The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-28
LEAKING GAS WAS
IGN|TED BY MATCH
Young Coates Knew No
More Until Trying
to Save Mother
VICTIMS RECOVERING
Police Believe Gas Seeped In
to Basement From Capped
Line Under Porch

Investigation by the police into
the causo OF the explosion which
sunday afternoon caused the serious
inJuring of three persons and the
wrcCking OF an elght-roum bunPa-
low at 1908 East Thirteenth street
had progressed Monday to the point
where the authorities said the cause
Of the disaster could be attributed
10 Saking gas from the capped sup
ply line under the porch IF the un-
occupied home. Further inyestlga-
ton, however, is under way, It was
said.
Tho investigation so far by the de-
partment has revealed, police au-
thorities said, that the explosion
was caused by escaping gas which
was ignited by q match which was
struck by A. @. Coates, jr., who at
tempted to light a cigaret. Coates,
a young man of %, su%bstantiated tho
statement while he lay swathed IN
%bandages Monday at the oklahoma
hospital, his face and arms burned
by the fire which followed the ex-
p%losion.
Coates said that he had just
stepped into the kitchen of the
house which he, with his mother
and Miss Peggy kemler, was in
specting with the view OF purchase
ing. when he struck n match. He
knew no more, he said, until he
found himself in the midst of the
%wreckage and began trying to beat
out the flames which had caught
his mothers clothing.
The residence, which had been
completed only three months, had
not yet been connected with gas
and the gas meter mad not been set.
A service line tapping the gas COM
pany's main line at the street had
been laid, however, to q position IN
der the front porch, where it later
would be hooked up to the meter
aud thence to the pipes running
through the house. There was thus
left n vacant space OF about two feet
between the service line and house
pipes. \ cap was screwed oVer the
end OF the service line under the
porch, although the gas In the serv-
fee line vas supposed to have been
turned off at the curb cutoff. The
latter had not been done, accord
ing 10 the police, and the gas had
leaked through the cap, seeped
through a small hole cut through
the concrete foundation and made
its way underneath tho floor, filling
the basement in the back part of
the house. Gas in damp weather
mas u ltIutHty W GlIuB ClOSt ~ lllt
surface of the earth.
The fumes then came up into the
kitchen which was directly over the
basement. and because of the house
being shut up tight. with all win
dows and doors closed, the gas was
not allowed 10 escape, and only
needed the lighted match TO ignite
the fumes.
The n company had only re-
Gently completed several changes in
their gas lines in thai vicinity, ac-
cording to police Investigations. and
a temporary line had been replaced
by a permanent supply main. After
the half day or more in which the
company had cut off all the branch
supply lines of the residences In
y the neighborhood 10 institute the
change, the residences supply lines
we're again connected with the main
line by opening the curb cutoffs.
Police believe that the cutoff of the
vacant residence was also included
by one OF the workmen who did
not know the house was unoccupied.
This theory Is also held by j. NJ.
Reed, secretary of the Home Build
ing and Loan association. who
owned the house.
W. II, Bagley. superintendent OF
the Oklahoma Natural Gas COM
pany's city plant, stated Monday
that he had made an inspection Of
the property following the eXplo-
sion and had found the gas turned
off at the cutoff. No meter had
been installed, he said. az 1t Is al
ways necessary TO enter into n con-
tract with the owner before this
can be done. He said he had found
no evidence that the supply line To
the house had been connected with
the pipes running through the in
side, and could not understand the
mysterious explosion. He stated
emphatlcally that nom of the COM
pany's employees had turned on the
gas at the cutoff but said. however,
that II would he an easy matter for
anyone TO turn the gas on.
Although n multitude of probable
|, solutions to the cause OF the eX-
. plosion have been advanced, the po-
I lice are still holding TO the theory
OF the gas leaking from the loosely
capped pipe and seeping into the
basement of the house. 1t was said,
The three injured victims OF the
explosion who barely escaped with
their lives by the wedging of the
walls of tho kitchen in an apex
shape above them, were reported
rested easier at "A late hour Monday
night and on the road to recovery,
Miss Kemler, who is employed in
the office of DR.. c.. A, Burrows, 3
4 Palace building, In at the T.. & 8
hospital, while Mrs. Coates and her
son are lying in the Oklahoma hos
pital. Coates Is employed in the
Exchange National bank. All three