The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-05-09
CINCINNATI BLOCK RAZED
FIVE STORY BRICK IN A HEAP ON
THE GROUND.
Victims Fatally Injured VIII Num-
her More Than Dozen
and Are Buried.

Cincinnati. May AT o'clock tonight !
the fve-story building at Nos. 4SO and 4S2
Walnut street, between Fourth and Fifth
streets. was blown TO the ground by an
explosion Of gasoline The shock was so
terrific that it was felt all over the city
and not one brick upon another is left
on the front and rear walls of the build
ings, while the adjacent buildings are
badly damaged. and the glass in the
windows of the Gibson house ana the
large johnson building across the street
are all broken. The glass was broken out
of street cars that We're passing at the
time and one of the cars was badly wreck
ed, but none of the passengers were seri-
ously hurt.
The explosion took place four doors from
the intersection of Fifth ana Walnut
streets, the postoffice located on one side
and Fountain Square on the other. The
ground floor of No. 4S2 Walnut street was
occupied by Adolph c. Dracns for sa-
loon. The upper floors of the ffth-story
building were occupied as flats. 1t 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
|
| and dirt continued flying for a long time
so densely that the work of rescuing the
victims proceeded with great difficulty.
One of the barkeepers, who was not on
duty at the time, escaped. de 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 have been recovered up to
| non ~ -, apd IL fc lxnoUn that there are
many more. The firemen are working in
the rear and on both sides of the wreck,
while the police are keeping the place
clear and protecting the work that is
going on to rescue the Victims Part of
one of the side walls is standing.
The body of Mrs. Drachs was found
soon after the explosion, but it could not
be extricated from the timber and was
still in the debris at 10 o'clock.
1t could not be definitely learned for
some time what caused the explosion
but it was finally ascertained that the
saloon people had put in their own cleo
trio plants for incadescent lights and had
just secured a gasoline engine with which
to run the dynamo. The plant got out OF
fix and there was a fash which commune
Gated to the gasoline and caused the eX
plosion.
Debris Heaped Up.
The debris seemed to have fallen intC
one heap and was not scattered about thu
street, so that there was the creates
difficulty in recovering the dead bodie
and rescuing the injured Although al
possible efforts were made to clear up tn
place it will be impossible to ascertain
the extent of the loss of life tonight TIL
loss in property is quite large.
John ]. James of the Salt Lake Cit
, Herald was just leaving the Gibson hous
} at the time of the explosion. and with hi
/ heavy grip was blown into the doorway o
t an adjoining store. He was knocke
' senseless, but afterwards recovered sui
e fciently to take the train tonight for tn
west.
3 holland David, travelling man for tn
q Columbia Carriage Company was walkin
along the street at the time of he eN
ploslon and was blown under street ca
q and killed
j Cal Grim, a well known detective 1
o this city who worked up the evidenc
y against Jackson and Walling for tn
T murder of Pearl Bryan is among thos
known to have been in Drachs' saloon {
J. the time and now among the victims
= the ruins.
{ AT 10 o'clock there were Il injured pc
l. sons at the hospital. None of them wei
considered seriously injured.
y At 1920 the Syear-old son of Dracl
d was taken from the ruins so badly hu
: that he is not likely to live.
Among the injured were: Sid Johnso
- barkeeper for Louis Fey; Billy Coo
. Barbara Huttleson. Harry Harwick, FRI
'e Healey, Motorman Stafel, James Spragu
- ConductOr FOliard. Fisher Villa
=, Lauth. William Loheide, - Huro
- II. E. Hunwick, S. S. Wells, w. d. Crosb
w. 4. Cook. J. d. Ward.