The Little River news., 1915-09-29
GASOLINE ICNIT- ION; 50 KILLED
<; ark from WOrkman'S Hammer On o0.BarrcI Car Ignnites Fumes
 From Leak at ArdmOre.


 fifty persons were killed and it is es- timated two, hundred others were dan gerousiy injured this afternoon wheu Q 250-barrel tank car of gasoline standing near the Sante Fe freight of 1 flee in the business district explod- ed. The terrific force of the explos- ion shook down many buildings and threw burning gasoline in every dir ection A few minutes later Ardmore was at the mercy of scores of fires. Property worth over $5OO,OOO was des- troyed.
 At S:30 o'clock the fires were under control and the city was under mart ial law. Private homes were lmmed- lately thrown open to the injured, and scores of men were working tonight in the smoldering ruins along Main street in search of additional victims.
 Among the buildings destroyed were the railroad static Swift & Co.,, Pen- nington Wholesale Grocery Co.,, Whit tingtcn Hotel, Madden & Co.,, dry goods, and the Dwight Car Company. Not building on Main street escaped damage as result either of the force of the explosion or of fires following. Tap of the WOrkman's Hammer Cause
 The publishing plants of the Daily Ardmorite and the Statesman were badly damaged All school buildings, churches and business houses within the business district bear evidence of the explosion Nearly every window in the city was shattered by it's force. Two workmen were busy repairing the tank at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon. Suddenly one of them struck it with hammer. spark from the blow ig nited fumes escaping through small leak There was terrific explosion and many smaller ones. The work men were blown to pieces. The shock shattered the Ardmore railway stat ion used by the Sante Fe, Frisco and Rock Island railroads The Rock Is land freight station and scores of other buildings quickly took fire from the flying liquid
 The flames spread rapidly until all of Main street appeared roaring furnace. Thirty freight cars in the Sante Fe railroad yards were destroy i ed. The pail of smoke hanging over ] the whole city prevented rescuers from doing effective work.
 The roof of the Wilmington hotel was blown off by force of the first ex- plosion, but all guests are believed to have been saved.
 The entire block in which the Pen nington wholesale grocery was To- cated was razed by fire.
 Many Deeds of HerOism.
 At the store of Madden Co.,, scores of girls were working and it was feared tonight some of them lost their lives Deeds of heroism were many. A woman waiting at the rail- way station with baby in her arms. and fCur-year-old child at her side, dashed three blocks with her double burden, her own clothes blazing ao she ran. Passersby smothered the flames with their bare hands. The mother was taken to a hospital dan gerously burned The children were not seriously injured.
 For five hours after the explosion Ardmore was cut cff completely from the outside world. Telephone and telegraph communication was severed by the rocking of poles in the down town district
 Many Buried Under Debris.
 Many of those who lost their lives were buried under debris when the force Cf the explosion shattered build ings and threw down outside wals. Charles Smith was standing on Main street whn tn shock occurred, lie was killed by bricks from a building nearby.
 M E. Atkins, drayman, was three blocks away when the explosion was felt The wall of a building buried him in Main street
 A. C. Gould, huckster, was driving across the Sante Fe tracks. He met , death along with his horses. HIS wagon was blcwn to pieces An h. dian, sitting in a wagon near the Love hotel, was crushed lifeless when the east side of the structure fell.
 Along Main stret, from the Sante Fe freight station to the Wilmington hotel every building was demolished.