Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1901 — DIE IN AN EXPLOSION. [ARTICLE]

DIE IN AN EXPLOSION.

MORE THAN A SCORE KILLED IN PHILADELPHIA. Fire Bu'ldinc* Blown to Atoms in n Mysterion* Way—lnmates and Persons in Street Unried Under the Rains —Search for Bead in Debris.

Death came to from twelve to twenty persons and Injury to fifty more as the result of an explosion, supposed to have been caused by gasoline, which completely wrecked an entire block of buildings on Locust street above Tenth, in Philadelphia. Five structures were demolished and one was badly damaged. The number of persons iu the holdings at the time of the disaster is estimated at fifty. The buildings nnd their occupants were ns follows: No. 1008, Ilonsman's pool ami billiard rooms; No. 1010, Morris Rosenthal's second-hand'clothing store, occupied by Rosenthal, his wife and five children; No. 1012, William Jones’ restaurant, occupied by Jones and about fifteen boarders; No. 1014, George McClemmy’s grocery store, occupied by McOleiumy, clerk and servant girl; No. 1010, Patrick Quigley's grocery store, occupied by Quigley, his wife, three children ami his uncle; No. 1018, Albert Mountain's grocery and meat Store, occupied by Mountain, mother, sister and clerk. Tin? explosion Recurred about 0:30 p. m. What exploded and how it happened is not known at this time, but it is believed to have been a barrel of oil in one of the three grocery stores. With the explosion of No. 1008 the front walls of the buildings were blown outward into the street, while the floors aud the roofs were blown upward and fell straight to the ground. Almost every building within a radius of two blocks about the scene of the explosion had window panes shattered and was otherwise damaged. Every building of the opposite side of Locu.sf street was) more or less wrecked, but none of them fell. A terrible cry went up from the ruins the moment the explosion occurred. Women, children and men, occupants of the wrecked houses, could be seen crawling from the debris, while the cries of others were heard in the wreckage. From all the surrounding buildings injured people came running and many fell into the street unconscious. To add to the horror fire broke out in the debris the moment it settled to the ground, and in less than live minutes the great pile was burning fiercely from end to end. Here aud there a person was dragged from the ruins before the tire could roui h the victim, several lives iteing saved by this prompt work. When the firemen reached the scene the flumes had great headway and were igniting the buildings across the street. The tire, however, was soon under control, and with the exception of a small blaze here and there, was extinguished in a few minutes.