Arizona republican., 1921-12-23

the lines serving Litchfield and Av- ondale were repaired.
 While it is certain that a number of deaths would have resulted from the explosion if it had occurred a few minutes later than it did, only one man was even injured. Jack Miller, a warehouse worker, gus tained a minor cut on the hand when he was hit by a splinter of steel. Al Lillard. yard foreman. missed death by about two feet when a big section of steel was hurled by his head. Fred Barrows, 721 West Jeff ferson street. also probably missed death by seconds when a piece of steel eight inches square hurled through the window of his breakfast room and crashed through the table just where he usually sits.
 One fire alarm resulted from the explosion, crossed wires igniting some debris, but quick work by companies from station No. 3 and the central station eXtinguished it before any material damage was done.
 No Explosives Stored
 Tom Maddock, state engineer, who is conducting an investigation. con- corning the explosion, said yesterday that no explosives of any kind had been stored in the wrecked building for more than a year.
 T cannot imagine that any ma terial which would have caused spontaneous combustion might have been stored in the building" he said. There was some sulphate of ammo mia in the house which national guardSmen use to clean their rifles, but it is absolutely impossible for this to have caused the explosion, which had the power of at least two cases of dynamite. There was no T. N. T., dynamite or other explosive in the house to my knowledge. If any explosives were stored in the building, they were placed there by someone not connected with the highway department"
 Some time ago, the state engineer said, some nitro starch powder had been stored in the building, but all of this had been taken to Tucson and Yuma. Adjutant General Ingalls, said that the national guard equip- ment stored in the room consisted of nothing which could have caused the explosion. Guard records, some empty cartridge cases and empty rifle shells were all that the guard kept there.
 Several cases of fuses and fuse
 
 even if the lighters had exploded they could not have caused a small 1 part of the damage resulting from the detonation yesterday morning. Houses Rocked by Blast
 Mrs. A. Nadeau. who lives with l her son, J. F.. Nadeau, in the 1700 block on West Buchanan street, said she was asleep when the explo- sion took place. At first, Mrs. Ma deau said. she thought some one had dropped a bomb on her home. For several seconds following the blast. she said, pieces of wood, metal and other debris fell upon the roof of the house and in their back yard. All the electric lights in the house were broken. dishes knocked down, and the screens were jarTed from the windows. Her pet Spitz dog was in the back yard and became so fright ened by the explosion that it jumped over a high board fence and has not been seen since. Her pet Angora cat attempted to jump through the window, which was closed, and fell back behind a trunk, remaining there for more than an hour before ven turing out.
 Every window in the home of Miss Ethel Wise, clerk in the office of R F. L. Shepherd, county attorney. and who lives at 1646 West Jackson street, was broken and the glass scattered over the house. Miss Wise said she had not tried to play the