The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-08-09
WITH TERRIFIC FORCE
Gasoline Explosion at PhiIadel-
phia Causes Tremen.
dous Havoc.
SIX PEOPLE KNOWN TO BE DEAD
Bodies of Others Thought To Be IN
der the Debris-Six Buildings
Demolished.

Philadelphia, Aug. 6.-SiX persons,
all colOred, are known to be dead as
result of a terrible gasoline explosion
which tore to atoms six buildings on
Locust street, between Tenth and Elev-
enth streets, and wrecked over a score
of others. AS to the number that yet
remain in the ruins of the wrecked
buildings all is mere speculation.
Only one of the six that persisted
has been identified. This is Annie
Harris, a child, years old, who lived
at 1913 Locust street, on the opposite
side Of the street from the building in
which the explosion occurred. The dead
are: Annie Harris, years old; a child
about 2 years old; two women and
man, at the Pennsylvania hospital; q
man at the Jefferson hospital.
Many Are in tho Ruins.
It was Z o'clock in the morning be-
fore the firemen, after working hard
ali night, had the smoldering ruins suf-
fciently cooled off to enable them to
begin search for the bodies which
are supposed to be beneath the
wrecked buildings. Their attention
was first directed to 1913 Locust street,
the building occupied by Albert D.
Mountain, grocer. In this building at
the time of the explosion there We're
Robert ana Dalton Mountain and Liz
zie Mountain children of the prOprie-
tor of the store None of them has been
accounted for No. 1916 Locust street
was occupied by Patrick Quigley as
grocery. Quigley, his wife, three chill
dren and an uncle were in the building
when the explosion occurred. The only
ones in this family thus far accounted
for are Quigley and his uncle.
Explosion in Small Grocery.
At 1914 Locust street George Nc
Clenny also conducts a small grocery.
1t is here that the explosion is thought
to have occurred. The building was
occupied by McClenny, his wife, a
clerk and a servant At the time of
the disaster Mrs. McClenny was visit
ing in West Philadelphia and the 9th
ers are thought to have been in the
building. Where the greatest number
probably persisted is at 1912 Locust
street. Here William Jones, colored,
conducted a boarding house. He had
Il score of boarders, but the number in
the building at the time cannot be
say, however, that it is probable that
half dozen bodies will be taken from
the debris of this building alone. At
1910 Locust street M. Rosenthal, wife
and five children lived They escaped
with broken limbs and Commissions, but
the building was completely wrecked.
In the ROsenthal home was bOarder
named Frank Schmidt He was seat
al Oh, oh II Il 10y LODI
upon the top of stable forty feet
from the wrecked buildings. He es-
capped with a few bruises.
Nearly Fifty Taken to Hospitals.
Forty-eight persons, all told, were
taken to the two hospitals close at
hand. Of this number six are probably
fatally injured, twenty EIGHT suffering
from fractured limbs and burns, while
the injuries of the others consist of
slight cuts from flying debris. The
block where the explosion occurred is
in a section populated largely by col
ored persons. The building where the
explosion is supposed to have occurred
is in the center of the group of houses
situated between Alder and Warnock
streets, small thoroughfares running
parallel with Tenth street. In this
space on the side of Locust street the
demolition is complete while on the OPP
posite side of the street not a pane Of
glass nor a door remained intact. The
force of the explosion was terrific.
Huge plate-glass windows in the build
ing occupied by the Western Saving
fund, which is located more than a
block from where the disaster occurred
were broken into thousands of pieces,
while scarcely a house or store within
a radius of a block escaped broken
windows or shattered doors.
Relatives of the Missing Distracted.
The scene at the wreck and at the
hospital is sickening. Persons who
had relatives and friends living in the
wrecked structures are standing about
weeping and almost distracted, hoping
that their loved ones may have es-
capped a terrible death, but fearful of
the worst
The work of searching in the ruins
is necessarily slow There is steady
f1ownpour of rain, which makes the de-
bris hard to handle. The property loss !
will amount to about $4,000 on which !
there is small insurance