The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-06
Tears six Buildings to Atoms
and Wrecks Others.
SIX PERSONS KILLED.
Forty-eight Taken to the Hos
pital, Six Fatally Hurt.
One Man Hurled 40 Feet Land
ed on Stable.
Plate Glass Windows Shattered
a Block Away.

Philadelphia. Aug. 6-Six persons, all
colored. are known to be dead as re-
suit Of the terrible gasoline explosion
last night which tore to atoms six
buildings on Locust street between
Tenth and Eleventh streets and
wrecked over a score of others AS to
the number that vet remain in the ruins
of the wrecked buildings all is mere
speculation
only one OF the six that perished
has been identified. This IS Annie
Harris. a child four years old, who
lived at 1913 Locust street. on the op-
posite side of the building in which the
explosion occurred.
The unidentified dead are;
A child about two years Of age
Two women and man at the Penn
sylvania hospital and a man at the JEFF
ferson hospital
1t was o'clock this morning before
the hremen. after working hard all
night. had the smouldering ruins suf-
hciently cooled of to enable them to
begin a search for the bodies which are
supposed to be beneath the wrecked
buildings.
Their attention was first directed to
1918 Locust street the building occu-
pied by Albert D. Mountain, grocer In
this building at the time of the explo-
sion there were Robert and Dalton
Mountain and Lizzie Mountain. chill
dren Of the proprietor of the store
None Of them have been accounted for
No. 1915 Locust street WsS occupied by
Patrick Quiglay as a grocery. Qutgleys
his wife. three children and an uncle
We're in the building when the explO-
sion occurred. The only ones in this
family thus far accounted for are Quig-
ley and his uncle.
Clenny also conducted a small gro
cery. 1t is here that the explosion Is
thought to have occurred. The build
ing was occupied by McClenny, his
wife clerk and servant At the
time of the disaster Mrs. McClenny was
visiting in West Philadelphia and the
others are thought to have been in the
building.
Where the greatest number probably
perished is at 1912 Locust Here VIII
liam Jones. colored, conducted a board
ing house He had a score Of boarders.
but the mum Der in the building at the
time can not be learned positively
The police officials say, however. that
1t is probable that half a dozen bodies
win 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 contusiOns. but the building was
completely wrecked.
BLOWN 40 FEET
named Frank Schmidt. He was seat
ed at a third story window reading
when the explosion occurred. Schmidt
was blown through the window and
landed upon the top of q stable 40 feet
from the wrecked buildings He es-
capped with a few bruises. Forty-eigft
persons all told were taken to the hos
pitals close at hand OF this number six
are probably fatally injured, % are
suffering from fractured limbs and
burns, while the injuries Of the others
consist Of slight cuts from flying
debris.
The block where the explosion oc-
CURED Is in section populated largely
by cOlOred persons. The building where
the explosion is supposed to have oc-
CURED Is in the center of the aroilD
of houses situated between Alder ana
Warner streets small thoroughfares
running parallel with Tenth street In
this space on the south side of Locust
street the demolition is complete while
on the opposite side Of the street NOT 4
pane of glass 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 4
block from where the disaster occurred.
were broken into thousands Of pieces.
while scarcely q house or store within
radius Of block escaped broken
windows or shattered doors.
The scene at the wreck and at the
hospitals this morning is sickening.
living in the wrecked structures are
standing about weeping and almost
distracted. hoping that their loved ones
may have escaped a terrible death. but
fearful OF the worst
The work of searching in the ruins
IS necessarily slow. There is a steady
downpour of rain. which makes the
debris hard to handle The propertv
loss viii amount to about S150OoO on
which there is small insurance.
The explosion occurred about Q.2n
O'Clock With the explosion of No 1908
the front walls of the buildings were
blown outward into the street while
the floors and the roofs were blown nm
ward and fell straight to the ground
Almost every building within radius
of two blocks about the scene of the
explosion had window panes shattered
and were otherwise damaged. Every
building on the opposite side Of Locust
none Of them fell
a TERRIBLE CRY
terrible cry went up from the ruins
the moment the explosion occurred
Women, children and men occnpa ~
OF the wrecked houses could be sean
crawling from the debris while rha
agonizing cries of others were heard IL
the Wreckage. From all the surroun5-
ing buildings injured people came run
ming and fell into the street uncon-
scious To add to the horror. fire brol-a
out in the debris the moment If se+tIsd
TO the ground. and in less than fi1ra
minutes the great pile was burnfnp
Gercely from end to end
A general alarm was turned IN for
ambulanees and apparatus and IN tba
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