Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-08
B0ARDERS BLOWN UP.
Eleven Bungarians Badly Burned by
a Natural Gas Explosion.
SEVERAL OF THEM SURE TO DIE.
One Man Pinionsd to His Bedstead and
Roasted by the Flames.
MADDEEED MEN RUSHING FOE SAFETY

Eleven Hungarians are at the West
Penn Hospital and several are expected to
die as the result of natural gas explosion
in boarding house on Drain alley, Brad
dock. The remarkable feature of the affair
is that natural gas is not used in the house.
John Cheswic kept the boarding house
and had large number of boarders, all of
whom slept on the second floor. Early yes
terdsy morning John Slevic, one of the board
ers, went down stairs to get drink fwater.
carrying with him a lighted lamp. As
soon as he entered the kitchen terrific ex-
plosion occurred, wrecking the build
ing and setting it on fire. The
fire department was called out
and its energies were divided in subduing
the flames and rescuing the unfortunate
men who, burned, bruised and bleeding,
were pinioned beneath the heavy rafters
which had become displaced by the force of
the explosion. One by one the men were
dragged out and carried into another house,
where Drs. Carothers and Schooley gave
them such temporary relief as was possible
under the circumstances.
Pinioned to Bedstead.
The shock of the explosion and the falling
rafters aroused the sleepers, nearly 40 of
them. and they started frantically for the
open air and safety, tramping upon each
other in their mad endeavors to escape.
Three-fourths of them reached the street with
nothing worse than a few bruises, which, in
view Of the fate of their companions, they bore
without = murmur ana even complacently.
One Of them. Frank Descer, was even more
unfortunate than his ten fellow-sufferers. A
beam fell across his chest as he was lying in
bed and pinioned him to the bedstead. There
he lay, with the hot flames surging around him,
shriekIng for help. Finally the firemen, at the
risk of their lives, reached him. They were
unable to remove the beam, although they
struggled hard with it. and were
finally forced to resort to their axes,
with which they severed the heavy log which
was pressing out the life of the man. When he
was released he was unconscious. and the skin
on his head and limbs was burned almost to a
crisp. Several more men were dragged out Of
the building more dead than alive, and were
sent to the West Penn Hospital on a special
train.
The List of the Injured.
The names of the injured men are as follows:
JOHN SLEVIC.chead, body and arms burned.
FRANK DESCER. face and body burned.
JOSEPH RESKO, head, chest and arms
burned.
MICHAEL Elsa, head and breast burned.
JOHN HANZOVSKI, face. neck and arms
burned.
JOIN PERHOFF, face and neck burned.
MARTIN CZEHIALYA, face. hands and
arms burned.
JOSEPH CRAJHooJsKI body burned.
STEPHEN NORAK. body burned.
JOSEPH MEVE1, face and hands burned
JOSEPH HEREVOS, foot burned.
At midnight last night the physicians at the
West Penn Hospital expected all the injured
men to live until morning, although Frank
Descer, John Slevic, Joseph Resko, Michael
Elsa, John Perhof, John Rangoski and joseph
Crajboyjski are expected to die as it is thought
that they inhaled the flame.
The explosion is supposed to have been
caused by leaking main Of the Philadelphia
Company, The house in which the explosion
occurred had connections with the gas main,
but were not using the fuel.