The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-01-11
TERRIFIC Gas EXPLOSION
Bush's Grocery Building Wrecked and
Mr.. McCrady, Carpenter.
Dangerously Burned

just as the factory whistles were
blowing at O'Clock "Wednesday
natural gas exploded in the new gro
Gerry building just being finished for
d. +. Bush south of the Elm creek
bridge on Washington avenue. The
front glass was shattered, the whole
rear of the building blown out and
Mr. McCrady. one Of the carpenters,
burned severely about the face and
hands and his lungs seriously injured
by inhaling the hames.
The building stands on the east side
of the street. next to the creek bank,
and is II two story substantial
structure. 1t was SO nearly finished
that a car OF flour was put in it yes
terday and today IL was intended to
move in two cars of groceries tenn
porarily stored in small building
Immediately south. Work on the
building was being done by VIM H..
Ross, who lives at 30S north Syca-
more and by John +. McCrady, who
lives just block east Of the building
in Bush's addition.
At 7 o'clock that morning, while it
was still dark, the two men entered by
the front door to go to work. Ross
asked for match to light gas jet
and McCrady started to his tool chest
to get one, but Ross found one in his
pocket. scratched it on his trousers
and held it above his head to see his
way to the siet. Before he reached 1t
the men both noticed II peculiar ball
of blue, unnatural flame form around
the burning :match. Both sprang for
the front door, which stuck, and be-
fore repeated tugs could open it the
explosion occurred.
Ross :was blown against the door
and soon escaped without injury, save
"a stunning from the shock. He was
taken to town to his home in a pass
ing buggy and was soon perfectly re
covered. McCrady, shocked and TEN
porarily out of his head from inhal
ing the dead gas left after the eN
plosion, fell to the floor where hi
hands we're cut by the broken glass
In his mind flashed the idea that tn
gas must be turned of and he crawle'
from the building and around tn
house to the shut-oiT and with roc
pounded it 50 as to stop the How. II
, then re-entered the house and job
, Swartzman, young man who lives /
=. the same house with him, found hir
there and told him he was hurt an
should 90 home. He protested tina
he was not, but finally went home an
,, DR.. Mcdowell was called and dresse
his injuries. He says his mind wa
da2ed from the time of the eXplosio
until he got home and his burns b'
gan to pain :him. Both hands, h
neck and face are blistered and WEI
dressed with soothing salves. I
> also feels pains in his lungs, doub
", less due more to inhaling the carbo
u dioxide gas leftiby the explosion tina
= to inhaling tlames. 1t IS belleVed Uni
= he will recover.
- The glass:in the front of the buil'
~ ing was blown into fragments.
:. partition separates the rear end of Il
g building from the large front roor
q and in the rear room the eXplosit
n occurred. A pipe came up throui
= the floor there and lever stop coc
g such as could easily be turned by
= blow from board or the foot, had
~ some way been opened and the bull
= ing filled with gas. The door betwe'
n the rooms was blown of its hing
I. and the entire rear wall OF D
= room was torn from its fastening
and swung out about two feet. /.