Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-28
Victims of Oklahoma Gasoline
Explosion Now Estimated
at Fifty-TWo.
ENTIRE BUSINESS BLOCK
IS ALMOST DEMOLISHED
About 200 Persons Injured and Many
of Them Not Expected
to Recover.


2S.-With the expectation OF un-
covering more bodies. rescuers
continued searching. today the
ruins OF business houses and pub
lie buildings for victims OF an ex-
plosion yesterday OF $50 barrels
OF gasoline in a tank car.
The official number OF dead was
given at 10 ami. today as fifty
two. OF this number thirty-three
are white and nineteen negroes.
The property damage is esti-
mated al more than SI.Ooo,coo.
There aye at least 200 injured.
some OF these probably fatally.
In addition to the bodies believed to
be still in, the ruins it is feared that
several of the 200 persons injured will
succumb. making probable death list
of three score.
Investigation of the cause of the dis
aster was started by city executives
today. 1t is supposed that spark
repairing the car ignited the gasoline.
Flames Shoot Up 200 Feet.
Eye-witnesses said flames shot into
the air for distance of 200 feet i'm
Inediately preceding the explosion,
which scattered the flaming liquid for
blocks. thus starting scores of fires in
the buildings wrecked by the concus-
sion.
Most of the persons killed We're
crushed under falling walls. some of
them more than block away from the
scene of the explosion.
Ardmore today virtually was under
martial law, while business was sus-
pended to permit the work Of rescue
to proceed with great speed. one hum
drcd; special deputies had been sworn
in to prevent disorder.
The downtown business section pre-
sented picture of disaster. one block
tion to the Wilmington Hotel. having
been razed by the explosion, many
buiIdings on the opposite side of the
street destroyed and the plate glass
FONTS of nearly every store in town
tSnmaged.
Many Instances of Heroism.
The greater part of the city was in
darkness last night, the electric lights
having been cut of owing to the dam
ger from PROSTATE wires. Many in
stances of heroism and freakish re-
suits of the explosion were recounted
today by persons who Witnessed the
explosion and themselves escaped with
slight bruises.
Many clocks about the city stopped
1T c:35 O'Clock arc curious reminders
of the explosion.
The loss in plate glass alone has been
estimated at s50.000.
Among the heroes of the disaster
was c. S. Neil, railway telegraph
operator who, although suffering from
fractured leg and wrenched back,
managed to piece together some broken
wires and send out the first news of
the disaster and 4 call for aid.
Were Two Explosions.
Six blocks In each direction from the
Santa Fe freight and passenger depots
were affected by the explosion. Rail
road men who were in the yard at the
time gay the ear was shunted to a
siding on &ccount of its bad order"
The car was leaking gasoline that
"a pool OF the fluid had formed on the
ground under ii.
Ira Woods, car inspector. tine rail-
road men say, mounted the car, up
screwed the cap and peered in. Just
then the gasoline became ignited.
Woods. the car and every loose piece
of material within a hundred yards
were hurled through the air.
Reports that there were two explo-
sions were confirmed today. Dyna-
mite in the freight storehousc was set
off by the concussion Of the gasoline
explosion. The damage caused by the
shock was greater than that caused
by the fire that followed. The dyna-
mite explosion demolished nearly
score of buildings.
Near the siding which :he tank
car was placed were Il number of
wooden structures. part OF which We're
occupied by negroes. In this section
ty.o-story frame building cola psed and
fifteen negroes in pool hall the
upper floor were killed.