The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-14

Natural gas is an invaluable servant,
but a terrible master.
a family OF six persons, consisting of
a father. mother and four young chill
dren, hurled into space in the dead of
night is the fearful horror for which it
is responsible. One child lies cold in
death and that the rest of the family
escaped is a miracle.
At 1888 o'clock p. m. Wednesday the
and dwelling hous of Louis Keuhler,
situated at 4s5 Madison-ave., was totally
destroyed by the explosion of natural
gas and the entire family buried in the
ruins
Without a word of warning came the
catastrophe and without a moment of
forewarning death and destruction We're
hurled into the sleeping family and they
were crushed beneath a mass of debris
that was all that was left to locate the
spot where but a moment before had
stood a home.
The explosion was heard throughout
the city, but none dreamed of its fright
full origin. Various causes were as
signed, but even the widest imagination
could not conceive of such disaster
The family retired to their beds at 10
o'clock, the usual precautions having
been taken in the way of attending TO
the fires. never dreaming that there
would be such a terrible awakening
with death and desolation on all sides
The scene Of the disaster was the
center toward which hundreds rushed
when the news became known and a
had stood the house was a mass of ruin
and debris that beggared description.
The building had been two-story
structure, the front part Of which had
been of brick and the rear portion of
wood. Instead of the front part there
was nothing left but a confused pile OF
brick and spIintered wood. while the
yard and street was almost blockaded
blown in every direction and the roof
with the partitions and floors, had fallen
below. filling the cellar and making a
tangled wreck below which was buried
the family
The force of the explosion had been
toward the front and bricks and pieces
OF the building were strewn for a dis
tsEce OF 200 yards in every direction, but
the street and the front received most
OF the wreckage
officers CrannOn and Shafer were the
first to reach the scene and heard pitia-
bic groans and cries for help from be-
neath the debris Behind the pile OF
brick and wood stood the Jagged remains
OF the wooden part Of the
house. which was almost to-
tally destroyed. but the walls were still
standing and the roof had not fallen in.
although threatening to do so at any
moment. Within the space Of five min
utes more than a hundred persons were
assembled on the scene. among the crowd
being "A dozen policemen. who took
charge Of the work of rescue and exerted
their best efforts to get the buried fam
iIy out az soon as possible. as every mo-
mcnt probably meant a human life The
cries had ceased and there was fearful
dread that The destruction of the family
had been complete
For hour willing hands tore at tho
wrcckage IN desperate haste. the rescuer'
never stopping. although there was mo
mentary danger that the upturned roo
and floors would fall over and add {,
the confusion and disaster. After
haIf-hour Of the hardest kind Of work z
little arm was uncovered and the worl
of rescue was increased in energy. Their
n little white and curly head was seer
and in a minute little boy. scarcely
recognizable beneath the plaster anC
dust. was dragged out He was alive
The next was corpse and so the worl
proceeded. II was "A terrible sight am
hearts Of strong men quaiied at tn.
spectacle. How the other members q
the family escaped with their lives Il
a wonder. Tons Of brick. mortar. heasi
beams and flooring as well as the re
mains Of the furniture, were hurled 10
gether I'm the widest confusion and mad
a Heterogeneous mass of wrekage tha1
seemed TO preclude all possibility tina
human life could survive beneath H.
II was due solely TO the WY in which i
had fallen and the cushion made by thu