The morning times., 1897-03-05
DEADLY HAVOC WROUGHT
Terrible Effects Of an Explosion
Of Gas i'm Boston.
SIX WERE KILLED OUTRIGHT
Near Half Hundred People Badly
Hurt-Street Cars Wrecked and
Buildings Seriously Damaged-Oc-
Cured at Subway Works in the
Busiest Part of the City.

Boston, March Am explosion OF gas.
which leaked from the two great six-inch
mains which cross the subway at the corner
Of fremont and Boylston streets, killed
SIX injured two probably fatally, and
nearly fifty other persons, at 11:45 O'Clock
today.
a boom like that of cannon was followed
by smoke, which seemed to arise from the
very bowels of the earth, and then flames
shot upward and bIazed in the midst Of
the thoroughfares where there is more
travel than anywhere else In a given
section OF the city
Horses lay dead on the pavernents; panic
stricken passengers were endeavorfng to
escape with their lives from the interior
of burning street cars, and steam fire
engines were on the scene pouring tons
or water upon the rapidly disappearing
cars. The glass in the buildings was shat
tered along fremont street as far as
LabTange street and north beyond the
fremont Theater to Washington street
and west almost to Park Square The
list OF dead as far as aScertained follows:
REV. w. \. START. bursar OF TUFTS
College.
q. d. BIG GELOR. Conductor.
MISS A. VI. MATILDA BATES.
WILLIAM +. V1NAL, private secretary
to Thomas " Law son.
BENJAMIN DOWNING, hack driver.
ID. II. SHELLEY, carriage driver
The injured are: Mary A Hipweu, A .
r. Sargent, N motoTman; Miss Sadie E.
Fleming, Annie Frank, James L. Rear
don. John ]. O'COnnor, Fred W. Deeley,
MIS-. s. y. Peck, Mrs. j. K. Wilson. Nellie
Jackson, Sadie NJ. Brown, Charlotte L.
Main. a. b. Cunningham, A L. Sherburne
John Ross. Wolf kopIer, Adolph Lundin,
Mrs. Horatio BigeIow. Miss alice Rich
ardson, Sam Morton, Mary E Stone, Alex
andcr Leivoise, s. D. NickeTson, John ].
Venes, Tony Byagarry, Henry j Kelley,
Mrs. Charles 5. Bates, William Mayhow,
II WOOdcock. N. II. Beiard, Nancy O'Nein,
Patrick H. Greaney, E. c. Worcester,
Lillian Rose, John Buns, Patrick De
laney, Charles Newell, John Gill, Thomas
Blown, J Hennessy, Augusta Louisa VII
son. Mrs. L. A. Beck, Anna Harding.
Charlotte Nair, Philip Wolf, Frank Tro-
4
All Of the killed and injured resided
in this city or in suburban towns
The explosion came Just as three cars
were almost in the center OF the space
at the corner. The first one was on its
way directly across fremont street on
BoylstOn; the second was Just turning
from fremont to BoyIston, while the
third was close behind this one There
was another car on Boylston waiting for
an opportunity TO turn into fremont, and
behind this were several others
The trst-named car was precisely in
the center when he explosion came. The
whole OF the wooden work, which Is
used as a bridge over the deep hole at
this point, was lifted with a fnghtfuI
roar, into the air, carrying the first
named car with il, and taking along the
two horses Of the second CT. The other
vehicles were lifted into the air.
Instantly the air was filled with flying
debris, and above the shouts OF terror.
stricken pedestrians could lie heard the
groans and cries OF the wounded The
first electric car, the one in which most
OF the people were killed. fell back upon
the tracks and broke in halves. The por-
tons Immediately broke into flames. Then
someone sounded fire alarm and calls
for the amhulanCeS.
Within few minutes the Emergency
Hospital ambulance was on the scene.
other ambulanCes followed and the fire
department responded promptly and ex-
tiuguished the flames. \ squad OF 100
policemen was insufficient TO keep back
the thousands OF people who rushed In
from Oh sides, and it was only by giving
a false alarm Of second explosion they
were able to drive back the crowds and
rope off the street.
The firemen, police, and laborers con-
veyed the dead TO the mOrgue and the
injured to the hospitals
Not only were all the window fronts
broken iuthe neighborhood, but from Jew
eler's window precious stones, said to be
worth $4,000, were scattered about the
street. The foundations of the Hotel Pei
ham are said to have been shaken badly,
while every window display in the neigh
borhood was injured more or less. 1t is
utterly impossible to estimate the loss In
that direction.
The immediate cause OF the explosion is
of course uncertain, but the most generally
accepted theory is that it was started by
q spark from the electric motor of the
Mount Auburn car ignitinE the gas which
escaped from the old main that runs along
the south side Of Boylston street.