Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-10-01

BUILDING is BADLY WRECKED.
Firemen and Policemen Searching Ruins
of Eight-Story Building for
the Victims.
CAUSED BY AN ELECTRIC SPARK

PITTSBURG, Pa, Sept. 27-At least
fifty persons were more or less seriously
injured and several are believed to have
met death shortly before noon today
when an explosion occurred in the offices
of the Columbian Film exchange, rooms
Ala and 415 Ferguson building, which
runs from Third to Fourth avenues, be-
tween Smithfeld and Wood streets.
The walls of the building, an eight
story structure, are bullying and not an
office escaped damage. Windows were
blown out and partitions blown down.
Several hundred fremen and policemen
are searching 1ne ruins for injured and
dead.
+. The accident threw the down town
district into great excitement. Special
detachments Of police were necessary to
clear from the streets thousands of per-,
sons who for a time were in imminent
danger Of a second explosion.
Starts in the Vault.
John Jilletts, special clerk, made a
statement in which he said the explosion
occurred in the vault. Jilletts said he
went into the vault, which is 3 feet wide
and 8 feet high, to get a film. When he
turned the electric light on, spark shot
from the switch and ignited one Of the
films. He jumped from the vault,
slammed the door and shouted to the
others to run. AS they reached the cor
ridor the explosion occurred. The dam
age will reach 100000.
Occupants of adjoining Office buildings
rushed to the scene and were joined with
in a few minutes by fremen and by
squads of police. Throughout the entire
80
tered men, women, boys and girls who
were either burned or injured by flying
debris.
Every Hospital Notified.
Every hospital in Greater Pittsburg
was notified. For over an hour the clang
Of ambulance gongs were heard in the
down town streets.
Twenty-Five stenographers employed at
the Offices of the Smith-Premier Type
writer company were seriously cut by be-
ing showered with fragments Of plate
glass windows.
Most of the injured are in a serious
condition. How many persons were en-
ployed in the Offices Of the Columbian
Film company is not ascertainable at
this time 1t is not thought that any
person in the two rooms could nave es-
capped death, so great was the force OF
the explosion, but a partial search OF the
LAS So La 4d41SO W 4OSdLC 0AS
dead.
Comes Without Warning
The explosion came without warning.
In a moment the entire building was
enveloped in a binding sheet of flames.
The occupants Of the building, number
Ing many hundred, became panic-strlck-
en- and rushed wildly for an exit. They
became damned on the stairways and
the screams of persons who were being
IL ~, cfr n&a
causing much excitement among che
thousands who quickly congregated:
Many occupants Of the building
rushed to the doors of the elevators.
Fighting like demons, the crowds at the
elevators broke down the screen work
encasing the shaft and pleaded with the
elevator boys to save them.
Roy Barclay, the elevator operator,
gave a graphic description OF the ex-
ploson. He said:
II was at the second floor when l
hear sizzling noise similar to the
fuse on a fire cracker burning. knew
something was wrong and dropped the
car to the first floor to let the passengers
off. Just as they were allghtlng, the
explosion came and the building was
filed with flames. From all parts Of the
Structure came shouts and I heard a lot
of people on the fourth floor crying for
the elevator I ran my car up there ana
found a large crowd battling around the
iron frame work of the elevator shafts;
Hundreds were running down the
stairways through the binding smoke
and dust from falling plaster. Jammed
the car full and started for the first floor.
When the car reached there we carried
most of the women out in an unconscious
condition"
Makes Trips in Flames.
Barclay was seriously burned, but
made ten trips through the flames and
and have his injuries attended to.
John Miller manager of the Columbian
Film company, was in a barber shop
when the explosion occurred. He hur-
ried to the scene, but was at loss to
account for the disaster. According to
Miller. there were seven persons EN-.
ployed in the offices. AS yet none of
them have been accounted for.
No Light in Office.
81 am very positive said Mr.. Miller,
"that the explosion was not attributable
to the films letting go, as there was no
light in the office, and without the INNS
coming in contact Win nalhe' 'neS eouiu
He said there were about fifty films
in the Office when he started for the
barber shop and there were number OF
additional films in the office safe.
'sThe safe will be opened just as soon
ms I can get man to do it," he said.
ITO guard against a second explosion,
however, will have fremen standing by
with a hose, in case there is ire
there"
The seventh and eighth floors Of the
Ferguson building are bulged out dan
gerously. For almost block on either
side of the building windows are shat
tered.