Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-12-11
wILKrNs BROS. STORE RUINED.

Occupants, racks Building and DestoyI
Contents.
About five O'Clock last Friday afternoon
when Wilkins Bros. store at Thorofart
contained besides Charles W., one of the
proprietors and Hannah Richards, the posi-
office clerk, customers Faunce Crowley,
William Mitchell and Wood Wyne, an ex-
plosion occurred that shattered the old
stone building to its foundations. The
inmates were hurled about, and were
rescued burned and bleeding from many
bruises and wounds-Miss Richards and
Mr.. Wyne finding themselves in the cellar.
Mr.. Wilkins is most seriously injured being
burned from the waist up, his face and
head being seriously burned.
The Wilkins Bros. store is astone struc-
ture that has stood the storm of eighty
winters and is located on the county, road
near the town hall. The store door is on the
east front; beside the store proper isa feed
department, and in the rear, or north side,
is the dining room and kitchen of the house
occupied by Charles w. Platt, Jr., his wife
and four children A wood partition sepa-
rates these rooms from the store.
When the explosion occurred the persons
within were scattered about all quarters of
the building and the results were terrible
and remarkable. A hole was blown in the
floor Just at the entrance, and through this
Miss Richards and Mr.. Wyne were blown
into the cellar, afterward getting out
through window Mr.. Wilkins was in
the rear of the store, and he, through fly
ing debris, and blinded by burns, made his
wav to the street. The Others got out in a
less exciting way.
Mrs. Platt and her four children were in
the dining room in the rear of the store,
and somehow they got out uninjured.
The effect on the building is remarkable.
Some time in the past there has been a
cellerway right within the store door,
which had been closed by laying boards
over it.
This was blown out while the balance of
the floor of the store is yet intact. The
front doors and door frame and window are
blown completely out, and the wall on the
south side is pushed out from the bottom
and in from the top. The ceiling Of the
second floor room is bulged up. The par
tition between the store and Platt dining
room is shattered-a stairway being blown
out, and the furniture of the Platt home
scattered about the room and plastering
blown off Even in the kitchen, beyond
the dining room, the destruction is great
Beside the dining room and kitchen, on the
north side, was a heavy, old-fashioned
porch, perhaps twenty feet long and eight
to ten feet wide. This was blown clear of
the building several feet
In the store, the goods are in confused
mass on the floor, the shelves and counters
being practically cleared.
The cause of the explosion remains a
profound mystery, but the concensus OF
opinion is that gasoline is the cause, for the
reason that all the persons are more or less
burned, even those at distance from the
explosion being burned. The explosion
occurred nearest Mr.. Wilkins, who was in
the rear of the store, and was in the act OF
lighting lamp and he is the most serious
ly burned. Dynamite or powder would
not have burned those at the greatest
distance from the explosion.
And yet, this opinion has its drawbacks,
because it is alleged that an oil stove had
been burning in the store for some time,
and gasoline lamp was lighted at the
front of the store. The explosion followed
Mr.. Wilkins attempt to light gasoline
lamp in the rear of the store.
Miss Gertrude Browning Budd, daughter
of Andes E Badd, had narrow escape
She had been to the store to make some
purchases and just closed the door going
out, as the explosion occurred. AS she
opened the door to pass out, dog ran IN.
This dogs legs were blown off by the
force of the explosion.
The explosion is the sensation Of the
as the Wilkins Bros. are widely
and we'll known, and universally respected.
The rumor of dynamite being exploded in
the cellar by a fuse, or an internal ma
chine sent in the mail, are products OF
with little or no foundation.
The headlight and gasoline oil, sold by
the firm, were kept outside the building,
and were not disturbed by the explosion.
A quantity of shells were also intact in the
store, as was a key of powder III the cellar.
The loss will be an exceedingly difficult
one to adjust, as the damage by fire was
very slight, the small fire that followed the
explosion being quickly extinguished.
THE GASOLINE THEORY.
The theory that the explosion was caused
by gasoline received some support on
Tuesday when the statement was made
that the agent of the Standard Oil Com
pany had told Mr.. Truncer, merchant in
rhorofare, who wanted headlight oil, that
he had only gasoline in his tank, and after
ward delivered 70 gallons of oil to Wilkins
Bros, on an order for headlight oil. The
deduction from this was at once made that
the man had delivered gasoline, and that
caused the explosion.
In order to verify this statement repre-
Of this paper called on Wilbert
Cox last night, the local agent of the Stand
ard Oil Company. Mr.. Cox says that
"Jim'' Williams, who drove that wagon,
came in from Pennsgrove Thursday night
with 40 gallons of gasoline in the tank of
his wagon. Early next morning, Friday,
he delivered 10 gallons of this to Julia
Fisher and the balance he, Cox assisted
in returning to the supply tank, and as he
emptied the wagon himself, is positive it
was all taken out. He then reloaded the
wagon with 685 gallons of headlight oil,
which Williams sold between Thorofare
and Billingsport There was no gasoline
in his wagon, as it is designed to carry but
one fluid.
This statement would seem to settle the
of the report alleged to have
ltOll 0lls lLuuOCl. L VI buCl, VIC
understand his other sales made that day
support these facts.
The Standard Oil Company is prosecu-
ting vigorous investigation of the case,
we are informed.
Mr.. Wilkins, though great sufferer, is
and will ultimately recover
DR.. H. H. Clark is attending him.
Gloucester County, N. ]. Historical Society.
A goodly number Of our citizens assem-
bled in the Grand Jury room on Monday
evening to receive the report of the COM
mittee on Constitution and Bylaws
About the only article that was adopted
without amendment or supplement was
article l of the Constitution, naming the
society "The Gloucester County, New
Jersey, Historical Society" After two
hours labor the meeting referred the
papers back to the committee for further
A motion by Mr.. Watkins
that the chairman appoint a committee of
five, of which two should be ladies, to
wait on our U. S. Senators and lay before
them the subject of erecting a suitable
monument on the Red Bank battle ground,
was adopted, and the Chairman promptly
appointed Messrs. Hon. d. o. Watkins
d. 7. Mathers John G.. Whitall, Misses