The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-08-21
EXPLOSION KILLS MANY
Crowded Block in Philadelphia Scene
OF Disaster.
SCORES BURIED IN THE DEBRIS

Subjected to the Horrors OF Fire and
Coliapsing Walls - Sleeping Families
Are Blown Into the Air - Adjacent
Buildings Destroyed.
Philadelphia, Penn.-A terrific explo-
sion in q block Of six buildings In Lo-
Gust street, above Tenth, completely
wrecked five Of the structures and
caused the death of twenty or more
persons. More than two score Of 9TH
ers were more or less seriously in
1ured. Several of those taken to the
hospital will die. 1t Is estimated that
at least thirty-five persons were In the
Eve buildings when the explosion oc-
Cured.
The buildings were occupied as fol-
lows: Locust street. No. 100S, House
mans pool and billiard rooms; No.
1910, Morris Rosenthals secondhand
clothing store, occupied by Rosenthal,
his wife and five children; No. lOl2,
William Jones's colored restaurant,
occupied by Jones and about fifteen
boarders; No. 1O14, George McClem-
my's grocery store, occupied by Nc
Clemmy, clerk and servant girl; No.
1O16, Patrick Quigley's grocery store,
occupied by Quigley, his wife. three
children ard his uncle; No. 101S, AL
bert Mountains grocery and meat
store, occupied by Mountain, his
mother, sister and a clerk.
The explosion occurred about $50
o'clock D. m. What exploded and how
it happened Is not known at this time,
but it is believed to have been a bar
rel of gasolene in one of the three gro
Gerry stores. With the exception Of
No. 1908, the front walls Of the build
1ngs were blown outward into the
street, while the floors and 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 otherwise were dam
aged. ------.
A terrible cry went up from the
ruins the moment the explosion oc-
Cured. Women, children and men.
occupants Of the wrecked houses,
could be seen crawling from the
wreckage, while the agonizing cries
of others unable to save themselves
also filed the air.
From all the surrounding buildings
injured persons came running and fell
in the street unconscious. To add to
the horror fire started In the wreck
the moment 1t settled to the ground,
and in less than five minutes the great
pile was burning fiercely. A general
alarm was turned in for fire apparatus
and ambulances, and In the meantime
the work Of rescue was begun by those
in the neighborhood that were not
injured. Here and there O person
was dragged from the ruins before the
fire could reach the victim, several
lives being saved by this prompt work.
When the firemen reached the scene
the flames had made great headway
and were igniting the buildings across
the street. The fire, however, was
soon under control.
The work of digging away the ruins
was then begun in earnest. Near the
edge of the wreckage several colored
men were taken out and sent to the
hospitals. While the f1remen and po.
licemen were digging and hauling
away heavy timbers in several Sec
tions Of the wreckage cries were heard
coming from the cellar Of Mountains
grocery store. Fifty men, with rope
and tackle, Immediately were put to
work at that point and pulled away
the roofing and flooring which had
fallen into a massed heap.
While the work Of rescue was going
on in the exploded block hospital at
tendants and others made a search Of
all the damaged houses on the oppo-
site side Of the street, and almost a
score Of persons were taken to various
hospitals from these places.
The Jefferson and the Pennsylvania
hospitals. which are nearest to the
scene Of the explosion. soon We're
crowded with the injured.
The buildings containing the pool
rooms, clothing store and the restau-
rant were three-stocy brick structures,
while the others were two and one
half stories.