The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1902-02-12
ESCAPED GAS LET co.
Wrecked two Buildings and snuffed
Out Lives of Eleven Inmates.
PROBABLY oNE ngNDRED WOUNDED.
Various Theories as to tie Cause OF
3 the caisInity-Gra Story OF
the Accident as Related
by Eye Witnesses.

Chicago. Feb. Cat the intersec-
tion of Tweety-second street and Arch
eravenue an explosion OF gas occurred,
causing the loss of IL lives. the injur-
ing of many others, and the wrecking
OF two buildings.
s Following is a list of the dead: Otto
,Trostel 80, butcher; Mrs. Otto Tros
tel, 50; Otto Trostel Jr, 2; Lena Tros-
tel, z; Annie Trostel, 8; Mamie Tros-
tel. IL; Fred Trostel. %. butcher,
nephew of Otto Gierman; Sophie
Kneipp, domestic in Trostel family;
Mary Rosenthal. 80. List of injured
may be extended TO 10 or 100, as there
were many people 'swhe sustained
slight injuries from flying glass or
slight bruises by falls, but whose
names have not been reported
[ The cause ofsthe explosion has not
yet been. fixed, Two business men in
the vicinity said the explosion was in
a defective boiler connected with the.
gas system in the basement OF the
building occupied by Butcher Trostel,
which employees had attempted DO
thaw out Others state the explosion
was caused by gas itself. but they
were unable to say how the gas had
caused it.
The most graphic story of the acct
dent was told by Pauly of &C TWEEN
ty-second street, who stood across the
street when the building went up.
1.-THE first thing / knew" he said,
ls"f was blown against telegraph
pole. was fading the market and
the whole building rose up in the air
at once and then collapsed into the
cellar, heap of ruins. ran across
the street and as ] crossed the car
tracks could hear the cries of the
people imprisoned in the wreckage.
Almost Immediately the flames burst
all over the place and it seemed that
everything was on fire at once. Then
/ caught sight of a man crawling out
from the basement. He did not seem
to be badly. hurt and called for help.
recognized him as the man the sau-
sagemaker, Trostel had hired a few
days before. l do not know what his
name is. A man who ran up jumped
down to help him, and between us we
got him to the street. He was able
to walk and went away at once. The
first explosion in the building discon-
nected the gas mains and they caught
fire at once. The fire seemed to fol-
low the pipes and five minutes later
the manhole west in Archer avenue
blew up with a report almost as loud
as the first. The manhole to the east
followed in few minutes. We could
hear the cries in basement growing
fainter, and we had to allow the suf-
ferers, to die without doing anything
to help them"
]. c. kleiner, proprietor OF the drug
store at Archer avenue and Twenty
second street. was witness to the ex-
plosion. He says that no one came
from the butcher shop after the shock.
81 was standing in the front of my
store when the explosion occurred"
Mr.. Kleiner said. "I was looking down
Twenty-second street when the build
ing trembled. saw the entire front
of the butcher shop fly out into the
street, and instantly there was a fash
OF flame. l turned to the telephone
and called up several doctors and
told them of the disaster. All of them
responded. AS turned to look down
the street again. 1 heard the fire de-
partment coming. Then the manholes
began to explode, and one by one the
caps were blown high into the air.
The force of the explosion was SO
great that the windows in street cars
were shattered. 1 do not believe a
person in the butcher shop or the fiat
above escaped
On Monday Otto Trostel insured
his life for 5000, making his wife the
beneficiary. Tuesday Mrs. Trestel
asked il the oldest two children could
be insured. She said she had a pre-
sentiment that something would hap
pen. The agent was instructed to
write policies of $4,000 each.