The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-08-02
.MYSTERY.
. SURROUNDS
EXPLOSION
WAS IT NATURAL GAS,
DYNAMITE OR AN
AEROLITEa
TERRIFIC CONCLUSION
JARRED ENTIRE CITY
RualoTs and Theories Prolific,
But Real Cause Unexplained,
For Some Reason

grower near the city. whose farm ad-
joins that OF Conrad Miller. on which
the fearful yisitant allghted, informs
The Leader that he Is convinced from
careful examination that a piece OF
another world struck here and that
the relic will be found not far under
the surface. A force OF men will com
mence digging this afternoon
The meteorite fell in a gulch. II
defoliated all the trees for a consider.
able radius. People about Elllson's
lake saw train of fire and heard the
stunning noise. The concussion was
felt as far away as Crescent The
stone did not go straight in, but fell
slantllngly making a large scar on
the face OF the earth.
Was 1t gas. an aerolite. dynamite
or gunpowder that scooped a big hole
in Conrad Miller's farm and threw
the city Of Guthrie into CONSERVATION
last night?
About 1915 last night there was
heard IN oil parts OF the city an explo.
sion, followed by concussion and rum.
Bling. A greater part of the popula-
ton was out, either at shows or talk
ing politics. Immediately politics aud
everything else was forgotten. Rum.
ors emanated from dozens OF sources.
First, Santa Fe engine had been
blown up; next the Halsell-Frasler
safe had bene blown; somebody had
dynamited Darktown; then it was re-
ported that some of the powder houses
outside the city had been touched off.
Sheriff Mahoney and several mem
bers of the police force toured the
southern end southwestern portions
of the city. without finding anything.
Every place at which there was in
centiye TO robbery was visited.
First Definite Report
This morning definite reports ro-
garding the neighborhood of the mys-
terry were secured. But IL Is still n
mystery.
Conrad Miller, a German farmer lig-
ing a mile and a half outside the
city, west of Ellison's lake and south
vest OF st. Joseph academy, came To
the city with load of produce, and NJ
the Hirzel grocery gave out the first
real information. He said about thlr-
ty rods east of his home he found
hole about fifteen feet across and
three feet deep. Leaycs had been
Jared o. blown off the trees and the
windows of some of his neighbors'
houses had been broken. His horses
were still dazed this morning. nj
though apparently uninjured. No SUB.
stantial damage was found about the
| Tlace.
Was 1t Gas Explosion?
Early iE the day the theory OF gas
or oil as cause of the trouble be.
came firmly fixed in the minds OF in
sestigators II was found that In The
early days Of the territory something
classed as oil oozed out OF the ground
in the vicinity of what Is now the
Miller farm. NJ. l.. Williams and 9th
ers owning land In that vicinity no
ticed the seepage in dry weather. Men
old In the gas and oil fields say thes
in the Kansas oil fields discovery was
made by just such explosions as the
one hero last night. The theory OF
the gas men Is that the dry weather
caused gas formations near the sur
face in such a manner that the rain
brought about an explosion.
| Investigation OF the Miller place
will at once be made by gas and oil
linen.
illegal Fishing, Another Theory
Illegal fishing was one of the earl>
impressions. The fact that the e>
lplosion was In the proximity OF 3
lake fairlv well stocked with fish let
to the Impression that dynamitef'
were either on their way to the lak'
and had on accident or were trying z
kill the FISH from too great distance
The hole Is hundred yards or NOR
from the lake. The Miller home !
: near the source OF the lake. II tue ~
tending fishermen had an acciden
/ with dynamite thav have not been su.
: iiciently put together In the upper re-
gions to make a respectable impres
| sion in falling.
r Miller has used ganpowder az tlme'
but he says he does not miss any.
I Miller seemed to attach little impo'
ance to tho pisode. not realizing ths
Ait stirred city 70 the exclusion 2
Z al other worldly aifalrs. He sai
that he did not think an enemy wa
I latter him; II so the enemy would hav