The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-13
COZ ON
DEAIHll[ (A|B'NE
.Habliston Building Fire Originated.
From. Burning vapors From
AsnhaItnms Paint,
AsDhaItum5 Paint.

AZ thorough examination int oSthe cause
of the death. of Thomas Dabney,$Ihe nsss..o
whose remains were taken from the Tins
aof the Habliston buildi ing, was maie. by
Coroner Ia ylor; and q jury tesetaS:
morning
The verdict of the jury was that he
negro came TO- his dea th 'front.' the burn.
ing Of the hui ldin caused by
fire which originate "a I,f rom burnl1 g; yap-
ors from q barrel OF aspha ltum paint,
from which he was getting some#tn
bucket. 8
The principal wi tness was Mr. Clarence
C. Clifton, whose testimony in full was
as follows:
IsSwas seated in the store-room office
and I5heard a, loud explosion in the north
sern part of the basement. On the side
I occupied by the Developer ant i Company
there was a boiler used for heating the
Building. i n the front of this side of the
basement was a tin canEcontalning ABOUT
/. five gal Ions CT gasoline. 5iclosed&W1th a
cork twas about thirty feet from the
boiler The BOILER was heated by coal fire.
7 did not perceive any odor Of gasoline
in the basement before the explosion took
place In.Sthe opposite part of the base
nlent about forty feet off. there was a
portion Of q barrel of asphaltirm paint,
about twenty-five feet from. the furnace.
Whether the 4;ollng- hole was closed i do
not know. There was also a barrel of
transform OIL which was closed. The
basement is very dark and IS lighted
by incandescent lamps. There were no
gas Jets or gas engines 5dynal1.os or any
other machinel.fS a work in the basement.
f I was seated middle way between the gas
oline "a nd paint at my desk nd :-!:a
exploded IL not *5now.sEA the time {
the explosion II noticed an Immense Eblaze
OF = bright color at the Franklin-Street
side.osT This. is tllezsfrst explosion L ever
heard the building.
- a few inmates Before the explosion i
sslw&Danney. ins5the. basement He came
to get a. bucket gcf as pllal tunl paint did
not see him have any lignt.sTfle PAINT
was gotten by letting it flow from the
bung- hole The explosion took place Just
sfSolt where Dabney was drawing the
ss,aint have never seen sDaoney use a
light to get. the paint. 1t is very uaTk
there. except when theElights arc on or
the doors are open..S1n making my exit
passed over the. can,sof gasoline ana sig
nal oil, and went out through the front
zof5the building.
Other witnesses We're Mr.. sBerkely- VII
slians, who stated that he heard the ex-
5plosion, saw the smoke and r'tn to turn
lin the alarm: Mr. j. P. Pope, superinten-
dent of sthesDevelopment Company, Who
stated that shcsdid not consider as phaltu
paint of an explosive nature. zy7zs,
z MIR. d. AI.sTaylor. sunerir t elld2lt OF the
Tower4Binford C Company, said there was
no oil or gases on his side of the base
ment On the first floor there was half
q gallon Of alcoholin q, tin can closed with
n .serew tap; about two gallons of varnish
similarly closed. He further said there
was not a gill of gasoline or ;benzlne In
his portion of the building.
The debris is being removed from the
H.. - E-1,, 1--we !,
actual los sof papers and books will be
ascertained The loss in this respect will
probably be greater on the part OF the
Tower Binford Company.