Connecticut western news., 1896-05-07
Details of the DIxa.ter


 CINCINNATI, May 5.-The five story building at 4so and 43s Walnut street. Se- tween Fourth and Fifth streets, was blown to the ground by an explosion. The shook was so terrific that 1t was felt all over the city, and not one brick on another Is left in the front and rear walls of the build ing, while the adjacent buildings are bad ly damaged, and the glass in the windows in the Gibson House and the large John son building across the street were all broken. The glass was broken out of street cars that were passing at the time, and one of the cars was badly wrecked, but none of the passengers was seriously hurt All the horses in the immediate neighbor- hood broke from their fastenings and ran away, and there was not only intense ex- citement. but also the greatest confusion.
 The ground story of 4Sa Walnut street was occupied by A. c. Drach as & saloon. He owned that part of the building. and the other was owned by M. Goldsmith, and the first floor of the building at 4S0 Walnut street was also occupied by a sa- loon run by Louis Fey. The upper floors of the five story building were occupied as flats It is not known how many people were in the flats or how many were in the saloons, but none escaped. as the building immediately collapsed There was no fire to consume the debris and make certain death of all in the building, but the dust and dirt continued flying for long time so densely that the work of rescuing the victims proceeded with great difficulty, although the police and fire departments rallied heroioaily to the work. The saloons were said to be quite full of people. One of the barkeepers, who was not on duty at the time and escaped. lived In one of the upper flats and was wild with grief be- cause he knew that his wife and four chill dren were in the ruins One of his chill dren was recovered dead soon after the cx- plosion.
 Pinioned Under rimbers.
 The body of Mrs Drach was found soon after the explosion, but it could not be ex- tricated from the timber.
 The Swear old boy of Adolph Drach was taken from the ruins so badly hurt that he is not likely to live His aged grand father was among those who had come to the scene and soon learned that Mir. Drach's youngest child had been taken out dead, his B. year. old boy removed from the debris seriously injured, and that the body of Mrs. Drach could not be extricat- ed from the heavy timbers. The old man broke down under the news and is in a very serious condition.
 There was much excitement among the guests in the Gibson House and at all places in the vicinity of Walnut street. The excitement was the more intense be- cause it could not be definitely learned for some time what caused the explosion. It was f1ually ascertained that the saloons in the building had put in their own electric plants for incandescent lights and had just secured a gasoline engine with which to run the dynamo The plant got out of fix, and there was flash, which com m uni- cated to the gasoline and caused ths ex. plosion. The sudden collapse of the large building smothered everything in the eel. lar. so that there was no fire. The fircinen were soon assisted by some expert engi neers, who made openings through the basement walls of adjacent buildings. They recovered some of the victims in that manner. The debris seemed to all fall in- to one heap and not scatter about the street. so that there was the greatest difficulty in rec overing the dead bodies and rescuing the injured. The loss in property is quite large.
 Mir. John !. James of the Salt Lake City Herald was just leaving the Gibson House at the time of the explosion and with his heavy grip was blown into the doorway of an adjoining store. He was knocked senseless, but afterward recover 1 ed sufficiently to take the train for St Louis on his way west Roland A. Davis a travelling man for the Hamilton Carriage company, was walking along the street at the time of the explosion and was blown under a street car and killed.