Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-05
A Terrible Explosion in Ship
Chandlery.
NUMBER OF DEAD PUT AT FIFTEEN
An Early Morning Disaster at New
Orleans.
NEAR THE FRENCH MARKET

| NEW 1iNi-i--t->Sf Id, ApIll IA
| bic explosion occurred at the corner of DE.
| catur and Crsaline streets this morning
| about o'clock. The ship-chandler's store
of Charles ]. Salathe and the adjoining
saloon, the Fisherman's Exchange, owned
| by Charles Salathe, were demolished. Fire
troke out Immediately following the ex-
plosion, which occurred in the shp-chand-
| ler's store. in which quantity of powder
and shot have always been kept on hand.
The front and side walls of the>t build
| ings We're blown down, but the rear par
| titions We're left standing, showing that
the explosion had occurred in the front
part of the building.
| At least half dozen persons who were
| sleeping in the two buildings at the time
are buried beneath the debris, and it ID
| feared that they have been either crushed
| to death or Were burned to a crisp
At the hour of the explosion the street
| in front was beginning to fill up with
market people. number of wagons were
| on Decatur street, and on the sidewalks
and in the market small knots of men
| " ere getting out their goods and buying
| their daily supplies Their trade was cut
short by a muffied sound that came from
| across the street, and they turned, ex-
| pecting an explosion, the walls lifted and
| came down with a crash on all sides.
| The force of the explosion was terrible.
| Drivers were hurled from their VIC hicles
ana the wares on the market stands were
| blown to the four winds. Salathe and his
wife were killed. His bed room was
over the powder. One of his children
emerged from the ruins in his night clothes
| after the engines had been at work on the
| flames about five minutes.
| The French market was just being OPEN
| ed and the men who sell fish and other
| food We're unloading their wagons Some
| of them had gone into the saloon 10 drink
| and the barkeeper, Felix Rigo, and five or
| SIX people who were drinking there, are
| under the debris. Splinters bricks, pieces
| OF timber and other material Were scat
| tered on the market, and the windows In
Sarrazin's tobacco factory adjoining wera
| shattered.
streets, We're slightly injured by flying
particles. Emile Boulet, the owner of the
| bar room, had stepped across the street for
moment and was in the market when the
explosion occurred. thus saving his own
| life. There Were sleeping apartments over
the bar room in which a number, of people
We're supposed to be resting for the night.
| Salathe kept a large quantity of powder
which he sold to fishermen and hunters
AT 4 O'Clock the estimated number Of
dead was fifteen. Charles Reiss of Howard
and Lafayette streets, colored man. was
seriously wounded by flying timbers and
was carried 10 the hospital in the ambu-
lance.
AT 4:15 o'clock the bodies of Salathe and
MS Vile We're recovered.
Story of a Witness.
r
Market, was standing on the corner op-
posite the saloon when the explosion took
place. Mr.. Witty was in the habit of going
TO the saloon often during the evening to
chat with the barkeeper, whom he knew
very well, and had just walked across
from the market to the corner when the ex-
ploston occurred. He said it was accom-
panied by terrific sourd, apparently half
smothered, as if blown up from the bottom
of the building. The edifice trenbled and
then went up with tremendous convul-
sion, throwing parts of the building high in
the air, tearing the Ursulnes street wall
down, part of the Decatur street WALL and
leaving the greater part of the wall stand
ing in the rear of the building.
Mr.. Witty says it went up like a mighty
flash, and the explosion vas followed by a
big blaze that went high up in the air and
then, Guhsided somewhat.
The walls and debris came down with a
crash, and immediat tely the air was filled
with smoke and dust that was blown every
where from the grocery store. Then the
people rushed to the place of the explosion
from every direction. The people in the
two buildings were as follows: 9.
c. j. Salathe, over the grocery store, with
his wife and four children, two OF the latter
were saved; Felix Rigaud, the barkeeper;
an eighteen-year-old boy. who is missing;
Emil Boulet. who stopped over the saloon
AID WHO escaped; Jos: Gr.maldi and Mike
Biri, frequenterS of the saloon who were
supposed to be in there at the time are
missing.
Outbreak of the Flames.
When the fremen reached the scene they
found that flames were creeping out from
all quarters under the debris. The friends
of the people who were known to he en-
tombed were making heartrending cries,
and feared that their friends, if not already
dead, would be burned to death.
The water was pumped on the debris and
a large force of men started to work to
clear away the debris over where it was
supposed the bodies lay.
Survivors, Story.
One of the survivors was Mr.. L. r. Bou-
let. He tells his experience among the fall
ing walls and flying bricks as follows:
Il was asleep on the second story OF tie
saloon, in the corner room. / was awGk-
ered by the ceiling falling on me. l tell
you 1 was scared. At first l thought it
a dream, but / soon found that it was not
when / saw that | could not move. / iay
still for what seemed to me long time.
When I heard some one crying, oh, nay
God. my child L did not know what had
happened. / could hear people talking, but
l could not make myself heard Several
times / called out as loud as-I could. While
| was lying there / tried TO think what 1t
was that had happened. 1t was dark and
/ could not see anything. / knew that it
was the ceiling that had fallen' and that
all.
that by cramping myself into as small q
L
Then | heard some one walking over me.
| called out, and he answered me. He
proved to be friend of mine named Willie
Moses When he heard me he told ME rot
to be afraid, but to keep quiet and that he
would get me out in short while. Then
he went away, but soon came back with
some friends, and they started digging
hole over me.
They Worked fast and it did not take
long to make a large enough hole to pull
me through. l do not remember much
more, for the strain was so great that
was almost unconscious when they got
me out and brought me over to this sa-
loon | am not hurt, except a few scratch
Il know that DIR. Salathe kept some pow
der on hand in his store, but do not know
how much. | cannot imagine how the pow
der came to explode. Some people say that
il was not powder that exploded, but l do
not know of anything else in the building
that could have caused the wreck. / am
certain that 1 was the only person on the
second floor Of the saloon. ] do not know
how many persons were sleeping on the
second floor of the grocery.
Down stairs in the saloon was Felix
Rigaud. the barkeeper. 1 am certain that