The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-05
1T SHOOK THE CITY
Cincinnati Startled By a Frightful
Explosion Of Gasoline.
A LONG LIST OF VICTIMS
Many Persons Known to Be Buried
In the Wreck-Slow Work In
the Rescue of the
lll-Fated.

Cincinnati, May AT s o'clock to-
night the hve-story building Nos 430
| and 432 Walnut street, between Fourth
| ana Fifth streets, was blown to the
| ground by an explosion Of gasoline
Ihe shock was so terrific that 1t was
Ieit ali over the city and not one brick
upon another Is left in the front and
rear walls of the building. while the
adjacent buildings are badly damaged
ana the glass in the windows on the
Gibson house and the large johnson
building, across the street. are 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 passeng gers
were seriously hurt The explosion
took place four doors from the inter-
section of Fiftieth and Walnut streets
The postoffice Is located on one side
and Fountain square on the other The
ground floor of No. 432 Walnut street
was occupied by Adolph c. Drachs as
saloon. The upper floors of the five
story building We're occupied as flats.
II Is not known at 10 o'clock how many
people were in the flats, or how many
were In the saloon. but none escaped,
as the building Immediately collapsed.
The dust and dirt continued flying for
long time and so densely that the
work of rescuing the victims proceed
ed with great difficulty. One of the
barkeepers, who was not on duty at
the time, escaped. He lived in one Of
the upper flats, and was wild with
grief because he knew that his wife
and four children were in the ruins
Six bodies had been recovered up to
$3.50 p. m. and IL is known that there
are many more. The firemen are work.
ing in the rear and on both sides of the
wreck, while the police are keeping the
81
that is going on to rescue the victims.
Part of one of the side walls is stand
ing. The body of Mrs. Drachs was
found soon after the explosion, but IL
could not be extricated from the tim
Der. and was still in the debris at 10
o'clock.
1t could not be definitely learned for
some time what caused the explosion.
but IL was finally ascertained that the
saloon in the building had put in their
own electric plant 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
a flash which communicated to the
gasoline and caused the explosion.
The debris seemed TO have fallen into
one heap, and was not scattered about
the street, so that there was the great
est difficulty in recovering the dead
bodies and rescuing the injured AL
though all possible efforts were made
to clear up the place, il will be impos-
sible to ascertain the extent of the
loss OF life tonight. The loss in prop
erty is quite large.
John ]. James of the Salt Lake Her
aid was just leaving the Gibson house
at the time Of the explosion and. with
his heavy grip, was blown into the
of an adjoining store. He was
knocked senseless. but afterwards re-
covered sufficiently to take the train to-
night for the West.
Noland David. a travelling man for
he Columbia Carriage company, was
along the street at the time of
he explosion and was blown under a
street car and killed. Cal. Grim, a well
known detective In this city, who work
ID up the evidence against jackson and
Nalling for the murder of Pearl Bryan.
$ among those known to have been In
0rach's saloon at the time of the ex-
Dlosion and Is now among the victims
n the ruins. At 10 o'clock there were
2 injured persons at the hospital. None
II them was considered seriously in
ured.
At 1890 o'clock the 3-year-old boy of
Adolph Drach was taken from the
uins so badly hurt that he is not like
y to live.
Among the injured were: Sid. John
on. barkeeper for Louis Fey. Billy
'ook. Barbara Huttleson. Harry Har-
rick, Fred Healy, Motorman Stafel,
ames Sprague. porter: Conductor Fol-
ard, =. Fisher. William Lauth, Will
am Loheide, IL. E. Hunwick. S. S.
Wells, w. ID. Crosby. Willard Z. Cook.
ID. Ward.
Among the missing who are believed
D be In the ruins are: r. A Fricke OF
Torwood. Joseph worthner. Louis Fey.
life and baby; also two servant girls.
j the families OF Fey and Drachs.
Jack Mccarthy. Peter Burns and
harles Tilley were taken out of the
lins about midnight. but Ii Is feared
nat none of them will live. They were
sscued by digging through one of the
alls of an adjacent building. II Is,
owever. impossible to rescue Mrs.
rachs even in this manner. At 1880
clock tonight they furnished Mrs.
rachs with something TO drink. and
ley are providing for her as best they
IN. Her feet are under an immense