Imperial Valley press., 1933-02-11
Loss Of LIFE
IN SAAR BASIN
GETS LARGER
Expect Death Toll In Gas Ex-
pIosion Will Reach ITO With
Over Thousand Injured.
PROPERTY LOSS ENORMOUS
Hundreds Made Homeless And
Industry Paralyzed By Yes
terday's Disaster.

BY JAAN JACQUES KREMER
United Press Staff Correspondent
Copyright 1888 BY United Press
NEUNKIRCHEN, Germany, FEB.
l1.-Thirty thousand men and wo-
men, deprived of their livelihood
by the gas tank explosion which
wrecked the city and took an es-
timated toll of ITO dead and 1000
injured wandered in dage through
their shattered homes today.
Many of them, their clothing tat
tered, had to be restrained from
rushing into the charred and ruin
ed area seeking lost relatives.
Others, huddled together in the
cold, rushed forward each time
rescue workers brought a new
corpse from the debris.
1t was a scene of wartime deso-
lation. A long line of fire engines
and ambulances advanced as
though to a front line trench. Hag-
gard men, women and children
were wandering 10 kilometers from
torn and burned.
Six kilometers from the city the
wave of fugitiyes fleeing from the
stricken area became SO dense I
was forced to cut across country
to reach the town.
NEUNKIRCHEN, Germany, Feb.
IL. W.Pj-The industrial section of
Neunkirchen was in ruins today af-
ter the explosion of gas tank that
crushed buildings like cardboard,
obliterated an iron works and a
benzol plant, hurled bodies and de-
bris through the air for hundreds
of feet, and was felt $50 miles away.
Police, firemen, soldiers and vol
unteer rescue workers had recov-
cred 81 bodies from the ruins early
today. Police estimated that the
death toll would reach at least ITO,
with 1000 injured. Two hundred and
eighty survivors were taken to hos
pitals in serious condition.
Seven persons were killed by the
shower of stones, pieces of steel,
wood, glass and miscellaneous parts
of buildings hurled over the town
The top of the gas tank was found
half a mile away on railroad
track. The top was about $50 feet
in diameter.
The blast left remaining only
the chassis of a street car which
was passing the iron works and
benzol plant when the explosion
happened.
The tank was only two years
old, and supplied the entire dis
trict with gas.
An adjacent settlement of work.
mems houses was flattened, trap
ping women and children in, the
ruins of their homes.
A second explosion followed the
first blast.
Checking Survivors
Many residents of the district
fled for several miles into the coun-
try. Police ordered evacuation OF
the entire industrial part of the
town, but later limited the order
to damaged buildings when the
danger of further explosions was
past.
Five hundred men were known
to have been working in various
plants near the gas tank. Police
estimated that most of today would
be required to make an accurate
check of the survivors.
81 saw 10 houses knocked flat
simultaneously by the explosion"
a survivor who was injured told
the United Press. I'm one street,
every house was wrecked. Inhabi-
tants of all parts of the city fled
their homes, believing at first that
a serious earthquake had followed
recent minor earth shocks here.
MANY women and children were
trampled in the stampede Thous-
ants of windows were shattered,
and chimney pots tumbled into the
street. I saw doctors performing OPP
erations in the streets, and priests
administering the last sacrament
to the dying
Buildings wrecked included the
railroad station, part of hospital,
a telephone exchange, and a Gin
ema which was unoccupied.