The Russellville Democrat., 1890-01-30
AN AWFUL HORROR.


 the First Explosion Lay, Surrounded by Their Friends, Blown to Atoms-The sickcning Details.
 COLUMBUS, O., Jan. 24.-There is a scene of death and destruction in this city tonight whose horrible features and sickening details are surpassed only by the Johnstown food. Never in the history of Ohio has such dreadful dis aster occurred as that which sent thrills of horror through tho ,....ss,aIids who witnessed II @..s,,-night. A double explo- sion occurred and it dealt out death with dual force.
 A few moments after five o'clock an alarm of fire sounded, calling out the entire department. The streets were thronged with the tho;.aasds of toilers who wore returning to their homes from workshops and factories, and quickly spread the news that frightful calam- ity had happened in the southern part of the city. The streets leading to that section were soon crowded with people going to the scene. Their presence there heaped horror upon horror as will be seen later on.
 
 double residence of Messrs. Michael Bowers and John Marriott, at the corner of Wall and Noble allies. The ca.se of the calamity was an accumulation c. 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 Mar riot and Bowers is one of the mains through which the commodity is fur nished to the public. The pipes had leaked and the explosive fuel had found it's way through Assures in the ground to the colliery which was the seat of the horror. It had become ignited in some manner and soon exploded with terrific force, wrecking the building and filling the air with debris.
 Mrs. Marriott was blown out of the house and 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 Vim. James, book keeper for the book firm of Clock & Beck. Dr. Wissinger, prominently phy- sician was called to attend her injuries. The house where the injured lay was soon crowded with people attracted by the accident and it was soon necessary to close the doors that no more might enter. Little knew those scores of spectators huddled around the sufferers that they were standing in death trap, which was then on the verge of carrying them into eternity. 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. Darkness ensLed and then death-lilke stiffness reigned for few moments. It was broken by shrieks and death-groans. The house in which lay the powerless form of Mrs. Marriott had been blown to atoms, and it's occupants buried beneath the wreck. Hundreds of spectators who lined the sidewalks were knocked violently down by the shock and laid powerless.
 Then to cap the climax team of spirited horses attached to one of the fire department ladder-wagons became 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. As soon as the maddened steeds had disappeared in the darkness many of the spectators and firemen, who had been uninjured by either of the horrors, turned their attention to digging out the persons buried under the ruins of the house.
 Guided by the cries and moans of the mangled and dying, men groped in the darkness, pulling out dead body here, mangled, yet living, form there, and conveying them to resting places.
 Groups of men, women and children gathered around the prostrate forms, and blood-curdling shrieks made the awful scene more revolting, as friends recognized friends, injured or dead; parents found their mutilated children and vice versa. It required several hours to remove all the dead and injured from the ruins, and it is not yet known who or how many are the victims
 Following is the list of killed and wounded so far as ascertained:
 KILLED.
 Charles Becht.
 Mrs John Marriott.
 Infant son of Charles Berry.
 James Seymour, colored boy.
 Unknown white man.
 Unknown babe.
 INJURED.
 Dr. T. K. Wissinger, badly and prob ably fatally burned and bruised.
 Herman Baker, badly burned.
 Daniel Cherry, burned painfully.
 Charles Woodruff, cut and bruised seriously
 Mrs. Fully, burned and injured in- formally, probably fatally.
 Patrick Suiskie, cut on head.
 Aaron Beens, cut on face and head.
 Benjamin Morgan, gash on head and internal injuries.
 Charles Lowry, burned and bruised. Albert Ticklider, bruised and cut. - Brady, burned and cut.
 Edward Vlemer, cut and burned.
 - Wolff, cut and burned.
 Miss Belle Smith, badly hurt.
 Mrs Corn, badly burned.
 Peter Marriott terribly burned about shoulders and neck.
 Tom Doyle, hands burned partially of.
 Emma Bowers, probably fatally burned.
 Marshal Kilbourne, horrible injuries on neck and head.
 William Brady, probably fatally suf- located.
 William James, hands and face roast ed; will die.
 Mrs. William James, badly cut and bruised
 Blankinger, horribly burned and cut.
 Many others were badly injured, but were carried away by friends, and their names can not be learned tonight.
 The houses for several blocks around the scene of the explosion have been made into hospitals, where many are beng cared for.