The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-05
FATAL GAS EXPLOSIONS.
BROAD RIPPLE, IND, THE SCENE
OF THE TRAGEDIES.
Four Persons Dead and Several In
jured-Resulting Fire Does Great
Damage to the Business Centre.

Indianapolis, Ind, Sept. 1.-Two
frghtful explosions of natural gas oc-
CURED in Broad Ripple. a suburb six
miles north of here this morning at 10
o'clock. Five are known to have been
killed, and the seriously injured will
number between 20 and 80 The bust
ness part of the town took fire and the
largest buildings were destroyed. The
city of indianapolis was called on for
help and sent engines and doctors.
The first explosion occurred in J. L..
Watts drug store, from unknown
causes. Five were injured there and
the building was set On fire. Across
the street was the Odd Fellows hall,
underneath Wrlich was Pious Gresh' S
grocery store, Seeing that the fire was
spreading at Gresh's 90 men went to
removing office stock and groceries,
when crushing explosion occurred in
this building. The walls we're blown
out and the upper floor fell in on the
men. Gresh and Jacob Darling. a paint
err, were taken out dead Tie Others in
the building were badly injured, several
of them fatally. Nearly every one of
them suffered a broken leg or arm.
The fire spread from the Odd Fellows
hall and the drug store in every direc-
once and we're doomed before help
could be obtained. The entire conmu
nifty turned out and there was work
for all in rescuing the injured who were
now threatened with death by fire
Hurried calls for help were uent to this
city. The hospital and dlspensary doc
tors took the first Ripple cars and the
fire department loaded an engine on a
Monon fiat car and left for the scene.
The fire was under control at noon,
with five business houses destroyed.
The dead:
Plous Gresh, grocer, aged IS; burned
Jacob Darling. painters crushed by
falling walls.
charles Yountz. Single. aged So; found
dead in grocery ruins,
Two unknown bodies, burned to a
crisp.
At 2:S0 o'clock it was reported that
seven dead bodies have been recovered
from the ruins. OF these only three
had been positively identified. 1t is
thought at least the remains of two
more may be in the debris
1t is supposed that natural gas had
accumulated in the Watt csl!ar and that
some one went to the dark room with
light A dreadful explosion followed.
| Ii shattered the building and injured
all the occupants. Every mouse IN une
suburb was shaken and farmers two
miles north of Broad Ripple felt the
concussion and hurried to the scene.
The building was a twostory white
frame and caught fire from the explo-
sion. The men who went to the rescue
found a fierce fire as well as heavy de-
brls in their course. Their hands were
burned and they were almost suffocated
from the heat, but they worked hero
icaHy to remove the timbers and debris
under which they knew their HeighhorS
we're buried.
The Odd Fellows building was also a
wooden structure and it was a seethinG
mass of fire before the first man was
rescued The work of rescue was slow
and it was well on into the afternoon
before the last body was taken out.
The money loss will likely not amount
( to more than $4,000
! All of the buildings destroyed were
wooden ones.