St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-19
SET OFF BY A MATCH.
Terrific Explosion Of Natural
Gas at the Hotel Marvin,
Findlay, O.
The Shock Kills Two Girls,
and Others Are Fatally
Injured.
Arson Marvin, Owner Of the
Building, Inhales Some Of
the Flaming Gas.
Proprietor Andrews Loses an
Eye, and Three Plumbers
Are Stunned.

FINDLAY, o., Jan. 19.-The first great
disaster Findlay has ever experienced
from the use of natural gas occurred
shortly before 2 o'clock this afternoon,
while the guests of the Hotel Marvin
were waiting to be summoned to din
ner. This morning it was dis
covered that gas was escaping
from leaking pipe somewhere in
the dining room, and Mr.. Marvin, the
owner of the building, with three
plumbers, spent the entire forenoon
trying to locate the leak. About 1
O'Clock they entered chamber under
meath the dining room. and found
such an accumulation of gas
that they could not breathe, and it was
suggested that hole be sawed through
the floor into the dining room in order
to obtain fresh air. This was done, and
just as the hole was made, one of the
dining room girls, who was sweeping
the floor, stepped upon a match, and in
an instant an explosion occurred which,
not only wrecked the building, but
killed two girls, land MANNED and injured
dozen other employees. The force OF
the explosion was so great that it blew
out the flame OF the ignited
gas. and no fire followed the
awful ruin which the shock had
caused. The whole city shook as if
from an earthquake by the conclusion,
and all the windows on the square were
demolished, while the wreck of the
hotel building was all but complete, the
only rooms i'll the house escaping de-
struction being the parloIs and the
office. Had the explosion occurred ten
minutes latter the loss of life would
have been frightful, as nearly a hun
dred persons were waiting in the rooms
to be called to dinner, and as matter
Of fact one of the clerks, Frank Pound
stone, was on his way to make
this announcement when the explosion
occurred, and he was caught in the fall
ing debris, he being one of the pain
fully injured. When the work of re-
moving the dead and rescuing the
dying was begun, it was found that
Katie Walters, a waitress, had been
killed outright. Ella johnson, dining
room girl, was found alive under mass
of brick and mortar, but she died shortly
after being carried to place of safety.
Kate Rooney, another dining room
girl, was also fatally injured, but is
still alive. Frank Poundstone, day
clerk at the hotel, was painfully bruised
and cut about the neck and face,
but will recover. Arson Marvin, owner
of the ding, who, with the plumb
ers, was under the dining room floor
"hen the explosion occurred, was prob
ably fatally injured. as great deal of
the fame from the gas was inhaled.
Albert French, porter at the hotel, was
cut on the neck and head, but will re-
cover. Frank Andrews. one of the pro-
prletors, had his right eye knocked out,
and was seriously bruised about the
face and throat. Charles Graves,
Philip We'll and Jack Cahill, the
plumbers, we're painfully shocked and
stunned. but will soon be themselves
again. This completes the list of the
casualties. The financial loss will be
about $4,000 on the building and $4,000
on the furniture, and fully covered by
insurance. 1t is a question, however,
whether any insurance will be realized
as none of the destruction was wrought
by fire. The excitement throughout
the city over this catastrophe has never
been equalled since Findlay became a
municipality.
AT 8 o'clock tonight another ex-
plOsion occurred in the same place as
the one of this afternoon, setting fire to
the already wrecked and badly demol-
ished dining room Of the Marvin house.
The fire department was quickly sum-
mOned, however, and more serious dam
age was averted. The gas from the
III ain pipe has finally been turned off.