The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-06-26
BAD GAS EXPLOSION
Portland Postoff1ee Building
Almost Demolished.
LEAKING GAS DID IT
The Basement of the Building Filled
With Gas Which Made a Ter
rife Explosion.
California and Mexico Badly shaken
Considerable Amount of Damage
Done in San Francisco-Tehu-
antepec Destroyed.
LEAKING GAS DID IT

PORTLAND, Or, June 21.-The base
ment and entire lower portion of the
postoffice building was wrecked by
terrific explosion of gas at 1:30 this
afternoon.
Patrick Moloney, the head janitor of
the federal building, had a miraculous
escape from death. He was severely
burned about the head and arms. Will
liam Carlyle, clerk in the stamp de-
partment, was the only other person
hurt. He received painful scalp
wound from falling debris. Heavy
damage was done to the building, and
in every department the shock threw
the employees into great confusion.
Moloney's escape from death is al
most past understanding. In the jani-
tors storeroom in the basement a
great volume of gas had accumulated
from q leak. and when it was ignited
from lighted candle in the hands OF
plumber there was an explosion that
shook the city. Moloney was burned
about the face, his eyebrows, his hair
ana mustache were burned, and there
were severe scalp wounds. The flesh
on his hands and arms was mangled
and torn until he presented repuls1ve
sight. The explosion knocked him
down, but regaining his feet, he ran to
basement window and got out.
For hours during the forenoon the
odor of gas was noticed about the en-
tire federal building and when Janitor
Moloney returned from his dinner he
went into the basement to search for
the leaking pipe, and on lighting a
jet the explosion occurred.
The north end of the postoffice build
ing presents scene of wreckage. The
plastering was torn from the walls,
the casing of the stairs was ripped off,
lathing split into fine kindling aud all
the basement windows on level with
the ground were blown out-glass,
frame and all. The shock was so great
that the postoffice employees ran out in
the widest alarm. In the registry
division of the postoffice in the north
west corner the Office effects were
scattered all over the floor.
1t is singularly fortunate that it was
dull time of day at the postoffice build
ing. Being the noon hour, the cor
ridors were almost deserted, or there
would have been numerous injuries.
The flooring was. torn up and huge
chunks of plasteriug were knocked
from the ceiling and the walls. The
United States mails were not injured.
The conclusion was heard over the
entire city. A second after, great
clouds of dust from the demolished
plastering obscured the Railways, and
as hundreds of excited people rushed
to the .ene, the cry was set up that a
dozen people were in the corridor at.
the time and had been killed.
The terrible effects of the explosion
were shown later as the air cleared.
The door to the city delivery division
in the corner of the corridor near the
general delivery windows of the post
office is locked with strong lock.
This door was blown off its hinges and
20 feet into the city delivery depart
ment. Strange to say none of the en-
ployes were near it, and no one was
hurt,