Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-27
Picture Films Blow Up and
Building Is Wrecked.
WILD SCENES IN PITTSBURG
Another Explosion Threatens
Police Keep Crowd Back.
RUINS SEARCHED FOR DEAD
Elevator Boy Proves Hero-Badly
Burned, He Sticks to His Car
and Rescues Many.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
PITTSBURG, September 27-with a
crash that was heard for blocks, the re-
suit of q terrific explosion in the Offices
Of the Columbia Exchange Film Com
pany. fourth floor. Ferguson building.
Sd avenue near Wood street. nearly
every window in the building was blown
out, several persons were killed. fifty in.
jured and the walls left bullying out in q
dangerous condition. T he explosion oc-
curred at noon.
Many women, employees in the building,
were carried out. Elevator boys. by their
GOODNESS and bravery. saved many lives
by taking passengers from the upper
floors to the street
The exact cause Of the explosion is un-
known. 1t is reported that films in stor-
age caught fire and communicated to a
tank in the company's Offices, which ex-
ploded.
Another Explosion Imminent.
There IL said to be danger Of another
serious explosion in the Office of the
Aim company, and ordnance officers
| have warned employers in buildings
near the Ferguson structure to nave
their employees leave the Offices. There
| Is said to be a large number Of films in
safe deposit vault in the film com
pany Office, and shortly after noon
smoke was discovered issuing from the
vault. An explosion may occur among
the films in the safe.
| Several hundred firemen and police
men are now searching the ruins for
injured and dead. The cause Of the
explosion is not known at present: In
some manner the infiammable films
were ignited and the next moment q
| terrific explosion took place. The de-
| tonation could be heard for blocks.
Occupants of adjoining ONCE buildings
| rushed to the scene. and were joined
within a few minutes by firemen and re-
districts. Throughout the entire eight
stories Of the building rescuers encoun-
tered men, women, boys and girls who
| were either burned or injured by flying
debris. Their crying and pleadinss were
Every hospital in greater Pittsburg waa
notified. For over an hour the clang o.
ambulances excited pedestrians in the
downtown streets.
Can't Account for Disaster.
John Miller. manager of the Columbian
Film Exchange, was at a barber shoI
when the explosion occurred. He hurried
to the scene, but was at a loss to account
for the disaster. According to Miller
| there were seven persons employed in the
| Offices. -
AS yet none of them has been accounted
for. Il am very positive" said Mr.. Mil
Ter. lit was not attributable to the films
letting go. as there was no light in the
Office, and without the films coming Ii
| contact with flame they could not ex.
plode.''
He said there were about fifty films in
| the Office when he started for the barber
shop, and there was quite number OF
additional films in the office safe.
THE safe will be opened just as soon
as l can get a man to do it, he said.
ITO guard against a second explosion,
| however, I will have firemen standing
| by with hose in case there Is fire there. .
Twenty-Five stenographers employed at
| the Offices of the Smith Premier Type
writer Company were seriously cut when
large plate glass windows were show.
cred upon them by the explosion.
Most of the injured are In. serious
condition. How many persons were EN-
ployed in the offices of the Columbian
Film Company is not ascertainable al
this time. 1t Is not thought that any
person in the two rooms could have es'
capped death, so great was the force OF
the explosion but partial search of the
ruins has so far failed to locate any
dead.
developed in Flame.
The explosion came without warning
In a moment the entire building was
enveloped in a binding sheet of flame
The occupants of the building, numbering
many hundreds, became panic stricken
and rushed wildly for the exits. They
! became jammed on the stairways AND
their screams could be heard in the
| Htv,rv
| the thousands who quickly congregateG
| in the vicinity. Many others rushed tC
| the doors of the elevators. Fighting like
demons they broke down the screen work
| about the shaft and endeavored to escape
Robert Clay, the elevator operator, gave
| a graphic description Of the explosion
| He said: II was at the second floor when
| I heard a sizzling noise similar to the
| fuse on a firecracker burning. l knew
| something was wrong and dropped the
car to the first floor to let the passeng.
gers of. Just as they were alighting the
explosion came and the building was
filled with flame. From all parts OF
the structure came shrieks and l heard
a lot Of people on the fourth moor crying
tor the elevator.
Heroic Work in Shaft.
IT ran my car up there and found a
large crowd battling around the iron
framework Of the elevator shaft. Hun.
dreds were running down the stairways
through the binding smoke and dust
from falling plaster. l damned the car
full and started for the first floor. When
the car reached there we carried out most
of the women left In an unconscious con-
dition.''
Clay was seriously burned, but made
ten trips through the flames ana smoke
before he would give up his car and have
his injuries dressed.
M mn nnpIHn AT ARLINGTON