Mexico Missouri message., 1904-07-07
Missouri Doings
ELEVEN PERSONS
NARROWLY ESCAPE DEATH
Gas Explosion Causes Two-story
Brick Building to Collapse.

ST. Louis: Eleven persons narrowly
escaped death in the collapse Of two
story brick building, caused by an ex.
ploslon Of gas in the cellar, at Acad-
envy and Minerva avenues at 1855
o'clock Wednesday.
All we're buried in the wreckage OF
the structure, which took FIRE after the
walls fell, but the prompt arrival Of the
firemen saved the imprisoned ones
from incineration.
William James. a clerk in the grocery
on the first floor, was carried into the
! basement under the debris and was
pinned down by heavy beams for fully
three hours before he was rescued.
He escaped with bruises and a sprain-
ed ankle.
What caused the explosion has not
been ascertalned. Chief Swingley OF
the Fire Department believes that IL
was the result Of gas formed in the
cellar by gasoline that had leaked from
tanks on the ground floor. The build.
ing was wrecked beyond repair and
those who saw the collapse said it was
wonder that more persons were not
more seriously injured or killed.
The lower floor Of the building was
occupied by the W. L. Reid Grocery
Company, of which William +. Reid
and Matthew Foester are joint own.
ers.
The Foester family live on the sec
ond floor.
When the explosion occurred all Of
the Foester family were in their fat
except Mr. Foester, who was down
stairs in the store. The family con-
sists OF Mr.. and Mrs. Foester, Matthew
Foester. Jr., Ethel, Anselm and Mar
garet Foester, and Mrs. FOesters moth
er. Mrs. Richard Pitt
In the store were Matthew Foester.
Sr.; William f, Reid, owners OF the
store; William James, a clerk for the
firm, and Walter Waggoner, a custom
err.
Foester, who was in the rear of the
store at the time, says that before the !
walls fell he saw the lettering and !
tried TO get out Of the building before |
they fell, but was unable to do so. He |
succeeded in getting half way to the |
front door, when the walls collapsed. |
When he saw that he could not reach |
the door, he darted under the counter, !
thus escaping the falling debris.
Reid was in the rear of the store !
also when the explosion took place. and |
like Foester, he attempted to reach |
the street. but failed. He was buried !
underneath the falling walls. He was
Nal hn ry1fVt
half later unconscious and severely !
burned. He was carried home.
William James, the clerk, had just |
finished waiting on a customer when .
the collapse came. He was putting |
some canned goods back on the shelf |
behind the counter when he felt the |
floor bneeath him cave in, preCipitat- |
ing him into the cellar.
He was not taken from the demol- |
ished building until fully three hours |
later He was found pinned down by
two beams which lay across the upper
part Of his legs.
While the firemen we're working to |
save him he conversed with them, urg- |
ing them to hasten. When released It |
was found that the only injuries he |
had sustained were a sprained ankle |
and several body bruises. He was car
Tied to his home.
Walter Waggoner. the small boy
whom James had waited on, had just |
gone out the front door and seated |
himself on a cracker box. He was
completely covered by the falling |
brick and plaster
What probably saved his life was
his jumping behind the box and pull
ing it over until 1t leaned against the |
building, thus forming a shelter. His
face was severely cut by the broken |
glass from the window near which he |
was sitting. He was removed to the |
City Dispensary, where his wounds
were dressed.
Members of the Foester family, who !
were upstairs, all escaped injury ex-
cept little Matthew, who received a
cash on the head, caused by a falling
hTick