The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-06

KILLS MANY
FIRE ADDS IT'S rERRoRs AND
ITS VICTIMS.
SEARCHING FOR The DEAD
Large Force at Work Cleaning
Away Wreckage- Many
Are Unidentified.
SEARCHING FOR The DEAD

Philadelphia, Aug 5-A terrific ex-
plosion in a block of six buildings son
Locust street, above Tenth, complete
ly wrecked five of the structures and
caused the death of from 10 to 20 or
more persons. Over two score of
others were more or less seriously in
jured. Some of those taken to the
hospital will die. It is estimated that
at least 35 persons were in the five
buildings when the explosion occurred
but the exact number of dead will
probably not be known for "a hours.
The buildings were occupied as fol.
lows:
Locust street No 1908, Houseman's
pool and billiard rooms.
No. 1910, Morris Rosenthals' second
hand clothing store, occupied by
Rosenthal, his wife and five children.
No. 1912, VIM. Jones, colored res
taurant occupied by Jones and about
Is boarders.
No. 1O14, Geo. McClemmy's store,
occupied by McClemmy, clerk and SER
want girl.
No. 1915, Patrick Quigley's grocery
store, occupied by Quigley, his wife,
three children and his uncle.
No. 1918, Albert Mountains grocery
and meat store, occupied by Mountain,
| mother, sister and clerk.
| The explosion occurred about $50
o'clock. What exploded and how it
! happened is not known at this time,
but it is believed to have been bar
rel of gasoline in one Of the three
grocery stores. With the force of the
explosion at No. 1908 the front walls
of the building were blown outward
j, into the street, while floors and roofs
Ilwere blown upward and feel straight
| to the ground. Almost every building
within radius of two blocks about
the scene of the explosion had win
dow panes shattered and were other
wise damaged. Every building on the
opposite side of Locust street was
more or less wrecked but none of
them fell. "A terrible cry went up
from the ruins the moment the ex-
plosion occurred. Women, children
and men, occupants of the wrecked
houses, could be seen crawling from
the debris while agonizing cries of
others were heard in the wreckage.
From all the surrounding buildings
, injured people came running and fell
into the street unconscious.
! To add to the horror, fire broke out
! in the debris the moment it settled to
the ground and in less than five min
utes the great pile was burning from
end to end A general alarm was
turned in for fire apparatus and am
, balances, and in the meantime the
! work Of rescue was voluntarily be-
/ gun by those in the neighborhood who
were not injured Here and there a
person was dragged out of the ruins
before the fire could reach it's victim,
several lives being saved by this
prompt work. When the firemen
reached the scene the flames had at
tained great headway and were ignit-
ing buildings across the street. The
fire, however, was soon under control,
and with the exception Of small
blaze here and there 1t was extin-
guished in a few minutes.
The work of digging away the ruins
were begun in earnest. Near the edge
of the debris several colored men
were taken out and sent to hospitals.
While firemen and policemen were
digging in the debris and hauling
away the heavy timbers of the wreck
age, cries were heard coming from
the cellar Of Mountains grocery store.
Fifty men, with rope and tackle were
Immediately put to work at that
point and pulled awey The roofing
and flooring which had fallen into a
massed heap. From the bottom Of the
pile were taken man and woman.
The man was able to speak, but the
woman was apparently dead.
While the work of rescue was go
ing on in the exploded block, hospital
attendants and others raade search
of all the damaged houses. on the op-
posite side of the street, and almost
score of persons were taken to var
ions hospitals from these places. JEFF