The record-union., 1899-04-26
Two Men Killed and Three Persons
Seriously Injured,
While Over a Score Were More or Less
Hurt by Flying Debris.
The Accident Due to the Exploding
of Seventy-Five Gallons of Ben
zol in the Laboratory of Fleer g.
Company, Manufacturers Of
Chewing Gum.

! PHILADELPHIA, April 25.-By the
explosion of seventy five gallons of ben
zol in the laboratory of Frank H. Fleer
& Co., manufacturers of chewing gum,
at 2343 Callowhill street, to-day, two
men were killed, three persons seriously
| injured, and over a score of others were
more or less injured by flying debris.
! Dead: Walter Manwaring, Assistant
Superintendent Charles Mckinley. en-
| gineer.
| tofloWlng is partial list of injured:
Mrs. Lizzie Donohue, fatally; Mrs. Barr,
| blown from her doorstep into the street.
slight; Mrs. O'Donnell and infant,
blown from doorway into street; Chas.
Marion, II years old, slight; Harry
Randall of Camden, N. j.. scalp laeer-
ated and body burned; Frank Glideson,
aged year, badly burned; Mrs. Glide
son, seriously burned; Margaret Driscoll,
cut by flying glass; John Mckee, head
and legs cut; John Hannorhan, bruised
and cut; Thomas Daily, cut by flying
glass; Andrew Monahan, cut by flying
glass; Sallie Stackhouse, internal inju-
ries and shock; George Connor, hands
and arms badly burned; Edwin Gala
nough, internal injuries; Michael Hama
jured by falling wreckage
OF those injured Harry Randall, an
employe, and Mrs. Glideson and her son
are the most seriously hurt, but these
Will recover.
| The explosion was a terrific one, and
for a time caused the widest excite
ment No less than ONE hundred build
ings in the vicinity, most of them small
dwellings, were damaged
| The laboratory building was a two
! story structure. AT the time there We're
only four men in the building, who were
preparing a mixture for the making of
vanilline The doors We're closed. but
the fumes from the benzol in some man
ner reached the furnace in the next
room, and the explosion instantly fol-
lowed
Manwaring was instantly killed, and
Mckinley was SO badly hurt that he
died several hours later in hospital.
| Randalps escape was remarkable. He
was blown. through, the roof and landed
on an adjoining building. AT first IT
was thought he was dead, but after
| treatment in the hospital he regained
consciousness. Although badly hurt, ne
will recover.
oCOi sc OOLlOI, lUt 6mplOye IN
| the room, escaped with a few severe
| bruises.
As Mrs. Glideson, with her child in
her arms, was hurriedly leaving her
home, which was directly opposite the
laboratory, her dress caught fire from a
burning ember, and she and the child
were badly burned. Their recovery is
doubtful.
The explosion was SO terrific that the
buildings adjoining on each side of the
laboratory We're demolished On both
sides of the streets. for a whole square,
the explosion wrought destruction.
Windows were broken, fixtures were
smashed and walls cracked Fire add
ed to the destruction in a number of
places, but the flames We're quickly ex-
tinguished before they did any consid-
cradle damage
The score of persons injured were all
tenants of the many dwellings. and
were in no way connected with the lab
oratory. Some were severely cut by
glass, while many of them We're struck
! by the flying debris.
The, money loss is estimated to be con-
sidera bly, over 500 600