The evening times., 1900-06-25
KILLED BY An EXPLOSION
Philadelphia Inventor Meets a Vie
lent Death.
Member OF IA Firm Which Made Gel
luioid Combs by n Secret Process.
His Body Charrcd Almost Beyond
RecOEnitIOH-The Police Depart
meHt InNestigatinE the Accident.

PHILADELPHIA. June 25--Wlile coz
duet-ag some secret experiments IN r5urec-
tloG with uew process for the ID uuf5c-
tUre Of ce.iulOii dressing combs. Ferry
Miller OF the hrm or Davis q M.Ier. ~
killed b. an explosion yesterday IN the
firms esrablIshme-t, on the second h10,
C. the Cornelius Building. s2I Cherry
Street. There Is so much mystery IN The
matter that Central Office detectives have
been assigned 10 make au investigation.
Davis & Miller have a small c5mpar--
mea- on the second floor OF the building.
where Tor the past two months they have
been engaged II the mau4faclure OF dress
ing combs The two men were the iu-
veuto-s OF secret process. the materials
Tor which are said 70 De Of an explosive
character. and are uaaufactu-ei outside
the building. The Arm employed 10 hands
The partners doing the work themselves
u was lOt intreQueu- for one OF the
other Of the tvJ men to work on sunday.
So when one Of them appeared yesterday
morning al O'Clock Wa-chmau Welsh
Who Is m charge OF The building. asked n.
questions The warCLmau soon af.sr this
wen, into room on the first floor directly
under the one occupied by Davis & Miller
he heard rum5.uE noise which he saws
sounded like something being moved
across the floor He paid 10 attention 70
IT,
moment later he was aroused bv q
knocking al the front door ne was
greeted 5y cries Of FIRE from a small b0y
when ne opened the door There's SMOKE
coming out or the sec0ud-stOry window. %
the boy yelled Policeman Marks OF the
SIKH district had already turned III an
alarm The watchmau rushed ups-airs
knocking on the door o.. Davis & SIiIler's
Office. 1e called loudly. He got no answer
Ile door was broken open after the ar
rival OF the chemical engine The frsi
sight that greeted the eyes Of the hreme er
was the charred body Of a man He has
been burned beyond recognition. The room
was IN confusion. and bits OF broken glass
scattered everywhere showed that the g.
plosion must have come with terrific force
The hre was quickly checked a r1uu,hsr
Of strips OF celluioid from which comm,
are cut had not been DESTROYED
The charret body was sent to the u1orgu4
and the victims name was set down on fbs
police blotter as Mr.. Davis. Later an ac-
qualntance OF Miller. who had an apnoi1t.
ment with him for Sunday afternoon. calI.
ed at the morgue and identified the bo5,
as that OF Henry Miller. Miller the mar
said, had been recently married and live
/ m -l5 neIshborhOOd of Tenth and Cherry
STREETS He was tie expert for the firm
and looked after the practical end OF rne
business.
The detectives have not yet located Da.
Wis. and they profess TO have some doubr
as 70 which of the two members of N.
firm has really been killed Several per,
sons. however. positively identified tn,
charred body as thar OF Henry Miller.
The detectives believe that il was som,
infammahle liquid that exploded. dasbiug
sheet Of fame into the mans face. Tbey
argue that If he had not been made un.
conscious by the first shock he would hav,
been able to have made his escaDa. Tn.
Cornelius Building is E-eproof. and =,
damage was done outside of the UttI.
room in which the explosion occurred.