Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-01-19
) WORKS HAVOC.
ihl Explosion Under a Ho.
tel at Findiay, Ohio.
1JNDRED GUESTS IMPERILLED.

ent Later and the Carnage would
Been Agfal-Two Girls Killed
other Per'ons Fatally Hurt-Up-
al OF Maiholes at Chic.go-The
oil Woman's Head Cut on and
Brains Sc altered In the Street
ding Blown Up at Omaha.
PLAY, o., Jan. 1.-Two lives sacri-
dozen PERSONS manned, and a
ling shattered are the result of fear
sSal gas explosion yesterday in one
ing totels of this city 1t is
eat disaster Findlay has ever
from the use of natural gas.
.v-ion occurred shortly before Q
TX in the afternoon while the guests
he Hotel Marvin were waiting to be
nmoned to dinner, and had it happened
ew minutes later the loss of life would
We been appalling Yesterday morning
vas discovered that gas was escaping
N a leading pipe somewhere into the
ing room, and Mr.. Marvin, the owner
the building with three plumbers.
rent the entire forenoon trying to locate
ne leak.
The Parlor Match Lay in Walt.
-
x'Srneath the dining room and found
4an accumulation of gas that they
fuld not breathe, and it was suggested
mat hole be saved through the floor into
the dining room in order TO obtain fresh
air. This was done, aud 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, hut XII led two girls and manned
Ind injured nearly dozen other employees
The force of the explosion was so great
Fthat II blew out the flame of the ignited
gas and no fire followed the awful ruin
which the shock had caused.
Ruin and Death Results.
The whole city was rocked as in an
earthquake by the conclusion, and all the
windows on the square We're demolished,
while the wreck of the hotel building was
all but complete, the only rooms in the
house escaping destruction being the par
lors and office. Nearly 100 people were
waiting in their rooms TO be called to din
ner when the xplosion occurred, and, Us
q matter of fact, one of the clerks Frank
Poundstone, was on his way to make this
announcement when the fatal accident
happened. The clerk was caught in the
falling debris and was painfully injured
When the work of rescuing the dead and
dying was begun it was found that Katie
Walters, a waitress, had been killed out
right. Ella job nson, "A dining room girl,
was found alive under mass of brick
and mortar, but she died shortly after be-
ing carried to place of safety
A Long List OF Casualties
Several others received fatal hurts,
among them being Kate Rooney, another
dining room girl, who, although she is
still alive, cannot recover Arson T. Mar
win, owner of tie building, who with the
plumbers, WAS under the dining room floor
when the explos ion occurred, was probably
fatally injured as he inhaled the flame
from the gas. Following is list of the
Silled: Katie Walters, dining room girl,
aged 70, Instantly killed; Ella johnson,
room girI, died shortly after being
L from the u ins.
lie injured are: Katie Rooney. serious
burned abou- the face and will lose one
Z; Carrie MEG rafT. cut and badly burned:
INK noundstone clerk, severely burned;
rench, porter at the hotel cut on
-G and head, but will recover;
FRANK Andrew, one OF the proprietors,
right eye knocked out and seriously
burned about Il Re face and throat; Charles
Graves, Philip We'll, Jack Cahill. plumb
ers all shocked and stunned. but viii soon
he themselves; Arson f. Marvin, hotel
roprietOr, probably fatally injured.
Money Loss of $50, 900.
The financial oss will be about S25ua0
the building and $40, 600 on the furui-
=, 81 fully covered by insurance 1t is
stion, how EVER, whether any insur-
will be realized, as none of the de-
ou was wrought by fire. The ex-
81 throu ghout the city over this
he has never been equaled since
became a municipality,