The San Francisco call., 1907-02-14
DINERS KILLED IN
Gas EXPLOSION
Several Lives Lost and
Many Hurt in Wreck of
Los Angeles Restaurant
PIPES HAD LEAKED

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13.-An explo-
sion of gas that had leaked from pipes
in a restaurant near Second and Main
streets. In the heart of the city, killed
four persons, horribly mangled and
injured a half-dozen others seriously,
injured nearly score more and com
pletely wrecked the two-story brick
building today. The restaurant, which
was conducted by B. Cessarti, was COM
pletely wrecked. as were also the tail
oring establishment of H. L. Yerger
and a small laundry Office. Offices of
several small concerns in the second
floor were completely ruined. Follow
ing are the names OF the dead:
John w Main, aged Sc years. ranch
er, who was seated at table in restau-
rant; Lavonne Meyers, waitress; Annie
Cofer, waitress; ]. M. c. Fuentes, aged
Al, tailor.
Following are the names of the in
jured, several of whom will die:
E. s. williams, Al, miner. Pomona. compound
fracture of right ankle; F. a. Merrill, As. Po-
tailor, 125115 South Flower street, nose crushed
both ankles broken and chin crushed; S. Soroki
81, candymaker, 3o45 East First street. broken
arm and broken right ankle; May Anderson 25
waitress, 2161a East Fifth street, both legs
crushed; Harry Hayes, %, candymaker 12s North
San Pedro street bruised; Herman Boessler 46
tailor. Ito West Second street left ankle
sprained and mouth cut; Ed L. Davis. black
smith, 55 East Fourth street, Pomona, foot
crushed; f. Stevens, II, janitor 1I0 West Sec
ond street, back badly sprained and probably
injured internally; Mrs. Tessie Graves, waitress
$50 West Seventh street, bruised and burned :
Cora Ralston. 1879 Newton street. bruised and
sprained; Mrs. Anna Hooper. 3301a South Spring
street. bruised; Frank Thompson, waiter in Jim s
Chowder- house. hands and body scalded; Miss
sh0D no af below In th tailor
Wasilus, 113 North Bunker Hill avenue not
seriously injured; Annie Clifford, address not
known. burned on face and hands; Harry War
ren, address not known, seriously but not fatally
hurt.
Another of the injured, Charles Blu
mentha1, will probably die. Miss May
Anderson, a waitress, was so badly
hurt that it was necessary to amputate
both legs.
A remarkable coincidence was the
fact that C. c. Haggerty, an employe
of the tailoring establishment sus-
tanned fractures of both legs below the
knees, and his daughter Emma, who
was working with him, was injured In
an exactly similar manner They both
were terribly injured otherwise.
Several of those who were hurt were
patrons of the restaurant and were in
the dining groom at the time. Those in
the rear of the building, however. suf-
fered the worst as the entire back end
of the structure fell in heap The
bodies of the two mattresses were not
recovered until late this afternoon
Both were buried under tons of brick
and mortar.
The building was an old one and is
total loss. Other buildings in the i'm
mediate vicinity. chief OF which was
that of the First National Bank, also
suffered severely. The exact cause of
the explosion is as yet unknown, but
it is believed that the gas was ignited
by an employe of the gas company, who
was searching in the basement for a
leak in the main. He was terribly in
jured and may die.
Many people had narrow escapes and
number of brave rescues of injured
were made by the proprietor, who
rushed into the smoke and dust and
dragged out manned and helpless ones
from the danger Of falling walls