The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-01-22
DEATH BY EXPLOSION.
It Wrecks a Manufacturing Build
ing at New Haven,
ONE VICTIM TORN TO PIECES.

The other Two Were Burned to Death in
the Fire which Followed the Explosion.
Four Others Seriously InIured-worlS-
men Rush for Their Lives.
NEW HAVEN, Jan. GA tremendous
explosion of gas occurred in the factory of
Frank Pnegar & Co. located in the build
ing of English & Mersy, on Crown street.
One man was instantly killed by the ex-
plosion, two others lost their lives in the
fierce fire which followed, the buildings
and contents were totally destroyed, and
u loss of 100000
The dead are: Joseph G. Hauser. ma.
chinist, aged 80, body frightfully mangled;
Thomas Toof, aged 40, body almost burned
away Harbona Stevens, aged "a, body
horribly burned.
Injured Frank p Pnegar, Sr., burned
about face and arms; Alexis Krah, fore
man, burned and bruised; Frank c.
Richter and James T. Mcneil, seriously
bruised
Tho explosion occurred without sec
ond's warning, and was felt throughout
the city The cylinder of gas regulator
containing a gaseous fluid with which an
experiment was being made, blew out with
n report similar to that of q ten FOUNDER
The retort tore through the ceiling in the
apartment of Frank p. Pnegar g. Co., and
burst through the roof. Joseph Hauser, a
machinist, was attending the regulator,
and was torn to atoms. II is throat was
cut, one leg was blown off, both arms and
the remaining leg were broken, the face
was battered to pulp and the trunk was
a mass of cuts and bruises.
! AT the time of the explosion there were
in the building forty persons, including
/ the factory hands and the office clerks in
the three concerns located there. The
/ building was four-story brick structure.
/ On the ground floor and second story were
the works of English g. Merrick, manu-
| facturers of carriage hardware. On the
third floor were the rooms of Edwin j.
| Toof & Co., makers Of sewing machine at
tachments, and the fourth floor was occu-
pied by f. p. Pfeger & Co., machinists.
AS soon rs the report was heard the work
men rushed for their lives In an instant
the building was filed with smoke, steam
and dust, and flames burst out with great
violence, famed by the draft of air ad-
| mitted through the front of the building,
which had been completely blown out. In
a trlce the flames communicated to the
/ whole building, and at that time it was
! CnOugnU Ule loss OF llle lnuSU De dppdillnR.
! No one could enter the building owing to
the furnace like heat which was breaking
| plate glass windows in other buildings To-
/ Gated in this business center.
The entire fire department, together
with the reserves, was called to the scene,
and it was three hours before the fire was
under control. Meanwhile Hauser's body
had been found on the first floor. AS the
flremen arrived upon the scene the crowd
which had gathered was scattered by an
other explosion, not so violent as the first.
When the building could be entered the
search for dead bodies was begun. The
roll was called and it was thought that
all had been accounted for. A little later,
however, the firemen made their way
through mass of debris and came upon
two horribly burned bodies which were
identified as those of Bookkeeper Stevens
and Thomas Toof.
The loss will prove total TO the owners
of the building and the tenants. Although
the loss will not reach figure much in
excess of 100000, there is insurance on the
property amounting to $3.50 600. 1t appears
that in order to use acetyline in build
ing a special permit must be obtained
This had not been done in this case and il
is likely that some contest will be made
against the claims for insurance.