Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-08-06
PHILADEL PHIADISASTER
DEAD 10 TO 20
FIVE BUILDINGS WRECKED
BY EXPLOSION,


| a""thg 10 the H0rrOr of the Scene.
Philadelphia, Aug "a terrific ex.
| plosion In block of six buildings on
| Locnst street above Tenth tonight com.
| pletelv wrecked five of the structures
and caused the death of from 10 to &c
or more persons. Oyer two score OF
Others were more or less seriously in.
Jured. Some of those taken to the hos.
pital Will die. lt is estimated that al
! least 30 persons were in the five build
ings when the explosion occurred. and
the exact number of dead will probably
net be khowD for Il hours.
| The explosion occurred at $50 o'clock
What exploded and how it happened is
not known at this TINA. hut it is sup
! posed to have been barrel of gasoline
III one Cf III" three grocery stores.
with the exception of No l0lS the
| front walls of the building were blown
out ward into the staeet. while the floors
and roofs wereDlown out and fell straight
70 the grou9d. Almost a radius OF two
blocks of buildings WAS affected bv the
explosion, windows being blown out
and other damage being done. Build
ings on the opposite side of Locust
street were more or less wrecked. but
none of them fell.
Terrible cries went up from the ruins
the moment the explosion occurred
Women, children and men were seen
craw ling from the debris, while the ago
ming cries of other. were heard in the
wrtckage. From all the surrounding
buildings Injured people came running
and tell IN the street unconscious. To
add to the horror fire broke out in the
debris the moment it settled to the
ground and within five minutes the great
pile was burning fiercely from end to
end. A general alarm WAS sent in for
fire apparatus and ambularces and in
the meantime the work OF rescue was
voluntarily begun by those in the neigh
borhood that were not iured.
When the tiremen reached the scsne
the flames had gained great headway
and were igniting the buildings across
the street. The fire, however, was soon
under control with the exception OF
small blaze here and there and was ex-
tinguished 10 few minutes. The work
of digging away the ruins was then be.
guu in earnest. Near the edge of the
debris several injured men were taken
out and sent TO the hospitals
While the tiremen and policemen were
digging into the debris and hauling
away heavy tImbcrs In several sections
of the wreckage cries were heard from
the cellar OF the Mountain grocery
store. Fifty men with ropes and tackle
were imm ,diately put TO work at that
point and pulled away the roofing and
flooring. which bod fallen into a mas
sive heap From the bottom OF the pile.
doubled up, were taken man and wo-
mar. The man was able to speak, but
the woman was apparently dead. While
the work of rescue was gOing on in the
block hospital attendants and
others made Il search Of all the damaged
houses on the opposite Of the street, and
almost score Of persons were taken 70
various hospitals from these places.
The Jefferson and Pennsylvania hos
pitfalls were soon crowded with the in
tured. None of those taken 70 the hos
pitalS have died up to midnight. Two
hundred men are now at WORK clearing
away the wreckage.