The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-01-23
GAS WORKS HAVOC.
Fright'ul Explosion Under a Ho-
tel at Findlay, Ohio.
ONE HUNDRED GUESTS IMPERILLED.

Moment Later and the Carnage Would
Have Been Awkpl-Two Girls Killed
and Other Persons Fatally Hurt-Up-
heaval Of Manholes at Chicago--The
Top of n woman's Head Cat on and
Her Brains Scattered in the Street.
FINDLAY, o., Jan. 1.-two lives sacri-
feed, dozen persons manned, and
building shattered are the result of fear
full natural gas explosion yesterday in one
of the leading hotels of this city. 1t is
the first great disaster Findlay has ever
experienced from the use of natural gas.
The explosion occurred shortly before 2
o'clock in the afternoon while the guests
of the Hotel Marvin were waiting to be
summoned to dinner, and had it happened
few minutes later the loss of life would
have been appalling. Yesterday morning
it was discovered that gas was escaping
from n leading pipe somewhere into the
dining room, and Mr. Marvin, the owner
of the building, with three plumbers,
spent the entire forenoon trying to locate
the leak.
The ParIor Match Lay i'm Wait.
About o'clock they entered chamber
underneath the dining room and found
such an accumulation of gas that they
could not breathe, and it was suggested
that hole he 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
n match and in an instant an explosion
occurred which not only wrecked the
building, but killed two girls and manned
and injured nearly 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.
Ruin and Death Results.
The whole city was rocked as in 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 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 explosion occurred, and, as
a matter of fact, one of the clerks, Frank
Poundstone, was on his way to make this
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 Johnson, n 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 Il. Mar
vim, owner of the building, who with the
plumbers, was under the dining room floor
when the explosion occurred, was probably
fatally injured, as he inhaled the flame
from the gas. Following is q list of the
killed: Katie Walters, dining room girl,
aged 10, instantly killed; Ella johnson.
dining room girl, died shortly after being
taken from the ruins.
The injured are: Katie Rooney, serious
" burned about the face and will lose one
eye; Carrie McGraff, cut and badly burned;
Frank Poundstone, clerk, severely burned;
Albert French, porter at the hotel, cut ON
the neck and head, but will recover;
Frank Andrews, one of the proprietors,
right eye knocked out and seriously
burned about the face and throat; Charles
Graves, Philip We'll, Jack Cahill, plumb
ers, all shocked and stunned, but will soon
be themselves; Arson +. Marvin, hotel
proprietor, probably fatally injured.
Money Loss of $35, 200.
The financial loss will be about $50, 900
on the building and $4,000 ON the furni-
ture, all fully covered by insurance. 1t is
question, however, whether any insur-
ance will be realized, as none of the de-
struction was wrought by fire. The ex-
element throughout the city over this
catastrophe has never been equaled since
Findlay became municipality,