The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-03
STORE IS WRECKED
 BY AN EXPLOSION Meridian Merchant Suffers Loss of His Establishment NO ONE RECEIVES INJURY Explosion Is of Gas and Occurs When Nobody Is In or Near the Build
 lng-Woman Is Seriously
 Hurt By Fall.
NO ONE RECEIVES INJURY

Meridian, July 2-(special. )-The cof- fee, tea and orockery establishment of A, H. Niolin. Twenty-third avenue and Sixth street, was completely demolished tonight at S:30 o'clock by the explosion of gas. The explosion was heard through out the city and created great excite mont. Every window and door in the two-story brick building was blown out,
 the shutters and doors being hurled half
 block away, while shattered glass
 rained on pedestrians a block away. The
 fire that followed the explosion was
 quickly extinguished by the department
 The building is located on one of the
 most prominent corners in the business
 center, but fortunately not soul chanced
 to be passing at the moment of the @ .
 plosion, and as no one was in the build
 ing at the time no one was hurt The
 family of F. King reside on the floor
 above the store where the explosion oc-
 cured, but chanced to be in the rear of
 the building at the time and escaped in- jury. The damage to stock is about SS0O0 and about s5oO to the building all of which is covered by insurance.
 Mrs. David Rogers, age 61, one of Me-
 ridian's prominent woman wife of Capt. David Rogers. was dangerously injured today by falling from the gallery of the Rogers residence, a distance of about 12 feet onto an iron fence that incloses the grounds. Mrs. Rogers was in the act of shaking dust from a rug when the banister against which she was leaning broke and preclpitated her to the ground below. A deep gash was cut in the lady's forehead and her right arm was broken, while it is thought she suffered fatal internal injuries.
 The recently elected officers of the Me
 ridian board of trade and cotton exchange
 were installed tonight, after which a num- Der of important local matters were dis cussed. The meeting was closed with
 refreshments being served those present. The officers installed were: Col. H. M. Street, president; J. T. Russell, vice pres-
 ident; w. G. Hodges, secretary; Walker
 Broach, treasurer. The new directors are s. Eastland George S. willman, o. L.
 Mckay E. H. Carter, A. J. Lyon, Louis Threefoot and c. w. Schamber.
 A large number of visiting E1ks are in
 the city tonight, having come to Meridian to join the local lodge and board the Cotton States Special for the trip to the Los Angeles convention. The special will leave tomorrow afternoon. the exact hour not being announced tonight. The Me
 ridian party on the trip will be nearly 100 strong, and will include a large num- Der of ladies. Tonight the handsome Elk home on Fourth street was a scene of much merriment, the feature being an elaborate reception followed by ban quet. This afternoon visiting Elks and
 their ladies were treated to tally-ho and auto rides over the city.
 Night Watchman EstelI Jones of the Mobile and Ohio road, who was stabbed
 more than a dozen times by Eugene
 Mitchell, negro he caught in the act
 Of stealing goods from a box car, Is im-
 proving, and the negro, whom he shot
 twice, while not out of danger Is said to
 have a pretty fair chance for recovery.