The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-13

Commercial street AS he stood there he
was looking towards the gas works. ''I
heard the report which was very loud. -
said AIr. Lunt. land Immediately it was
followed BY a column OF black smoke
which rose high IN the air. The screens
n my office were forced outward by the
orce OF the explosion and several of the
windows which were open fell with q
crash The big doors Of the factory
which run on rails were blown inward
from them. I at first thought that one
OF the big tanks had exploded.
Mr.. A. II. Cobb, draughtsman In th e
employ OF the company, was standing
by window in that second story room Of
the Office building which was so badly
damaged. The windows by which he
stood were open and this fact probably
saved him from injury as the glass IN the
window did not break as it would have
done had It been closed. It was over so
soon and the room was so filed with the
flying plaster that Mr.. Cobb did not get
a clear idea OF what happened. "An
know, he said afterwards, ''is that saw
a sheet Of light and then the plastering
shut out the view. was alone IN the
Office building at the time and I ran
down stairs as fast as / could and
towards the ruins which were already
blazing. at the end next the tanks saw
Carey. He was standing up and waving
his hands. I shouted to the crowd which
had gathered about the gate and called for
some one to send in an alarm of fire.
The men at the gate seemed to be afraid
to enter. reached Carey and got hold
Of one OF his hands. He was horribly
burned and mutilated. Afterwards I
found my hand and arm smeared with
blood which came from his wounds
did the best I could to get him out but
had to give 1t up, as heavy timbers lay
across his legs. The tire became SO hot
that was driven away from the place.
I have no idea as to what caused the ex-
plosion."
Mr.. Cobb's arm was slightly burned
but he escaped serious Injury both at
the time of the explosion and in his
brave effort to save the imprisoned man.
Another heroic attempt to get the
doomed man from the clutch of the
flames was made by MIR. Arthur Mullen,
who lives on West Commercial street,
nearly opposite the Gas oompany's works,
who arrived on the spot among the first.
Mr.. Mu lien said when he arrived the
end of the building was one mass of fire.
II was workin around to the lower
corner. - he said, when / saw a man on
the edge of the fines, and trying to crawl
out. / cried for help and rushed in and
got almost within reach OF the doomed
man when the flames drove me back. I
then took a coat and wrapped it about
my head and tried again but the heat
burned my face until could not stand
it and had to go back again. then
shouted for rope but there was none
handy and just at that moment the
doomed man, whose name was William
J. Cary, fell back in the flames and was
burned to death before our eyes. I could
not do anything more to save him. The
ire department., which had arrived In the
meantime, had got a stream on that
part of the burning ruins just after the
man had fallen back and it was but a
yery few minutes when we were able
% get to where he lay held down by
part Of the ruins"
Mr.. Mullen was quite badly burned