The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-31
BLOWN TO ATOMS.
A Terrific Natural Gas Ex-
plosion in Columbus Wrecks
Two Houses.
Six People Killed and Over q
Score Receive Serious
Injuries.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Special.-There is ascene
| of death and destruction in this city to-
night whose horrible features and sickenlng
details are surpassed only by the YOUNGSTOWN
flood. Never in the history of Ohio has
| such dreadful disaster occurred .as that
which sent thrills of horror through
| the thousands who witnessed it to-
night A double explosion occurred
and it dealt out death with dual force.
A few moments after o'clock an alarm OF
fire sounded calling out the entire depart
ment. The streets were thronged with the
thousands of toilers who were returning to
their homes from workshops and factories.
and quickly spread the news that fright
! full calamity had happened in the southern
part of the city. The streets leading to that
section were soon crowded with people
going to the scene. An explosion
| had occurred at the double resi-
dence of Michael Bowers and John
Marriott at the corner Of Wall and
Noble alleys. The cause of the calamity
was an accumulation of natural gas in the
cellar of the house referred to. The city
has recently been supplied with natural gas.
and leading past the house occupied by
| Marriott and Powers is one OF the mains
through which the commodity is furnished
to the public. The pipes had leaked ana
the explosive fuel had found its way
through assures in the ground to the cellar
which was the seat of the horror. 1t be-
came ignited in some unknown manner
and exploded with terrible force, wrecking
the building and filling the air with debris.
| n11t0 n h0nSa
and a man named Goulding, who was
standing near the structure, was
BLOWN ACROSS THE STREET.
Mrs. Marriott was carried across the street
and into the residence of William James
The house where the injured lay was soon
crowded with people, attracted by the acct
dent, and it was soon necessary to close the
doors that no more might enter. Suddenly
the air was rent by tremendous explosion
| which made the earth quake and filled the
air with flying timbers. bricks and debris
of all kinds. The house in which lay
Mrs Marriott had been blown to ATOMS and
its occupants buried beneath the wreck.
Hundreds of spectators who lined the side
walks were knocked down by the shock and
laid powerless. Then, to cap the climax, a
team of spirited horses attached to one OF
the fire department ladder trucks became
frenzied by the explosion and dashed away
into the crowd, carrying death in their
wake They ran over and injured scores of
people. A beautiful little babe was knocked
from its mothers arms and, falling beneath
the merciless wheels of the vehicle, was
crushed to death before her eyes.
Guided by the cries and means of the man
gled and dying men CROPPED in the dark
ness, pulling out dead body here, a man.
gled, yet living, form there, and conveying
them to resting places. Groups of men,
women MIA children gathered around the
PROSTATE Uytnst ant !blood-curdling shrieks
made the awful scene more revolving, as
friends recognized friends injured or dead;
parents found their tatyiiatel children and
vice versa. 1t required several Sours to re.
move all the dead and Injured from the
ruins, and it is not yet kneWn who or how
many are victims. Following Is the list OF
killed and wounded so far as kTDHn:
Killed-Charles Becht, Mrs. John Marriott, in
lant son OF Charles Berry, James Seymour. col
ored boy, unknown white man, unknown babe.
ably fatally burned and bruised; Herman Baker.
badly burned; Daniel Cherry, burned painfully.
Charles GI71 Wolff cut and bruised seriously, Mrs
W,
fatally; Patrick suiskie, cut on head;
Aaron Beens, cut on face and head: Benjamin
Morgan gan gashes on head and Internal INJURIES;
Ticklider, bruised and cut; - Brady, burned
and cut; Edward Wiener, cut and burned; -
S M9H, cut Srt and NIB burned; Miss Belle Smith
Peter Marriott, terribly burned about shoulders
and neck Tom Doyle, hands burned partially
on; Emma Powers, probably fatally burned
and head: William Brady, probably fatally suf |
located; William James, hands and face roasted, |
will die; Mrs. William James, badly cut and |
e case'Se0' - b'ank'nser' horribly burned and
MANY OTHERS WERE BADLY INJURED
bnt were carried away by friends and their
names cannot be learned tonight. The
houses for several blocks around the scene
OF the explosion have been made into hos
pltals, where many are being cared for.
Miss Belle Smith, who was badly injured,
had gone into the doomed house Just prior
to the explosion. Her face was badly
bruised and she was suffering from many
bruises about the body She was
almost completely buried in the
debris and had to be dug out
The doctors pronounce her injuries
serious, but think she will recover Elmer
iales, a young man, was standing opposite
he house when the second explosion oc-
cured, and was struck by missile which
broke his leg. A young man named
Meshilder, who is resident of Granville,
)hio was severely burned and shocked.
Pet Merritt, fifteen-year-old girl, was Sc
iously burned about the shoulders and
hest. When she reached the street she
vas almost naked. Her life was saved by
urnlng stream of water on
Ter: DIR. 7. X. Wissinger was in
he James house when he was
lurt. He wac ATTENDING ho v>o&;o,,&