The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-14
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
Gas Escaped from the Service Pipes
Arrangement of the House.


Arrangement of the House.
The accident was caused by natural
gas escaping from the service pipes and
filling up the cellar, from which suf-
ficient escaped after il had accumu-
lated to catch from tho stove which
burning in the saloon, thus causing the
explosion. The cellar was a large one,
and from the force of the explosion il
must have completely filled before tho
gas found it's way above into the saloon
and To the fire.
In the house at the time the accident
occurred were eight persons: Louis
Keuhler. aged fifty-six his wife Emma,
about fifty years old their four children.
Julius, Rosa, Louis and Charles. aged
respectively about seventeen. fifteen,
twelve and nine; Hugo Zweicker, a
printer who works at the Baker & Ran
dolph establishment, and Theodore
Schneider. "A bookkeeper formerly en-
ployed at the South Side foundry.
The two latter were sleeping in the
rear of the house I'm the frame part and
were only shaken up by the shock and
disturbed from their nights slumbcr.
The rest of the family occupied rooms
. Immediately over the saloon. The
rooms of the house are peculiarly ar
ranged The second story was cut up
into a number of small rooms. but there
was no hallway or corridor to serve aS a
passage between the different rooms and
To reach the front rooms. one of which
was occupied by the husband and wife
and the other by the daughter Rosa and
the son, Charles, it was necessary to go
through all the rooms from the head
of the stairway.
One of these partitions was the cause
Of much delay and suspense in the work
of rescue When the explosion occurred
all the persons i'm the front part of the
house were stunned and fell beneath the
roof and debris. Mr.. and Mrs. keuhler
We're hemmed in between the south wall
of the foundation and one Of the falling
partitions, and IL was some time before
the rescuing party could ascertain their
fate. The two sons, Julius and
Louis occupied a room in the brick part
of the house in the rear of the room IN
which the daughter slept. They were
more fortunate than the other members
of the family. The floor seemed TO have
parted and the front half was torn TO
atoms almost by the force of the eX-
plosion, while that part which formed
the floor Of the boys room fell intact
with the ruin the walls forming q shield
W
danger. They were slightly stunned,
but did not lose consciousness and were
able to find parts of their clothing and
escape unaided.
The more danger attended those in the
two front rooms Rosa was taken out,
after a short search, with life extinct.
She was crushed and bruised badly, a
number of bones being broken. 1t was
at first thought that Charles was dead
when the big fireman carried him into
the neighbours house, but 1t was soon
seen that he was only rendered uncon-
scious by the shock lie was bleeding
at the mouth from a Slight blow. In a
short time Dr. c. r. Schaefer had him
up and in a bath-tub, reveling in the
comforts of a good, hot bath.
1t was some time before the parents
of the children were brought out TO open
air. Mrs. Kuechler was first to make
her appearance, walking and crawling
unaided from the wreck. Her husband
was soon after carried out, and soon re-
vived in the pure air. They We're taken
into a BARRIERS shop, which was next
door TO the saloon, and in short time
recovered their senses enough to realize
what had happened. Only one of their
children, Julius, was there TO console
and comfort them, and with true pa
rental instinct they knew that some Of
them were dead. They asked for their
children in piti0us tones, while friends
attempted TO pacify them by telling them
that the children were safe in the house
OF a neighbcr. But the story was in
credible TO the parents, and the scene
was a pathetic one.
At this time Lottie. another daughter,
who lives with a married sister, the wife
of Fred Fessler, saloonkeeper oppo-
site Schmidts brewery, on McCarty-st..
came running frantically into the room
and. throwing her arms around her moth
| er's neck, wept bitterly, crying Thank
| God for mother" But she suddenly re-
membered her brothers and her sister
and wildly demanded TO know of them.
| She was told the same story as had been
told her parents but she paid no atten-
ton to the friends who tried 10 con-
| sole her and breaking from their arms,
ran across the broken bricks and tim
| bers OF the wrecked building and into
the house of Leonard Mueller, where
| she mad been told her sister Rosa was.
She was met on the porch and told
| the truth. She had expected it, but al
| most swooned. She was then conducted
! TO her brother, lying in the rear room
| Of the Mueller house. He was just get
| ting the kinks out of his intellect and
was washing the lime ana bricldrst- on [
| Of his eyes. She kissed him through n
| half-inch Of dust She was not satisfied
| until she had seen each member of the
family and was rightly informed of the
| situation. then she became herself and
set about looking after the comfort of
| carriage to the home of her brOther-in-
law. The children were provided for by
/ Mrs. Mueller.
| The building. which was almost a total
4 wreck, was owned by a man named
| Schwenee a saIoonkeeDer further ont