Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-25
NATURAL GAS is DEADLY.
A Terrific Explosion at Columbus, Ohio,
Kills Five People.

few minutes after o'clock last night an
alarm of fire from box %, at the corner of High
and Main streets. Columbus, Ohio, called the
fire department out. The brightness of the day
had brought to the streets thousands of shop
pers and promenaders and the crowd thought
lessly rushed to the scene of the fire. An ex-
plosion had occurred i'll a two-story dwelling at
the south corner of Wall and Noble alleys. The
people crowded by hundreds into the narrow
alley and pushed up close to the house. Cries
of injured people within could be distinctly
heard. Suddenly terrific explosion rent the
air. Flames burst from the building at the
northwest corner of Noble and Wall alleys. and
great mass of bricks and stones were flying
with terrific force through the air. The scene
that followed was terrible. The people fled,
shrieking, in all directions, while the alley was
instantly covered with a mass of debris. from
which the means of buried men came. Pallld,
trembling women tottered and ran across the
alley and streets. moaning and shrieking. Men
with foreheads and shoulders drabbled with
blood. staggered from among the debris.
A woman enveloped In a sheet of flame, bare
headed and frenZied. ran shrieking from the
house across the alley. A man took off his
overcoat and ran to throw it around her.
fireman who had the nozzle of a hose her
danger and turned the stream on her. 1t
knocked her down, but saved her life, ex-
tliiouISninS the NAMES. Sne was n1leQ from
the ground and hurried into a neighboring
house. Every inch of clothing had been
burned from her down to her waist. Her name
Pet N1arrot
An old man was dug from the ruins and hur-
ried to place where medical assistance could
be given MIN. His frosty beard covered
with blood, and he seemed to be in dying
condition.
HOW IT HAPPENED.
The explosion, as near as can be ascertained,
resulted from an accumulation of natural gas
in the cellH of the house occupied by Michael
Bowers and Mr.. Marrot. The side of the Mar
rot house was blown out and the roof, freed of
its support, fell over and lay in almost en-
tire condition, hanging from the top of the
house to the yard below. The explosion COM
p!etely destroyed the house at "a West Noble,
occupied by Edward OtstOt and Mr.. James.
Here the terrible force of the exploded gas
was shown. Everything blown to chips.
The explosion was upward, as bricks, doors,
window sashes lathing, &C. were piled in a
heap all about the building and only dozen
feet from it. The house shot up and parted
like piece of fireworks, falling back the
sparks do from rocket parted into myriads of
pieces.
The work of getting out the dead and caring
for the wounded was attended to at once
The killed and wounded are follows: Chas.
Becht, barber; John Seymour, a coloTed boy;
Mrs. p. Marrot. Her body was taken from the
cellar; the other members of the family are
badly injured. Also dead an unknown man and
an unknown babe. The infant child of Chas.
Barry was dashed from its mothers arms by
the force of the explosion and almost immedi-
ately was run over and killed by fire depart
ment team. which was running from the build
ing. Twenty-eight people were badly injured.
Prof. Johnston T. Plat of the Yale law school
died in New Haven Thursday of paralysis, at
the age of forty-fve years.