Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-27
SPLIT THE EARTH.
Explosion at St. Louis Tears
Up a Street.
COAL OIL GAS BURSTS A SEWER,

Three Persons Killed. Three Injured and
Three Others Who Cannot BE Found
A Liquor Store Wrecked and Several
Persons Caught in the Ruins-One of
the Victims Takes Fatal Trip
Through the Sewer-A Woman Blown
Fifty Feet-victims of the Heat.
ST. LOUIS, July 27.-An explosion of
coal oil gas occurred in the Mill Creek
sewer yesterday tearing up Chouteau
avenue from the levee to Broadway The
explosion was caused by the sewer filling
with the coal oil which escaped during the
burning of the Waters-Pierce plant last
Friday. The generating gas caught fire
on account of the intense heat, and the
explosion followed. Sewer caps weighing
200 pounds were blown off at the street
inter sections far west as Fourteenth
street The gas ignited the alcoholic
gases in Fuchs Whisky Distilling com
pany.
Six Pedestrians Caught.
Six pedestrians are known 10 have been
buried in the wrecked sewer One fire
man, caught beneath the debris of the
falling walls, is also in a critical condi-
tion. Along Chouteau avenue the tracks
OF the Iron Mountain road, several freight
trains and an empty passenger train were
blown TO pieces. Fuchs distillery was
Inc DullOlnE most dUccIeu UN Jne eADlO-
sion. The first and second floors fell, car
rying the workmen to the cellars One
workman in the distIllery has been carried
10 the hos Dital in a critical condition. Il.
J. Tunstall was also severely injured.
Three Dead, Three Hurt. Three Missing.
Three persons were killed, three were
seriously injured and three men are miss
ing as the result of the explosion. The
list is as follows: Dead-CarI Fuchs,
xxholaSola linrror iealar. f'harlpS Nillar
bartender; Mrs. Tempe Injured-Two
children of Mrs. Tempe. seriously, X. j.
Tunstall, fatally. Missing-Three UNI
known men who were in Fuchs place.
The Mill Creek sewer is one of the main
sewers in the city, draining ~densely pop
ulated district.
Made Wreck of Fuchs Store
The force of the explosion seemed to
center in Carl Fuchs wholesale liquor
store at 10l4 South Fourth street, and in
the yards of the Iron Mountain railway
just south of that place. The interior of
Fuchs place, three story brick building,
was completely destroyed. The building
caved in and fell into the sewer beneath,
carrying with it Fucns, his bartender,
Charles Miller, and four men who were in
the place at the time, and about 100
barrels of whisky. Mrs. Tempe, who was
standing on the porch OF the third floor, was
thrown fifty feet and so badly in ured that
she died at IL p- m
Cars Fall Into the Chasm.
The damage done in the railroad yards,
while extensive, was not serious. The
sewer was exposed for distance of about
500 feet and several cars standing on the
track Immediately above the sewer fell in.
So great was the force of the explosion,
however, that all the cars in the yard were
derailed. The experience of r. ]. Tuns-
tall was startling one He was in Fuchs
saloon at the time of the explosion. When
the floor caved in, with the other occu-
pants of the saloon, he fell into the sewer
beneath but fortunately was carried by
the swift waters away from the building
and was not pinioned beneath the debris
like the other men.
His Journey VIII Kill Him.
He was carried along in the water a dis
tance of SEQ feet until he reached the open
ing made by the explosion in the railroad
yards. Here he observed floating
upon the water unconscious by some of
the men who had rushed to the place inn
mediately after the explosion. He cannot
recover. The fire department was called
out to search the ruins for the dead. So
strong was the odor of gasoline that the
men could only work short time before
being overcome. The body of Miller was
the first found, being buried under the
bar. The work was prosecuted under
electric light, and at IL p. m. the mangled
baby of Fuch was found pinioned under
he