The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-21
WAS BADLY BURNED BY GAS
Rough Experience f"Sandy' McLaugb.
lin 10 the Alabama.Sireet Sewer.
He Struck Match and Started q Sheet Of
Flame Square Long-lIis Life Saved
by His Presence of Mind

Three men had narrow escape from
death in the North Alabama-street sewer
at O'Clock yesterday afternoon, and, as Is
was. Alexander Mclaughlin was badly
burned about the face. head and hand, and
one of his companions was scorched. The
hair on McLaughlin's head ana his nous
tache are singed close. his face 10 blistered
and his right hand Is badly burned. lie
was with Andrew Bushong and b. Phillips
at the time of the accident The three
men are brickm asons, employ ed IN putting
the finishing touches on the big eight-fcot
sewer which the Port Huron, Mich. COM
tractors are constructing on North Ala
bama street They went down into the
sewer through q msnhole as Ohio street IN
tho morning aud worked all the morning
without noticing signs of gas They car
ried lanterns at the time. Alter the noon
hour they went back into tue
sewer through the same manhole.
Thor lanterns were lit After working
o while, SANDY" McLanghlin's lantern be.
gan TO burn low. and. presently. the lighe
died away. The other ywo men were few
feet away from him In the direction of the
man hole. In the sewer water several
inches deep had gathered FROM the morn
ing rams To thIs water SANDY attrib-
utes the safety of his eyesight. and proba-
bly, HE life.
When he saw that the light In his iantern
was out. be dropped his tools. reached into
has pocket for match. aud started 10
strike d light. just as the lame from tho
match frightened up. ne saw little blue
light flash at his elbow. he turned quick
ly. ana attempted 10 extinguish it with his
hand. but the blue flame spread like
streak OF sheet lightning. IL seemed, TO
use Sandy's own words afterwards. "sbous
as much like hell as l ever want 10 see."
The tame appeared TO run the length Of
ma aa yer IN m ton ar In. in
slant Mclaughlin threw himself prone Oh
the bottom of the sewer. dashing bis face
into the water. 4 be flame play ed all about
him, but the tact that his clothes were al.
most saturated with water. pre-
vented them from taking lire. His
eyelashes were burned almost to the lids
ana the pain IN his eyes prevented him Tor
q moment from crawling toward the man
hole From the odor of HE burned mus.
tache he thought his clothes were on lire.
The other two men rushed To the maDholo
end began 10 scramble 10 the surface. IN
their haste they found some Oh tticulty In do
ing this. Mclaughlin nnaly dragged him.
self 60 the hole inst as the others were get
ting to the open AIR. He reached the iron rim
OF the manhole, and while his companions
were helping him out one of them acci-
dentally stepped on the burned hand OF
the injured man. crushing the flesh from IL.
SANDY" was taken TO McMillin's drng
store. at Washington and Alabama streets
where DIR. McMillin dressed his wounds.
The injuries are serious but by no means
fatal. 1t is not believed that be inhaled
the flames.
1t 10 not known whether the flames In
the 80 wer were caused by escaping natural
or artificial gas. The gas was not what Is
usually known as sewer gas There have
been number of sewer connections made
with the big sewer along the street. and 10
is possible that gas from leak found it's
way through the earth and entered tue
sewer through one of the openings. Ii did
not get there through any defective work
or cracks IN the masonry.
Anew months ego George Crysler. o mason
at work on the same sewer. had his face
badly burned by the igniting of gas In the
sewer. Mclaughlin was with him at the
time of the accident Bushong. one OF the
men who were with SANDY yesterday,
WAS also soorched by the flames.
Two Other Small Academia.
There were two other small accidents on
North Alabama street near the sewer yes
terday. About noon the earth caved In on
the sewer at Massachusetts, avenue, and
street.car traffic was delayed for consid.
cradle time. In the afternoon old gray
horse attached 10 wagon from the coun-
try sank int q mud hole in front of the
James House. The horse went down TO it's
launches. and il was with much difficulty
that it was extrIoated. The animal was
uninjured.