The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-02-19
AP1ll. EXPLOSION.
A House Blown Up NJ Martins Ferry and
Nine Pnonls Rnfned.

a House BLOWN up NJ mhtub's FefTy anu
Niue People burned.
A terrible explosion occurred In Mar.
tins Ferry Last night. The frame house
Of william Kuatt, corset Of Fitss saa
Penn streets, was wrecked. Natural gas
wss the cause. Nine persons were
burned. Mrs. Kuntz will die, and a
girl named Groves il in q critical con.
dition.
The building, q story aud hatiiramr,
Of eight roolnS, 10 occupied by William
Kunis and Il. Il. Groves. The former,
who has family Of eleven; ll7es in Ave
rooms, and GfoEeA cSSapiss three.
Along the eIeest close to the house Is q
natural gas main. The flood caused q
break in this and the escaping gas seeped
through the ground into the cellar,
and working It's way through the q Dor,
became ignittd, and q terrific explosion
took place. =.
The report xes very loud, and shook
all Of the buildings In the neighboI.
hood, and the alsh was seen from vati.
Gus parts Of Martins Ferry. The east
and south eidea Of tue building were
blown out and the roof fell In.
Mr., A. B. Gilmore, the @, L. II W.
agent, telephoned for the fire depart
ment and all Of Tue phyaiciaua Ia town.
The Department And the physicians re.
sponded In good time, and the injured
people were conveyed 10 different places
The persons In the house at the time
we're Mr.. and MR. William Kuntz and
children, John, Amelia, Henry, Lottie
and Eddie; Mr.. and Mrs. H. H. Groves
and children, George, Cora and Ray, apd
Mrs. John X. Thomas and children,
George and Uarrie-mRking thirteen in
all. !.
Mrs. Thomas and two children were
spending the night with Mi. and Mrs.
Groves, they being relations. Mr.. and
Mia. Groves, Mre. Thomas and Cora
Groves were sitting in front Of the Ere in
the front room, while Carrie and George
lThoma5, George aud Ray Groves were
/ in bed. Mr.. and Mrs. Kuntz were also
sitting in front Of The fireplace in theii
i front room OF the house, with four o.
their children upstairs and the baby in
| the cradle near MIR. and Mrs. KuntS.
Mrs. Kuntz was carried out by bel
husband after extinguishing the ttameE
with blankets and turned over u
i Matthias Hunker, who carried her into
q skiH. Mr.. KuntE and others looked
after their children.
Mr.. and Mrs. Groves were scarcely
able 10 get out Of the house, and theti
children were rescued With difficulty
j It required the combined efforts Of sei
eral men to let out the Thomas chill
dfen, One Of them was pinned between
the foot OF the bed and the edge OF the
roof, and II was exceedingly difficult e
extricate him. The clothing OF severa
Of the persons down stairs was igaited
and it was hard matter to extinguist
it under the eifcHmstancss.
Mr.. and Mrs. kuntz were conveyed Y
the City Hall, where they were attended
by DIS. Hewey, Hobensack and Nc
Glenn, with the assistance OF others
The physicians say that Mrs. Kua:i
cannot live over twenty.four hours, He
face aud mead were terribly burned, anc
the akin burned of aud into crisp from
head TO foot.
Mr.. Hunters hand, right leg and fsc'
Mr.. and Mrs. Groves aud children ant
three Of kunt1's children were taken Il
the reaidence of John Burkhardt, ueaI
by. Mr.. and Mrs. Groves are burned al
over the head, face and hands, and theil
daughter Cora, sged years, was 81
fearfully burned from head to foot tina
she will probably die. George Grove
and Amelia KuntL were only elightlI
burned.
The beads, faces. arms and legs O
George and Carrie Thomas, aged II ant
l2 respectively, were badly burned, ant
it is feared thlt tho formeri Is burned in
ternally. They were cared FIR by Dr.
Williams and Shuttleworth, at the resi-
depce OF James CRAZY, on First street.
The Kuniz house was surrounded BY
water and could DO reached only In
skifIs. The tiremen worked in the
water at extinguishing the flames fol
two long hours.