Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1915-10-01
TERRIBLE {.
EXPLOSION
---- ..sua,H
Gasoline Tank Car
J. Blows Up. f..
TH|RTy-F|vE ARE DEAD
Twn Hundred Persons Injured
at Ardnore, Okla.

Ardmore, Okla, Sept. 2S.-At least
thirty-five persons were killed and it
is estimated 200 others were injured
here when 250-barrel tank car of
gasoline standing near the Santa Fe
! freight office in the business district
exploded.
The terrific force of the explosion
RACED many buildings and threw burn
ing gasoline in every direction. A
few minutes later Ardmore was at the
mercy of scores of fires. The fires
are under control. The city is under
martial'law.
Private homes were Immediately
thrown open to the injured and scores
of men are working in the smoldering
ruins along Main street in search for
additional victims.
Among the buildings destroyed
were: The Ardmore railroad station,
Swift & Co., Pennington Wholesale
Grocery company, Wilmington hotel,
Maddin & Co., dry goods, and the De
Witt Cigar company. Not building
on Main street escaped damage, either
as a result of the force of the ex-
plosion or of the resultant fires. The
publishing plants Of the Daily Ard.
moreite and the Statesman were dam
aged extensively. +
Few Windows Left in Town.
All school buildings, business
houses and residences within twelve
blocks of the business district bear
evidence of the explosion. Practically
every window in the city was shatter-
ed by its force.
Two workmen were repairing the
tank One of them struck the tank
with hammer and it is believed
spark from the blow ignited fumes
escaping through small leak. There
was a terrific explosion, followed by
many smaller ones.
The workmen were blown to pieces.
The shock shattered the Ardmore rail
road station, used. by the Santa Fe,
Frisco and Rock Island railroads, and
the Rock Island freight station and
scores of other buildings quickly took
fire from the flying liquid taafit,
The flames spread rapidly until all
of Main street was roaring furnace
Thirty freight cars in the Santa Fe
railroad yards were destroyed. The
roof of the Wilmington hotel was
blown off by the force of the, first ex-
plosion, but all guests were believed
to have escaped. The entire block
in which the Pennington wholesale
grocery was located was RACED by
fire. go. 20. -, f,,....
Girls May Have Persisted. 5,i
At the store of Maddin & Co. scores
of girls were working and it was fear
ed Some Of them lost their lives. 4
The pail of smoke which hangs over
the whole city seriously has hamper
ed the work of rescue, but deeds OF
heroism were many. A woman wait
ing at the railroad station with a
baby in her arms and a four-year-old
child at her side, dashed three blocks
with her double burden, her own
clothes blazing as she ran. Passers-
byo smothered the flames with their
bare hands. The mother was taken
to the hospital dangerously burned.
The children were not seriously in
jured. 'i'"as& t3'a."@>' ~ ~. 3t1
For five hours after the explosion
Ardmore was cut of completely from
the outside world. Telephone and
telegraph communication was severed
by the lwrecking of poles in the down
town district guat 1f .af "5H 4
Thirty-one bodies have been recov-
cred. OF these twelve were negroes.
The property loss was estimated at
100000 R" f4 a9'HH JFa -iit"
Many Of those who lost their lives
were buried under debris when the
force Of the explosion shattered build
ings and threw down outside walls.