The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-01-18
AN AWFUL OCCURRENCE
Barely Avortod last Night by tho
Discovery of the Danger.
h STARTLING STATE OF AFFAIRS
Found by the Chief of the Fro De-
pnrtmcnt in u Second Ward Cloth
ing storc...All tho Gas Jets but
one Turned full on and that one
burning.

About hall past ten o'clock last night
messenger came to the residence OF
Chief lIcaly OF the fire department, and
said that there was so strong an odor OF
gas pcrmratins the building on the
Second ward Market square, in
which julius Jacobs's clothing store is
located, that the other residents in the
building feared there might be an ex-
piosionif Il was not ATTENDED TO, and us
they did not know where to find Mr..
Jacobs they wanted the chief to enter
the store and examine the gas pipes to
see where the leak was.
Mr.. llealy went up, being joined at
the Chemical engine house by Fore
man shaugucssy, Of that house, and the
two forced oDcn the transom over the
front door, and Mr.. Shaugncssy entered
the store through it, The smell OF
escaping gas was 80 bad that it almost
aspliyxiatcd him, but ho managed to
%. the doors open, and after dissipating
the gas, Of which the store was full, tho
chief and he made 4 thorough cxami-
nation OF tho premises.
HORRIBLE TO CONTEMPLATE.
Every gus jet in tho storcroom was
found to be turned on full and tho gas
pouring out in as great volume as tho
burners would permit, with the cxccp.
tioa OF one burner, which was turned
on 4 littla and tho gas lighted.
The big chandelier was unscrewed
from the ceiling and the gas was
Issuing from the hole. Tho gas
was Ill turned oil, and the cellar eX0m-
incd In i: nothing was found but a
quantity OF paper and other rubbish,
only 100 common in the cellars OF dry
goods and similar stores.
II would have required but short
time longer Tor the accumulated gas to
have become ignited by the one jet
which WIS burning, and then there
would have been an explosion the bare
contemplation OF which is awful. The
building is in closely built block, and
in all probability the force OF the cx-
ViOsion would have demolished it and
badly damaged the two adjoining on
the sides. There is boarding house
over the store, and the blowing up of
that house would have meant the loss
Oi many lives. 1t cannot bc seen how
the most terrible accident in the history
oil casualties in Wheeling could have
been aycrted had not the people in the
house smclIed the gas and called Chief
llealy just in time to remove the source
OF danger.
JUST FOUND IN TIME
The fact that the room was so filed
with gas that it was making its way
through the building shows that it was
last reaching the danger point. A little
more gas in the room and there would
have been so destructive IN explosion
that doubtless it would have been i'm
possible to have found out what had
caused it.
No explanation OF the manner in
which the gas jets came to be turned on
as they were and the store left in that
condition was suggested by: anybody.
Mr.. llealy inquired for Mr.. Jacobs, but
could not learn where he could be
found. The discovery caused big
sensationin the neighborhoed, naturally
enough, and wherever the matter was
known last night it was the theme OF
comment that but for the timely dis
corery there might have been disaster
without rncent parallel, at least, in the
history OF tho city.
llealy and Shaughnessy might have
met an awful fate in entering the room,
Tor II the draft had caused the gus to ig-
mite, the explosion would in all human
probability have killed both.