Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-03-09
A STARTLING EXPLOSION.
Men Light a Match to Look Into
q Well.
The Methodist Parsonage Badly Shaken
Two Men Severely Burned.
Supposed Cause of It.

At about II o'clock Tuesday morning,
Asbury Fields and Billy Jackson, who
were cleaning out the well at the Metho-
dist parsonage, having pumped out nearly
all the water, put lighted match down
in the well to see how the interior looked.
A tremendous explosion Immediately
followed The well is under the parson-
age kitchen Besides the two men there
were in the room Kate Jordan and DIR.
Webb'S little son. Both Fields and Jack
son were severely burned about the head,
face and hahds. The others were not
hurt. J he windows were shattered, the
doors blown from the hinges, and the
walls parted in several places.
The explanation of the explosion is
easy. The water in the well had for
some time been tasting of gasoline, and
had become unfit for use. In addition
to smelling like gasoline,it seemed to have
some oily substance floating on its sur
face. The water had been thus affected
last fall, and committee from the
Church had made diligent search to as
certain if it was caused by the escape OF
gasoline from the power-house located
just below, and containing machinery
| for the generation of gas from gasoline
for the purpose of lighting the Court
house and other county buildings. The
theory is that gasoline has been escaping
from the tank at the power house, has
found its way into streams of water and
thence into the well. This theory is
strengthened by the further facts that
several other wells in that vicinity are
likewise affected, and that for the past
week or so there has been much leakage
of gasoline from the reservoir.
DIR. Webb had been experimenting the
work at the well, and had been in and
out of the room a number of times dur
ing the morning, and had fortunately
been called out few minutes before the
explosion. Both the colored men are Sc
verely and painfully burned, and pre-
sented a shocking appearance as they
emerged from the room. Their hair was
burned off, their flesh roasted and peel
ing off in splotches, and they were bleed
ing at nose and mouth. They were given
medical attention at once, and were
found not to have suffered any serious
injury, their eyes being unharmed, and
there being no evidence of internal hurt.
The explosion shows that there are
grave risks to be incurred in the use of
gasoline, and it is warning which ought
to prevent the possibility of greater
disaster from this cause. While the stuff
is used at all, the very greatest caution
needs to be exercised, and even then it is
almost impossible to avoid accidents.
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