Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1884 — GASOLINE'S DIRE WORE. [ARTICLE]

GASOLINE'S DIRE WORE.

A Terribly Fatal Explodoa at Alliance, Ohio. Several Persons Killed and a Nnaber Maimed. [Telegram from Alliance, •fcte) About 4 o'clock p. m. a terrible explosion occurred in the business center of the city. Glass in windows for blocks along Main street was shattered, and oonsternatioo reigned supreme. Men lost their senses, and smoke and. dust covered everything for a radius of a quarter of a mile. When the arose it was discovered that the explosion had occurred at the brick business block of F. M. Orr, occupied on the first floor as a stove and tin store, and in thesecond and third stories as tenement apartments. The block was leveled to the ground, and two brick blocks, one on each> side, suocumbed to the shock, while others, farther away, were shattered, riddled, and. badly injured. In a few moments flames arose from the ruins and the Are alarm was sounded. Such excitement prevailed that the fire gained so much headway as to nearly consume the ruins, and burned two houses before it was got under control. Meanwhile the scene was harrowing in the extreme. It was known that six or morepeople were killed or were then imprisoned In the wreck, and Would perish by fire. Men, women, and children, bareheaded, wringing their hands, and relatives of the Inmates -of the buildings destroyed, wandered about in despair at their inability to save the unfortunates. F. M. Orr, Elmer Orr, his son, Mrs. Homer Highland, his daughter, Mrs. Frank Evans, and two children aged 2 and 4 months, were known to have been in the building at the time of the explosion. These all perishedThe woman and children were in the second and third stones, and are supposed to havebeen killed by falling walls. Mr. Orr and soa were both spoken to while confined under the debris, but were burned to death. Many were also wounded. Besides those .mentioned there were two or three others in the store at the time of theexplosion whose names have not been learned, but who were spoken with beneath the rums before life had been crushed or burned out of them. At present all those previously known, to have perished have been extrioated from the debris. Some of these are charred and mangled beyond recognition. The work, however, of clearing away the rubbish and searching for the bodies is being vigorously pushed forward by the aid of such light as is afforded by the moon and a bonfire in the street. d The scenes immediately following the disaster were well calculated to affeet the most indifferent. The buildings were an indescribable mass of ruins. Men and women rushed about frantically beseeching that something be done. Homer Highland, whose wife and v child perished in the fiatnes, was almost beside himself with grief and horror, as was also Frank Evans, whose wife and two children likewise perished. Mrs. Orr was completely prostrated by the shock. The great loss of. life resulted from the foot that the second and third Btories wore used as dwellings. The persons within were not all killed outright, as could be too plainly told by their audible but unavailing cries for help. Every means that could be was used to rescue the victims, but the rapid spread of the flames, notwithstanding the heroic efforts of the fire company, booh drove the rescuers baok. The grocery store of Mr. McConnell, adjoining, had Borne seven or eight persons in it, but all of them were dragged out not severely hurt. The explosion was caused from fumes of gasoline, a child of Mr. Orr having turned the faucet in a gasoline barrel, allowing the fluid to run out on the floor. Mr. Orr sras mopping up when the gas arising from the oil ignited, from a gaslight and the explosion occurred. John Curry and -Charles H. Hayden, of Duprez & Benedict's minstrels were blown out of Orr’s store, through a plate-glass window, and carried clear across the street, where they were picked up badly injured and carried to a hotel, but will recover. The explosion was felt and heard for a distance of two miles, while those in the immediate vicinity thought for a moment that there bad been an earthquake. Some idea of its force may be guessed from the fact that a team of horses standing in the street in front were thrown against the walls of the building on the opposite side. The Orr blook was one of the finest in the city, and was completed only last fall. It Is a total wreck, as are the Miller block and the building occup ed by Mr. Fullerton as a leather store, and by Miss Stanley as a millinery establishment. A reasonable estimate of the value of the property destroyed would be $50,000, a very small part of which wascovered by insurance.