The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-28
INVESTIGATION CONTINUED
CORONER MIX EXAMLNES FURTHER INTO THE ca USE OF THE FIRE,

-Riohter Sticks to His First Story of the Catastrophe-Mess Mayphes and De- vine in Search of tho Truth.
 Inquiry as to the cause of the ex- ploSion and fire in the Mersick build- ing on Crown street on Tuesday of last week was continued by Coroner Mix yes terday. There were present J, w. AL ling, representing the interest of the Acetylene Gas company; E. s, Buckland of the firm of Watrous & Buckland, Medical Examiner White and small audience of spectators.
 The first witness was Frank Paeghar, who had visited the fire marshal's of flee with the attorneys to explain how the valve was attached to the regula- tor. His firm was making a new valve to be attached to the regulator.
 He said he was the junior partner of Pheghar & Son for the last six years. His firm sublet part of their share in the building to Dr. Toof. Dr. Toof was not in any way connected with the firm in business except as a customer.
 He testified that the first time the matter of acetylene gas was brought to the attention of himself and his father was by Dr. Toof, last December, when he wanted a regulator made. He brought them regulator for model and they made twenty-five for him. The cylinder came about Christmas. It was made of steel, six feet and six inches in width. There was a valve on top to confine the gas, a hydraulic guage for regulating pressure, a mer- cury gauge to indicate the pressure af- ter the gas passed into the regulator, pipe and a burner.
 Two men, MT. Grimm and MT. Iden, came from New York, to give directions in regard to setting up the cylinder. The work was put in Alexis Krah's charge after the men went away
 Witness did not know whether Dr.. Toof was interested in acetylene gas or not.
 Dr. Toof was interested with his fa- ther only so far as making the experi- ments for Dr. Toof. We experimented with nothing only the valve. The first regulator worked satisfactorily. After wards we attempted to change the de- sign, so it might be more easily ad- justed to the pressure.
 The witness said there were two tanks, one coming two weeks after the first. After putting on the valves it was found that the one put on the first tank leaked, and his father suggested that alterations be made on it. A new valve was made.
 The persons employed in the room, he said were Erah, Hauser, Henry Pile ghar, McNeil and Richter. The cylin- der on which the experiments were be- ing made contained acetylene gas. He knew nothing about the gas The men talked of it among themselves. There was something said about it's danger ous nature the day the first cylinder arrived. MT. Griann1 or the other New York man, said it was not explosive. The New York men gave instructions to pour hot water on the tank when it was desired to increase the pressure of gas. The new valve was tested with the gas from the first cylinder but not from the second. That was day or two before the explosion.
 Coroner-As matter of fact was not the valve being tested when the expio- sion occurred?
 Pfieghar-Hauser was evidently test ing the valve, for he struck several matches before the explosion.
 The witness said Hauser went to work on the valve that morning. He did not know exactly what Hauser was doing. There was no one with him. About the matches Pfeghar said he knew Hauser had them, because he asked them from McNeil. He understood that the pres J,o i+e t,1 if the cylinder contained only small quantity of the gas, or none at all, as if it was full of the liquid. He heard since the explosion that the gas would go through n1alleable iron or brass, and that the gas mixed with copper would produce illuminate.
 Coroner-Was there any copper in the cylinder?
 Wlitness-There was copper in the brass regulator on top. I found de- posit in the regulator around the valve like a. frosty substance.
 Pfieghar said there was no previous explosion of acetylene gas in the place If Hauser in experiment ting had twisted the head off the valve the result would have been that the gas would have es- caped and an explosion might have re- suited.
 The inquest was adjourned at this point until 2 o'clock.
 Frank c. Richter was the first witness examined in the afternoon. He was employed by F. P. Pfeghar & Son as an apprentice at tool-making. He was shown diagram of the shop as it ex- isted before the explosion. He went to work on the regulator ten minutes be- fore the explosion of Tuesday morning. The regulator and valve were not con- nected with the cylinder. MT. Kran put them on. Krah told him to get hot water. Hauser was filing a short piece of steel at the lathe.
 Before he went for the water he in- tended to dip out the cold water around the cylinder in the sink. That was all he remembered He found something pressing on his leg. and then he must have lost consciousness, for when he recovered he found himself burning in the sink He put out the fire and ran towards the office. Returning, he saw Hauser lying dead on the floor. Part of his clothes were torn off him. He saw a hole in the floor near where Haul ser lay. He and McNeil picked up the body and took it to the rear building. Had worked around the cylinder at va rious parts since the New York men, Grimm and Iden brought it to the shop.