The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-30
BIG EXPLOSION IN A BLOCK.
THE BUILDING BLOWN To PIECES
AND 20 OTHERS DAMAGED.

The Inmates Asleep at the Time But
All Escape with Their Lives-The
Causing the Explosion and Arrest
ed on Charge of ArsOn-Experts
Say 100 Pounds of Dynamite Must
Have Been Used.
Scranton, Pa, June ga dynamite ex-
plosion early this morning in South scran-
ton blew up the business block of Leon
Olchofsh and a detached house owned by
Michael OfHara.
The business block, 2-story building,
was torn to pieces and twenty other
houses had all the paster torn from their
walls. The shock was felt all over the
city.
Olchofsk was seriously injured in saw
ing his wife, The wrecked building took
fire. but the firemen kept the flames from
spreading.
The other properties seriously damaged
were the brick business block and dwell
ing of Charles johnson, dwellings of Will
lam Grambe, Charles Kiefer. John Kline,
Michael Joyce, DR. ]. j. Walsh James
Welsh, Adam Felinger Bridget Lavele
Joseph Denims, Phillip Kleip, Carl Schuer-
man and George Gardner and b. Huse's
blacksmith shop
In some of the houses the sleeping peo-
pie were injured by falling plaster. The
infant child of Michael Joyce was danger
ously injured, and little son of John
Klein almost suffocated. The total loss
will reach $4,000.
Olchofsld has been in political and
church wrangles for number OF years
and was the recognized leader of one
of the warning factions among the south
side Polanders. When asked IL he thought
1t possible that some enemy had blown
up his store, he said he did not know
what to think; it might be that but he
would not like to say anything about 1t.
He closed up the store at o'clock last
night and left everything in good shape.
Olchofski lived on the ground floor next
the store building. All he knows is that
he was aroused by an explosion and a
burst of flame into his room. He grab
bed his wife, and, leading the way, made
his exit to the street, where he lost con-
sciousness. He was carried to a house
opposite and a physician summoned. He
was found to be painfully burned about
the face and hands and cut on the fore
head,a large lump indicating that he had
been struck by flying missile His eyes
are seriously burned.
lived above Olchofslxi, awoke to find his
bedroom filed with smoke and tongues of
flame bursting in the windows from the
store side. His wife came running into
the room, with blood trickling down her
face, from a slight abrasion caused by
falling plaster. Gathering up their chill
dren they started for the hallway exit,
but the key of the door had been knocked
out by the explosion, and being unable to
find IL in hurried hunt about the floor,
they made for the windows, and one by
one dropped to the roof of a summer
kitchen below, and then to the ground.
Chiefs Robllng and Hickey of the po-
lice and fire departments, respectively,
and corps of assistants worked with a
great deal of eagerness In an effort to fix
the responsibility for the explosion. II Is
generally believed that Leon Olchofski
owner of the main building, Is the guilty
party He was arrested tonight charged
with arson.
At the rear of the store was found three
big drawers saturated with oil. He had
no clothes on when the explosion occurred
and after rushing from the house fell
senseless In the street. The wreckage in
the streets was partially removed to-day
and no bodies were found. Experts say
that about 100 pounds Of dynamite or
proportionate amount of some equally
| powerful agent must have been used.