The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-08-16

Robert Christensen of Them is Still in Precarious
Condition and Hay Not Recover Explosion was
Caused By Gas Generated in an Old Gasoline
Tank Which Had Been Buried in the Rear
By Consent of the City Council.

One of the most terrible accidents
that ever happened in Kenosha occur
red Saturday night when an explosion
in the saloon of Henry N. Beck, on
Main street caused the death Of the
owner of the saloon and seriously
injured FIVE other people. The list
of the dead and injured is as follows:
The dead:
HENRY N. BECK, proprietor of
the saloon.
The injured:
ROBERT CHRISTENSEN, an ice
man; terribly burned about the entire
body and suffering from the shock of
the explosion; thought that he will die.
IRA TOWERS, an ice man; also
terribly burned and cut with flying
glass; will recover but will be SCARED
for life.
HENRY ANDRE, we'll known cigar
dealer; severely cut with flying glass
in head and back; injuries are not ser
ious.
]. PETERSEN, slightly cut with
flying glass; only flesh wounds.
Z "A
man from Lacrosse Wis; badly cut
about the head with flying glass; is
now at the Hotel Kenosha; will recover
It was shortly before seven o'clock
when the accident occurred. The peo-
pie in the saloon mad for several days
noticed the odor of escaping gas about
the place but they had not been able to
locate the leak in the pipes. The room
was filing up with gas and Mr.. Beck
accompanied by Robert Christensen
who was employed in placing ice in
the refrigerator of the saloon started
to the cellar to attempt to find some
thing in regard to the source of the
escaping gas. AS they left the stair
way Beck lit a match and moment
later the low rumb1ing sound of the
explosion was heard. 1t was only an
instant after the men went into the
cellar that the entire block of buildings
along the street were shook. Men
rushed from the doors and reached the
street in time to see the whole front of
the Beck building and that owned by
Henry Andre blown into the street by
the terrific force Of the explosion.
Flames rushed from the doors of the
building and it was evident that
great accident had occurred. But no
one realized the extent of the damage.
With the glass from the doors and win
dows flying through the air the men
in the streets fled to place of safety
and many of them had very narrow
escapes from being injured by being
struck by flying glass and debris from
the buildings wrecked by the explos-
ion.
IN the midst of the turmoil one of
the injured man supposed to be Chris
Jensen, his clothes on fire and his hair
and head wrapped in flames, rushed
from the building shouting as he RAM:
ssBeck is in there" An alarm of fire
was turned in and as soon as possible
willing hands had entered the room
and discovered the PROSTATE form of
Beck which was covered with flames.
It was evident that the man had been
terribly injured and when he was be-
ing carried to the street after the flames
had been extinguished the hesh SIM
ply fell from his limbs. AS soon as
possible he was removed to store
near by and later he was taken to his
home on South Main street where he
died early Sunday morning after en-
during twelve hours of almost super
human pain and sufferings.
The other man, Christensen, who
was in the cellar with Beck, made his
way to the front door and ran to the
Commercial hotel where he fell in a
faint. He was terribly burned. His
entire head and all the upper part of
his body was a mass of burns. He
was unconscious for some time but
later was turned over to the care of a
doctor and his wounds were dressed.