
house from which the cries of injured
PEOPLE within could be plainly heard
means ana shneks mingled vlth the
hoarse calls Of the fremen. tie cisug-
ING of the alarm bells on the engines
AMI the u1ring % the crowd A
whisper ran through the throng Thar a
natural-gas main ran east and west
through Noble alley but this Was soon
changed into a rumOF that the blsze was
due to = gasoline explosion in the house
and the people did nos heed the warn
ing
The Ere was almost under control
The people were standing around laugh
lrgand falblrC The alley vas scroNded
with iookcrs-on. many O. whom were
turning to 60 home. A. that moment "a
terrific explosion rent the air. A sheet
o. Fame burst from the building az the
north vest corner OF Noble and Wall
alleys great mass OF bricks. beams
and stone that thirty seconds before had
heen q two story brick building few
with terrible force through the air.
The scene that followed was terrible
The people fcd shrielSing in all direc-
t,ons. The alley was Instantly covered
with mass Of dob-is from which the
moan5 of buried men came PalHd,
trembling women tottered and ran across
the alley and streets moaning orShriea-
ing Men with foreheads and shoul-
ders danbled with blood staggered from
among the debris A woman onycloped
in a sheet OF fame barehesded and
frenzied, ran shrieking from the house
across the alley man dashed
off his overcoat and ran 20 throw
it around her A fireman who
held the nozzle OF a hose saw her
danger and turned the stream on hor. u
knocked her down but saved her life
She was lifted from the ground and
hurried into 4 neighbOring house.
Every inch OF clothing had been burned
from her down 10 her waist. Her name
was Pet Merrotte.
An old man. venerable, with white
hair and beard, was dug from the ruins
and hurried 10 a place where medical
assistance could be given him His
beard was covered with blood and be
seemed 10 be dying. But saddest OF all.
a fearless mother, with her heart frozen
b. fear and grief. staggered from the
ruins holding tight to her heart the
seemingly lifeless form Of her 3-months-
old babe.
Six lives we're lost and thirty people
were injured. Five dead bodies wore
taken from the ruins. two of them
those Of an unknown man and an
unknown babe. The infant child Of
Charles Berry was dashed from its
mothers arms by the force of
the explosion and almost immediate
" was run over and killed by fire
department team which was running
from the building. The names of the
identified dead are: Charles Bech, bar
Der; Frank Seymour a colored boy:
Mrs. F. Merrotte, her body was taken
from the cellar; -- Berry, an infant
Two others are dead. but have not yet
been identified. The wounded are:
DR. T. h Wissinasr. William Brady. William
Neil William James Mrs. William James. -
Blanknger. Theo Shouting. Onlcer Lynsky.
Charles Lickughter -- Gambier. william
Riley. Bell Smith. Elmer Gates. Mrs. Corn I'd
Keemer Elmer Grach. Charles Lowery. --
Westlander Pet Merrottc Thomas Dovle
Flora Bowers Emma Bowers. Aaron Been.
Ben amin Morgan. shawnee Marshall
KilOourne, -- Benz - Wolf Peter Mer-
rotte
/, is though TIA. Pet Merrotte will
die. Tho injured have been taken
either 20 the hospitals or their homes.
Many OF them we're injured hy a team
running away with truck and knock.
sng people in every direction.
The explosion. as near as can be sscer.
taine6. resulted from an accumulation
OF natural gas n the cellar Of the house
occupied by Michael Bowers and Mr.
Merrotte No natural-gas pipes were
ever put into that house. but there was
natural gas main in Noble alley which
leaked. The ground "a as frozen and The
gas. seeking rs way out. went by the
easiest uay and of course entered The
cellar i has no scent and its
presence could no. be detected Il
saturated the buildings. The force
n ;he explosion in The Merrctte
and Bowers house took westerly and
northcrlv direction and scattered bricks
and iumhe- and lsthing for a distance
% twenty fee' The side - he Ner-