The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-20
RENT ASUNDER BY GAS
HOUSE OF w. II. BEARD. AT III LIN
COLIN AVENUE, DEMOLISHED.
Mrs. Beard and Her Brothcr-in-Law
Arthur Seriously Hurt-A Match to
the Natural Gas Valve.

The family OF w. r. Beard living at ia
Lincoln avenue. had a remarkable escape
| from instant death last night, when the
house was blown asunder by a natural gas
explosion. Mrs. Beard and Arthur Beard,
her younger brother-in-law, were quite Sc
riously hurt. but DR.. Theodore A Wagner,
who lives across the street from the explo-
| sion, believes that they will recover.
Mr.. Beard says that when he returned
home from lodge he found his wife and his
brother awaiting his return In the sitting
ROOM AS soon as he entered he spoke of a
peculiar odor, which he detected. Both his
wife and brother were unconscious of any
unusual odor.
1T smelled like a smoking kerosene
lamp" said Mr. Beard, he turned from
attending his wife long enough to explain
the accident to the Journal. Il am respon-
sible for the explosion, 1 suppose. although
if it had not occurred we would all prob
ably have been suffocated before morning.
went into our parlor, which is to. the right
of the sitting room, and faces on the street
1t was dark in the ROOM / reached for
the gas valve at the CRATE and found it
was shut off. Then 1 struck match and
followed the burner without striking d
! light. touched the burning match to the
valve. You can see the result. l fell
through into the cellar. I scarcely know
how 1 managed to get out
1t is difficult to picture in words the
wrecked home Both the east and west
walls were blown outward at the bottom
and the front wall was also wrecked. Car
pets, furniture and bric-a-b rac were piled
pell-n1ell in the center of the rooms. Great
sheets of plaster fell from the ceilings. The
joists in the ground floor were blown from
their moorings and the flooring torn into
kindling wood. Chandeliers We're twisted
and bent as if they had gone through a
threshing machine. How the occupants es-
capped instant death was regarded as mar
to the scene.
About the most remarkable thing was
the escape of Mrs. Gruene, a sewing
woman, who was sleeping in an upper
chamber with Mr. 3eard's little daughter
Jeanette. With great presence of mind
Mrs. Gruelle caught the screaming child in
her arms and made her way down stairs.
The stairway ascends from the dining
room, which was worse wrecked than any
part of the house. The flooring was scat
tered in every direction, the furniture fall
ing through into the cellar. 1t was difficult
for men to get to the stairway with the
light of a lantern after the excitement was
over. owing to the great gaps. Mrs.
Gruelle picked her way across the perilous
openings amidst the names which We're
bursting up from below She was unable
herself to tell just how she did it.
FIRE ADDED TO THE DANGER.
The shock of the explosion awakened the
entire neighborhood. DR. Wagner says
that he never heard such heartrending
screams in his life those issuing from
the house. The injured wife and brother
of Mr.. Beard were assisted from the now
burning building and taken to the home Of
r. f. McCrea around the corner on Broad
way where they received medical attention,
Mr. Beard meantime crawling out to place
of SdfetV. A fire alarm had been turned
in and the fire apparatus arrived quickly
and eXtinguished the flames without much
delay. There was scarcely any loss from
fire, but every article of furniture is de-
molished and the house will have to be torn
down and built anew from the foundation.
1t is owned by a woman residing IN the
East Her name is unknown to Mr.. Beard,
who rents from j. 5. Cruise. Mr. Beard
furniture is insured.
! Firemen who went through the house
say that they never saw such a wreck in
their experience, The supposition is that
the explosion was the result of natural gas
escaping into the cellar. From the location
of the fire it evidently followed the arti-
fetal gas main into the cellar, as the burn
ing was near the front. while the natural
gas main enters from the alley in the rear.
After the fire was put out at frequent in
tervals there was flash evidently coming
from the artificial gas main. Mr.. Beard
says that he has noticed an odor of gas
several times. but never very strong. He
An hour after the explosion Mrs Beard
and Arthur Beard We're able to leave the
nome OF MT McCrea ana walked to the
home of friends near by, where they passed
the night. Mr.. Beard was badly bruised
by the shock and fall into the cellar. He
consoled himself with the knowledge that
his family was not instantly killed
IF 1t had not happened this way" he
told his suffering wife, I'VE would all have
been dead in the morning"
Mr. Beard was unable to explain why
the explosion did not occur before he
reached home, the artificial gas was
burnig brightly above stairs, and also in
the sitting room, where he found his FAM
lily awaiting his return. The gas was doubt
less battened down in the cellar by the
carpets, which were torn into shreds when
the crash came.