The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-05
BLOWN UP WITH A BUILDING.
FIFTEEN TO FORTY LIVES LOST At
CINCINNATI.


Ledgers-TvO Street Cars Badly
Damaged and a Hundred Pedestri-
ans on the Streets Injured.
Cincinnati. O., May 4.-What may prove
q, be the most disastrous calamity Of
-f. wear occurred in this city tonight
when a five-stOry brick structure, filled
viii people, completely collapsed and fell
c1uglomerate mass of brick and shat
tered timbers, burying the unfortunate
inmates beneath its ruins.
Il is impossible to say how many per-
sons have been killed-sOme placing the
number as high as forty; others as low
as fifteen. No accurate statement can
De given on this point until the debris
shall have been cleared away, which will
certainly take all night.
The building was situated on the east
side Of Walnut street. just south of
Fifth. the lower floor being occupied by
Drach's saloon. The upper apartments
were rented out to dodgers People for
several blocks around where the disaster
occurred was startled by a most terrific
explosion about 7:45 O'Clock. A fire alarm
was instantly turned in, and in a few min
utes half the fire department in tho city
was upon the scene. The work of rescue
was instantly begun a force of men TAX
ing the front, while a second corps went
10 the rear of the building, which opened
into an alley.
The first persons who appeared upon the
scene entered the alley and came up TO
the rear Of the alley, where the piteous
cries and meanings of a female We're the
only evidences of life between the wreck
These cries came from the cellar.
/. is utterly impossible that any persons
Oh the other floors could nave escaped
horrible death. In addition TO the Nlcllms
who are buried beneath the building ii is
estimated that fully one hundred people
have been more or less injured by the con-
cussi0n, falling electric wires and frag-
menJs of shattered glass, stone and tim
uers.
Twenty of those injured on the streets
were taken into the GIBSON mousse, Just
across the way, ana their wounds dress
el. Among these was Chlet OF HOlce
Joseph Iugh of COVngton, Ky, who re-
p0r,s a most miraculous escape. He was
just in the act of entering the saloon, IN
fact. one foot was upon the door sill, when
Ae was startled by the fash of burning
electric wire overhead. he spfdhs Ddch-
ward, when almost simultaneously the
explosion occurred, and he felt the grounq
leave his feet. He was blown almost INTO
-Ae middle of the street
Three persons, whose names cannot be
learned, were injured slightly in passing
street car, and several ladies' in another
ear were prostrated from the shock.
A Newport KY, car, which was near the
place. met with a remarkable experience.
Ii was suddenly brought to a standstill
by fearful shock, and an immense mass
came crashing through the roof. rms
proved, upon examination, to be an iron
door from the cellar of a building, which,
by some strange freak Of the explosion,
had been blown through the falling de-
brls and up into the air. A man named
John Neibel of this city had just left the
spot where it fell ana walkeu PACK 10
the rear of the platform. No one was
hurt.
A Brown street car was smashed almost
into fragments There were, fortunately,
no passengers on board, and the conduc-
tor and mOtorman escaped with slight
The explosion was caused by the igni-
ton of a gasoline tank
Adolph Drach, proprietor of a saloon on
the lower floor, had recently placed a gas
oline engine in his cellar for the purpose
of generating his own gasoline fuel
The best authorities agree that the COM
mutator of the engine had burned out,
setting fire to tank Of gasoline.
The building was seen to shake for an
instant. and then cave in. An instant la
ter only an indiscr!minate mass Of ruins
remained.
The walls of the buildings adjoining on
either side remained intact.
The streets all around the block are lit
orally covered with pieces of glass.
IL is almost impossible to push ones
way through the throng of excited thou
sands gathered about the place as late as
Hundreds of anxious inquiries keep the
telephones in the vicinity busy and the
hospitals and morgue are beseiged with
callers, eager to ascertain the identity Of
the dead and dying.
Cincinnati. O., May 8, l a. m-The iden-
titled dead and the injured so far as known
are as follows;
Dead:
R. A. Davis, a travelling man, Hamilton,
o.. has a wife living at Tryon, n. c.
Adolph Drach proprietor of the saloon.
Tour bodies not yet ldenuhed.
H. e. Hunwick, boo6keeped.
Joseph Spriggs, .colored, porter.
Z, $. Wells, clerk.
Sidney w. Johnson, barkeeper.
w, D. Crosby, paper-hanger.
William f. Cook, clerk, Avondale.
J. L. Ward, race-horse man, Toledo.
Barbara Huddfelman, domestic.
John Mccarthy, of Cincinnati Wharf
Company.
Pete Burns.
Charles Spillo.
OF the injured, it is believed several will
Several more victims are yet beneath
yle ruins and everything possible is being
zone TO secure the bodies.
R. A. Fricke of Norwood was to have
ieit for Philadelphia tonight. lie IS
known to have left his Valise in Drach's
saloon early this evening. As he has not
9een seen since the explosion, his friends
lear that his body is buried beneath the
A pathetic incident in the work of re-
covery occurred when, by digging through
an adjoining wall, th9 tiremen came upon
yohn Mccarthy, who was lying upon his
uack helplessly pinioned Mccarthy was
Ir-eased after the hardest labor, he him
ssl assisting his rescuers by giving them
ulEeetions how to proceed.
.+Near where Mccarthy was found, We're
Aree other victims, among them a woman
s-a child, who have not yet been taken
rom the ruins
tae pitiful means of the mother and the
clIes of the little one, begging her mother
70 come to her stimulated the brave fell
g@s who are working with might and
nam to save them. Two priests, Fathers
german and Kiely, were conspicuous for
.3eT efforts at consoling those beneath
lae ruins.
" nile leaning forward to administer
Cglsolauon to an unfortunate who was
I.sng for aid, Father Tiernan was struck
y falling tile and badly, though not
Se1I0usly hurt.
CITY ELECTIONS IN FRANCE.
The Socialists Make a Big Showing