Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-06
And Two Houses Demolished by a sas Powder Explosion.
A NEW ORLEANS HORROR
The Shock Terrific and Many People Badly Injured.
 Origin a Mystery.

NEW ORLEANS, Aprll o.-A IerrlDie eA- plosion occurred at 2 2o'elock this morning inthe grocery and sbip-chandery of Charles J. Salathe, on Decatur and Ursuline streets, opposite4th the lower end of the French market, entirely demolishing that and the adjoining saloon, the Fishermen Ex- change, and burying a number of people in the debris, which at once took fire.
 The nun Der of dead is not yet known at this hour, a. m., as the debris has not yet been thoroughly searched.
 At the hour of the explosion the street in front was beginning to fill up with market people. A number of wagons were on Decatur street and small knots of men were getting out their goods and trading for their uaily supplies. Their trade was cut short by motfied sound that came from across the street, and as they instinctively turned expecting the explosion the walls were lifted and came down with crash on all sides.
 The force of the explosion was terrible. Drivers were hurled from their vehicles and wares on tue market stands were blown to to the four winds.
 The explosion is thought to have been caused by gunpowder, twenty five or thirty pounds of which are always kept on hand by Salathe for sale to hunters and fisher men, who make their headquarters in the neighborbood of the French market.
 
 The following people are known to have been in the two buildings at the time:
 CHARLES J. SALATHD, wife, baby and two children Eddie, aged 10, and Lily, aged 5.
 FELIX RIeAUD, barkeeper.
 An IS year-old boy, who was messen. ger.
 EMILE BoULET, proprietor of and who slept over the saloon, and who escap ped.
 JOSEPH GRIMALDE and MIKE BIRIE, fre- ar Of a aal0nn- who aunD0sed to be in there at the time.
 CONSTANTINE IIRo, fruit stand keeper at the French market.
 Of these the bodies of Mir. and Mrs. Salalhe, clasped in each others arms, have been recovered, also their infant.
 Emile Boulet and Constantine Itro were blown clean out into the street, but were not much injured.
 The bodies of Felix Regaud, Joseph Grmaldi and Mike Birie are yet in the ruins.
 Eddie Salathe, aged 10, and Lily, aged 5, slept in Il @ rear room over the grocery store and were saved, bruised, but not seri- ously. It is believed many more people were buried in the ruins besides the above list.
 Salocnkeeper Boulet says: ''I believe there is a number of people buried in the fniBs of the saloon, as 1t was the custom of a number of persons employed about the market 10 come into the saloon between midnight and the hour 10 go to work and sleep until time to begin their labor. have oi.en seen ten or fifteen in there at one time. .''
 IfJURED so FAR KNOWN.
 JAMES MURPHY, driver of market wagon, was blown from his seat and struck violently against the breast. His right leg was severely lgcerated.
 CHARLES REIsZ, keeper, was seriously injured about the head and rendered un- conscious. His injuries are very painful, but not necessarily dangerous.
 DAVE LABUE, peddler, received a cut on the head.
 CHARLES ALBAlLIER, F years old, had his skull crushed.
 LILLY and EDDIE SALATHE, aged 5 and 10 years, received slight injuries about the head.
 CONSTANTINE lTRo, 35 years old, who runs a fish stand, had bis head crushed. J. VALLENTI, stand keeper at the fish market, was caught under falling wall and sustained severe injuries about the head.
 The 12-year- old son of Frank Alballia, sitting wagon in front of the Fisher mems Exchange, received a severe cut on the head, but will recover.
 TO THE RESCUE.
 When the firemen reached the scene they found the flames creeping out from all quarters under the debris. Water was pumped on the debris, and large force of men started to work to clear away the debris over where it was supposed the bodies lay, and the work still continues. Archbishop Jansen and a number of his clergy were among the first on the scene. TLe explosion was distinctly heard at the diocesan house, only few blocks away, and they hastened to the seems to render what assistance they could.
 BODIES RECOVERED.
 The bodies of Felix Rigaud, barkeeper, and James Edwards have been recovered from the ruins of the explosion. Edwards was an oyster luggermau, and he is sup posed to have been sitting in front of the saloon. This makes five bodies so far re- covered. Work of searching the ruins is still going on.
 Michael Birie, whose body was reported 10 have been recovered from the ruins, turned up safe and sound, having left the barroom ten minutes before the explosion. Edwards body which was badly crushed, was at first identified as Birie. This reduces the num- Der of bodies SO far recovered to i've.
 The money damage by the explosion and fire is estimated at $40 GOO. Search of the ruins is still being prosecuted. It is be- heved now only one more body is in them, which would make six people that perished.
 CORRECTED LIST OF DEAD.
 The following is correct list of those who lost their lives this morning by the explosion of gunpowder at the Fishermen Exchange, near the French market:l
 o. J. SALATHE, proprietor of the Fish, ermen's Exchange.
 MRS. .SALATHE, wife of c. J. Salathe. CHILD of Mir. and Mrs. Salathe.
 JAMES EDWARDS, a shrimp gatherer. FELIX RlGAUD, barkeeper.
 THE ORIGIN MYSTERY.
 Tue origin of the explosion is mystery. Saq