Arizona republican., 1900-12-30
A GAS EXPLOSION
Incidental to Weirick & Latham's
 Business Expansion.

Weirick & Latham moved into their new offices at number 47. North Center street, yesterday. A proceeding of this sort is usually attended by very little red fire and as little commotion as possible, but Weirick & Latham are rustlers and before F o'clock yesterday everybody in the business part of town knew there was considerable doing at their new place.
 What actually happened, however, was not on the programme, and came near leaving them with no more office than a rabbit. Everything of impor- tance had been fixed upSfor their con venience, except the gas plumbing, and that was in course of completion. A pipe was run through the floor just in- side the big plate glass front and cap placed on the upper end of it. w. H. Ross the plumber. was in the open ditch under the corner of the house finishing up the work of connection. During the work the gas had been es- caping to some extent, but MT. Ross did not think sufficient had leaked out to fill all outdoors and still be anxious for more room, so in order to test the thoroughness of his work he struck match to see if the leak had been stopped. It had, but he didn't stop to prove it with that particular match. for after the noise of the explosion died away he crawled out of the hole with his face biistered and his hair and eye brows badly singed. He was painfully, but fortunately, not seriously burned.
 The effect of the explosion was sur prise in many ways. The front end of the building, which is of brick, was lifted quite noticeably from it's founda- tion but settled back again to where 1t belonged without injury, except to chip a couple of bricks on the cornice and spoil a joint in the baseboard on the inside. The most remarkable thing is that not glass in the front was broken and though the explosion was outside the building nearly everything on the inside was shifted around. Chairs were turned over, desks thrown into the center of the room, and one hinge on the back door was broken off The stenographer, who was at work in the office, thought an earthquake had shaken the Hotel Adams down onto him. Altogether, it is astonishing that no more damage was done.
 The furniture was quickly righted and in half an hour the firm was again ready for business. Their new offices are as conveniently arranged and as nicely furnished as the mast fastidious real estate man could ask for. The floor is covered with linoleum of pretty pattern, and the walls of both the main office and the private office are adorned with paper of rich de- sign and coloring. Handsome desks, tables. chairs. filing cases. porcelain wash bowl. etc. completes the furnish ings. except the walls. which are adorned with frames enclosing commits sions, etc., of the ten different fire and accident insurance companies they represent. '
 The partners, Mir. H. M. Weirick and MT. H. I. Latham. have reason to be proud of their business success as we'll as their new offices. Their mutual as- sociation covers but two years, but they have built up during that time from almost nothing, a most successful and profitable business. Beside insur- ance, their real estate and loan busi- ness covers a wide field and is con- stantly growing. They are enterpris- ing in public matters and believe in expansion proportionately to the growth of the city.