Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-08-09
A DEADLY EXPLOSION
twenty Killed and Many In
jured In Philadelphia.
FIVE BUILDINGS TOTALLY WRECKED.
Fire Department QueIIs Ensuing
Flames and Begins Search In
the Debris For Dead
and Missing.

PHILADELPHIA Aug. Ca terrific
explosion occurred in a grocery store on
Locust street, west of Tenth street, short
ly before 10 o'clock last night. In mo.
ment the store, with two adjoining gro
ceries, two second class clothing stores
and restaurant, were levelcd to the
ground, AMI the fire department was
called out.
The upper floors of the buildings were
all occupied as living quarters. Roscn-
that's second hand clothing store was AT
1910 Locust street. His family consisted
of himself, wife and five children. Jones
restaurant was at 1912, patronzed princi
pally by colored people. In this building
1t is estimated were 10 persons. Me
Clemmy's grocery, 1O14, contained three
persons. Quigley's grocery occupied 1O16
The family consisted of husband, wife.
three children and an uncle. Mountains
grocery, 1913, contained four persons.
How many members of the familiea
mentioned were in the houses ut the time
cannot be told. The sidewalks at the time
were crowded with passersby and loung'
ers, and few had opportunity to escape
falling walls or the shock of the explo
sion.
1t is estimated that at least 20 persons
are dead. From 20 to % others have been
taken to the hospitals, many of them
badly injured. The fire was soon under
control, and hremen and policemen began
searching the ruins for bodies of the dead.
The explosion occurred about $3.50
O'Clock. What exploded and how it hap
pened is not known at this time but it is
believed to have been a barrel of gaso
line in one Of the three grocery stores.
nf No nj
walls of the buildings were blown GU,
ward into the street, while the floors an
the roofs were blown upward and fell
straight to the ground. Almost every
building in a radius of two blocks about
the scene of the explosion had windows
shattered and was otherwise damaged.
Every building on the opposite side of
Locust street was more or less wrecked,
but none of them fell
terrible cry went up from the ruins
the moment the explosion occurred. Wo-
men, children and men, occupants of the
wrecked houses, could he seen crawling
from the debris, while the agonizing cries
of others We're heard in the wreckage
From all the surrounding buildings in
jured people came running and fell in
the street unconscious.
To ada 10 the horror fire broke out in
the debris the moment 1t settled to the
ground, and in less than five minutes
the great pile was burning fiercely from
end to end
A general alarm was turned in for fire
apparatus and ambuances, and in the
meantime the work of rescue was volun
tarily begun by those in the neighbor.
hood that were not injured
Here and there a person was dragged
from the ruins before the fire coult
reach the victim. several lives being saw
ed by this prompt work.
When the firemen reached the scene
the flames had reached great headwa!
and We're igniting the buildings across
the street. The fire, however, was sooI
under control. and with the exception
of small blaze here and there the fir,
was eXtinguished i'll a few minutes.