Evening star., 1927-11-16
FOUR BOD|ESFOUN
IN DEBRIS OF BLAST
Death Total Reaches rs as
Workmen Continue Seach of
Devastated Area.
By the Associated Press.


PITTSBURGH, November Is. --
Working amid twisted steel and piles
of brick, workmen busy at the task
Of clearing away the wreckage caused
by the explosion of the monster gas
tank of the Equitable Gas Co., had un-
covered four bodies since taking up
the slow digging into the nearby shat
tered plant of the Pittsburgh Clay Pot
Co.
The known death toll reached 2s
with the finding of the four bodies
Yesterday and last night, and the
death Of one man in a hospital. Edwin
smith. 80, died of a fractured skull he
received in the blast that devastated
an area of several North Side blocks
when the tank blew up Monday. Two
bodies recovered last night were not
identified.
32 Held Missing.
Among the twisted steel and heaped
up bricks of the pottery plant, the
Workmen were looking for more
bodies. for officials Of the company
said 32 employees had not been account
ed for. They said. however. several
probably had escaped. but had not re
ported.
The work of probing the debris was
made more difficult by a flood OF
water in a cellar in the rear of the
pottery plant. From this cellar We're
taken two bodies after firemen haG
pumped out a quantity of the water
/ The lives of the workmen We're riskeo
in the tedious work. and the life O
one was claimed yesterday when {
floor in the plant collapsed.
Buildings i'm the area that were de
| clared unsafe were being razed
/ Owners unable to bear the expense o
removal and storage of their posses
sions will have a 100000 appropria
ton from the city to aid them.
| Repairing or reconstruction of tht
| three shattered tanks will not be per
mitted until an investigation made by
| the city council into the hazard o
storage of gas within the city limits
| has been completed. 1t was one o
! these huge storage tanks that eX
| ploded and caused widespread death
| injury to 500 persons and damage eX
| pected to total millions of dollars.
Move Overhead Debris.
| Shifting their activities from th'
| 6ooded basement of the Clay Pot Co
| 20 the wreckage on the surface, th'
rescuers today hoped to remove suf
| fcient of the overhead debris to max,
work in the cellar more safe. Thre,
bodies have been recovered from th
| basement since the disastrous blast
! rwo had been drowned, and it wa
| feared others were trapped here b.
| icbris and by the rush of water from
broken mains and from the giant ga
tank. which contained thousands o
| gallons of water at its base. 1t wa
explained that the water was pumpe'
into the tank to seal it and this foo
was released when the big gas resel
vOir exploded.
A. w Robertson, president Of tn
Philadelphia Co.. whose subsidiary
the Equitable Gas Co. owned the il
fated tank, arrived in Pittsburgh Il
day .rcm Texas, and went to the seen
| immediately. Robertson interrupte
| Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerc
! trade tour through the South and re
turned when advised of the disaster.
One of the bodies found last nigh
was identified as that of Paul Orlowsl
of Curtisville, Pa, coal compan.
| driver. He was delivering coal to tn
! Clay Pot Co, and was in the basemen
when the blast came.