Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-27
GAS In THE CONDUIT.
Many People Greatly Confused by
an Afternoon Explosion.
CAUSES MUCH CONSIDERATION.
The Flame From Match Ignites Accu-
mulated Sewer Gas.
FIVE MEN SUFFER SEVERE INJURIES

A few minutes after o'clock yesterday
afternoon an explosion occurred In a con-
duit belonging to the Central Telephone
Company on the corner of Liberty street
and Cecil alley. Five men at work were
severely injured. One of them is not ex-
pected to live. The victims were engaged
in laying brick in a manhole leading to the
underground condufts, when one of the men
carelessly struck match to light his pipe.
There was sudden flash of fire and loud
report followed by another flash and report
further down the street, and an instant later
the men were lying at the bottom of the
manhole more or less seriously hurt. The
clothing of three of the unfortunates caught
fire and before assistance could be rendered,
they were badly burned.
The police patrol was called to the scene
and while one man was taken to the West
Penn Hospital, three were taken to the
Mercy. The other was assisted to j. T.
McKennan's drug store on Market street,
where his wounds were dressed and subse-
quently he was removed to his home.
Opinions vary in searching for the origin n of
the explosion whether it was caused by
sewer, Illuminating or natural gas. but the
majority of the people are inclined to think
that accumulated sewer gas did the mis-
chief
Did Damage Some Distance Away.
After the flash in the first manhole the
flame ran underground, taking the course of
the wires, and ignited the gas in the man
hole on the corner Of Fifth and Liberty
streets, directly in front of the store of L.
w. Voight & Co. Here the covering to
the manhole was blown some 30 feet into
the air, and although much damage was
done, no one was injured. The force of the
explosion not only broke large win
broke three other windows on the upper
floors of the same building and lifted
a box of starch from the pavement
and threw 1t across the street against the
door leading into the warehouse of the
Pittsburg Beef Company. The awning in
front of Voight & Co.'s place was also set
afire by the flash, but was put out before
any serious damage was done when the en-
ployes recovered from their surprise.
When the glass was shattered by the ex-
plosion in the store of Voight & Co., the
bookkeeper, Mr.. Woodburn, whose desk is
directly under the window, thought catas-
and the report, followed by heavy lurch of
the floor upon which he was standing and
then the glass came Gathering about his
head. Before he had made up his m ind
what to do, however, the thing was all
over.
Two Very Badly Scared Mon.
c. A. Perrin and F. II. johnson, both of
whom are connected with the Pittsburg
Beef Company, unite in saying that they
surely thought the millennium had AZ
rived. The report was louder than any
cannon ever heard, !" said Mr.. Perrin, 'tand
1 did not know what to make of it. The
explosion did not do any damage in our
place except to shake up things little and
I'll the room with dust. After the explosion
we did not feel very much like laughing,
but almost everything has its ludricous side,
and a particularly funny thing happened in
our place.
''Samuel Shaner, the shipping clerk ofthe
company, was sitting upon a chair tilted
back against an unused doorway. Immedi-
ately following the explosion there was a
loud crash against the door and Shaner was
thrown as if from catapult into
the center of the room, where he
lay several seconds before he could
collect his scattered thoughts and arise.
Upon going outside we found that the force
of the explosion had hurled large box con-
tanning starch against the door, The box
was thrown from the opposite corner.'
The injured man taken to the West Penn
Hospital was Edward Lauler, resident of
Third street. He was burned about the
face and body, but not seriously. The
three at the Mercy Hospital are Michael
Griffin, of 7O4 Fourth street; Martin Laugh
lin, of Hill street, and Bernard Biddie, of
No. 712 Fourth street. ALI of them are Sc
verely burned, but Griffin is the greatest
sufferer, and small homes are entertained of
was removed to his home could not be
learned.