Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1891 — GUESTS ARE MANGLED [ARTICLE]

GUESTS ARE MANGLED

OHIO HOTEL WRECKED BY GAS. Two Persons Killed and Many Others Hurt Stepping on a Match Causes the Catas-trophe-Scores of Narrowly Escape/

[Findlay (Ohio) dispatch.] The first great disaster Findlay has svor experienced from the use of natural jas took place shortly before 2 o’clock ;his afternoon while the guests of the 3otel Marvin were waiting to be samnoned to dinner, when a terrible explolion took place, practically wrecking the Juilding and claiming frpm ten to fifteen juman victims, two of whom are already lead and two others probably fatally inlured. The names of the killed are: KatifT Walters, a waitress,. killed outright; El!a Johnson, a dining-room girl, lied soon after being extricated from a mass of brick and moriar. Following are the names of tho injured: Anson Marvin, owner of the building, probably fatally injured, as be inhaled a great deal of flame from the ?as; Frank Andrews, one of the proprietors, right eye knocked out and seriously bruised about the face and throat; Frank Foundstone, day clerk at the hotel; painfully bruised and hurt about the neck and face, but will recover; Albert French, porter of the hotel, cut on the neck and head, but will recover; Charles Graves, Philip Weil, Jack Cahill. This morning it was discovered .that gas was escaping into the diningroom from a leaking pipe somewhere, and Mr. Marvin, the owner of the building, with three plumbers, spent the entire forenoon trying to locate the leak. About 10 o’clock they entered a chamber underneath the dining-room and found such an accumulation of gas that they could not breathe, and it was suggested that a hole be sawed through the floor into the dining-room in order to obtain fresh air. This was done, and just as the hole wais made one of the diningroom girls, who was sweeping the floor, stepped on a match and in an instant an explosion occurred which not only wrecked the building but killed two girls and maimed and injured a dozen other employos.

The force of the explosion was so great that it blew out the flame of tho ignited gas and no fire followed the awful ruin which the shock had caused. Tho whole city rocked as if in an earthquake by the concussion, and all tho windows in the square! were demolished, while the wreck of the hotel building was about complete, the only rooms in the house escaping destruction be'ng the parlors and the office. Had the explosion occurred ten ininutes laler the loss of life would have been frightful, as nearly 100 persons wofo waiting to.be called to dinner, and as a matter of fact one of the clerks, Frank Poundstone, was on his way to make the announcement when the explosion occurred, and was caught in the falling debris, he being one of the painfully injured. The financial loss will be about $25,000 on tho building and SIO,OOO on tho furniture, all fufly insured. It is a question, however, whether any insurance will be realized, as none of the destruction was caused by fire. Tho excitement throughout the city over the catastrophe has never been equaled since Findlay became a municipality. At 9 o'clock to-night another explosion occurred in the same place as the one of the afternoon, setting fire to the already wrecked and badly demolished diningroom of the Marvin House. The fire department was quickly summoned, however, and more serious damage was averted.