The Saint Paul globe., 1904-06-25
XPLOSION BLOWS
ROOF FROM FLATS
Fire in Glrard Apartment Build.
Ing Occasions $4,000 Loss
Woman Injured

A fire in the four story fiat building,
at 63 West College avenue, last even
ing caused an explosion, the explosion
resulting in a shower of bricks from
the top of the side walls, and several
of the bricks, descending upon Miss
Olga Henderson, who stood in the yard
next door, bruised her head and frac-
tured her left leg below the knee.
Hurrying down the stairs from the
third floor of the Girard, Mrs. c. r.
Capron sprained her right ankle. The
IRE was confined to the dumb waiter
shaft and the fourth floor Landlord
and tenants sustained a loss by fire
and water that approximated $4,000.
1t was about 6:30 o'clock that sew
eral tenants observed smoke issuing
on different floors from the dumb wait
er shaft that runs up through the rear
of the building between the four dou-
bic tiers of kitchens. Mrs. Charles De
Witt was standing on the back porch
of her fiat on the fourth floor talking
with neighbor on the floor below
when she saw smoke curling lightly
through window.
Roof Blows Off
AS she entered the kitchen much
olaeker smoke was pouring from the
dummy" as they call it at the Gil
rard. The room was "all smoke" but
Mrs. De Wits property was still be-
yond. Mrs. De Witt kept on. She was
about to open the door of the next room
when an explosion came and "the roof
blew right off, over her head. She ran
BACK 10 the porch and escaped injury.
Inc hre, the cause of which could
not be learned, began in the basement
and spread upward through the dumb
waiter shaft. Either gas pipes were
melted and the gas thus released. or
the accumulated hot air expanded at
the roof. However it was brought
about, the explosion was loud enough
70 be heard several blocks distant and
vloIent enough to scatter bricks from
the side walls and force great holes
through the rear half of the roof.
Several streams from chemical ex-
tIngulshers were promptly directed by
the fremen into the dumb waiter shaft
from the lower floors, and heavier
streams were thrown upon the top
noor' where the flames had begun to
spread after the explosion Thus the
entlre damage to the building. both by
nre ana water, was estimated at no
more than $4,000, covered by Insurance.
Inc Glrard is owned by Col. r. r.
Weiz, or the Ryan, and DR.. Christian
Fry, OF the school board.
one OF the fourth-s STORY flats was va
cant. But Mrs. De Witt. in the other
nat, said after the fire that her loss
on furniture alone was $1,000, not to
speak OF an equal amount on clothing
Wnlch was ruined. She had small
insurance.
Water Does Much Damage
In the six flats below, all occupied.
nluch i damage was done by water. Al
loss of $4,000 or $4,000, partly covered
Dy insurance, was divided among c.. r.
the third floor; Mrs. Florence l.. Ken
ny and j. H. Cook, on the second floor.
E. F. Turgeon and Mrs. H. w. McCool
on the first fioor
AS soon as the smoke began To
spread occupants of the Girard and Of
the Alden flats next door cried Fire" !"
and the women in the Girard hurried
TO their back porches. Seeing smoke
ABOVE and below them the women hes
1tated to return to the stairway in the
front of the house, but crowded about
the porch railings, screamed, and nre-
pared to jump.
1t was then that Miss Olga Hender
son and her sister Della, boarding in
the tWo-story house west of the Gil
rafd' appeared In the yard and urged
the women above them not to jump.
The explosion, moment later. knock
ed down Miss Olga, covering her with
plaster and broken brick. She was
taken to her home and revived