Year: 1870

Explosion Of Gas-hsIder No. o Asain-Loss


from $4,000 10 $4,000 Fortunately No


Lives Lost.


The Cincinnati Times OF Tuesday has the follow
ing full particulars OF the recent gas explosion in
that city -


A little after O'Clock Yesterday evening the city
was again shocked by dull heavy rep )rt, similar
to the one heard on the memorable oath OF May last
year. when one OF the holders at the gas WORKS was
blown up with so heart-sickening a spectacle of
loss OF life, as most OF our readers will remember.


instantly there was rush to the streets, and all
eyes were turned In the direction Of the gas works.
confident In the belief that similar accident had


Those who were first to look out saw a vast pyra
mid OF flames shooting to the SKY, which disap-
peaIed, however, In few minutes, e wing the
western ornament tinged with reddish tins as Of


On reaching the spot it was discovered that it was
but repetition OF the disaster of May "A, 1869, to
the Cincinnati Gas Works, save that there was no
less oflife. The gas-holder number 3, which had
been erected at an expense Of about $5000 in place
OF the one that was at that time destroyed, was
complete wreck.


as standards to the huge tank in its rising and fall
ing were thrown to the ground, broken aud de-
spoiled OF their ornaments. The airy lattice work
OF iron that had joined these columns at their top
was torn in pieces and lay in bent fragments the
ground One OF the buildings, the one the SOUTH
west, was almost totally demolished by the falling
Of group of columns, while the clerks office, on
the northeast corner, had its gable crushed in by


This enormous tank charged with five hundred
thousand cubic feet OF gas, had been exploded in
some way, no one knows how, and carried with it
this fearful havoc. A fire followed having for its
fuel the reslduum or coal tar that was noatiag on
the water within the tank. To put this out the IRE
| department was called out and employed for a
| Iiod of more than an hour.


At the time the Incident occurred Mr.. Richard
| Emptw histle the engineer in the eXhauster-room,
noticed an unusual tremOr In the gauges, and re-
cogDiziDg the movement at once rushed out OF the
| building. A few seconds later the explosion fol-
lowed carrying with 1t ruin to the building In which
| he was engaged. At almost the same moment Mr..
| n. j. keenan,, the clerk of the works, heard low
rumbliDg and tTemor.. and a moment later the crash
and the falling Of the tremendous iron columns on
| the building in which he was working. He, too,
rushed out III time to see the elimination OF the
| disaster.
This is the whole story, as detailed by these en-
ployes How the accident occurred no one seems to
know, though there several theories given for It,
| One theory is that the holder having been COM
pletey filed tilted by the additional pressure OF
gas so as to allow stream OF IL to escape, which
| was ignted by flame from the adjoining rolling
mill. This theory does not appear to hold gOod on
account of the pressure such stream OF gas must
be under. If this were possible, whenever a stream
would be likely TO follow. Another theory is that
| the pumps In the eXhauster room had been worked
so rapidly to create a vacuum in the retOrts and
| draw from them mass OF flame which caused the
disaster. We do not pretend To advocate either but


leave the solution to those more competent to inves-
| tigate It.


In addition to the loss of gas in the holder of 5C0


600 feet, there back pressure OF 12i 900 feet
| from the man pipes which was also destroyed be-
fore the connect ton could be cut of.


The loss in dollars and cents cannot be accurately
estimated at present The holder that dis
while the iron columns will add 900 to the expense
In addition to this, there will he repairs to the build
inQs costing from $4,000 to $4,000 to make. In ALL the
| expense will be not far from $50, 600.