Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-01-14
five ARE DEAD
sir
With Twelve Injured in
Conne||svi|Ie, Pa, Fire
Which Follows Gas Explosion,
Wrecking a Store.
Victims Penned In and Perish ia
View Of Spectators.

Cunnellsvillc Pa, Jan. 13.-F'ive dead
and II more or less seriously injured, Is
the toll of one of the worst explosions
ever recorded in the natural gas fields
Of the Middle states. which Thursday
wrecked d well-f filled sand 10-cent
store here, setting fire and destroying
the building and damaging nine other
structures.
The explosion blew out the front wall
of the building, tearing down telephone,
telegraph and electric light wires.
which hung about, spluttering and
kissing fire, hampering all attempts at
rescue work. Clerks and customers
were burned in the collapse of the
building and those that were able to
get out report thrilling experiences.
One young woman. whose burned
body was later found. went mad in the
store Immediately after the crash and
bit the hand of man who tried to
rescue her. Another young woman
was identified only by her shoes, which
her father recognized-and two others.
man and woman, were taken from
the ruins Thursday night. so badly
burned that they have not yet been
identified.
The dead: Mabel Grace Wagner, IS
years, clerk; Christobel 5. Smith, l6
years, clerk; Minnie Mulac, 16 years,
clerk: unidentified woman; unident-
fled man.
The most seriously injured are: Mary
Wagner, clerk; Ada Mitchell. piano
player: c. l.. Pof, manager; Lloyd
Fisher, carpenter: Margaret Reese.
clerk; Mrs. Martha Woodmoyer;
| Blanche Miller: Rose Mulac; Charles
Loomis. assistant manager; Walter
Lehman, and John Snuder. both of
Pittsburg: Riley SNEAK. q carpenter.
Workmen who had removed a nat
ural gas meter failed to cap the sup
| ply pipe and just as porter had been
sent to the cellar to stop the leak the
| explosion came. The porter has not
been seen since and it is thought it is
| his body that lies unidentified at the
| morgue.
| No ore remembers the exact Sensa-
tions following the explosion. Miss
| Mitchell sat at piano playing mu-
sic score for a customer. Both We're
hurled through a side door into an
alley, while screams and crashing
sounds came from within.
Il
in an aisle when the floor rose quickly
and then gave way, tossing him among
a wreck of boxes and counters in the
cellar. He felt no pain and hurried
from the place.
The victims were those whose du-
ties took them behind the counters.
The cries of Miss Smith. Miss Wagner
and Miss Mulac could be heard for a
1 SI,z
street helpless to answer their cries
for help. Five minutes after the ex-
plosion. flames enveloped the building,
bringing death to those imprisoned in
side.
One girl could be seen running fran
tically back and forth behind coun-
ter, the flames playing near her and
the smoke sitting her. Several men
ran in a side door, but the heat and
smoke forced two of them back. One
man CROPPED his way to where the girl
was croucliing. Her clothing then was
burning. AS he grasped her by the arm
she screamed and snapped at him IKE
a rabid dog. She had gone mad. SICK
ened by the sight and almost over
come by heat. the man was unapie u
resist the struggles of the insane wo-
man, and fled. "She bit me-" he cried
holding up a bloody finger to several
who had family discerned the strug-
gle through the smoke. Then. as II ter
rifed by the ghastliness of his encoun'
ter he stumbled away from the scene
Thursday night torches threw ghast-
ly light upon the ruins while police
firemen and volunteers searched fol
other possible victims.