Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1902 — BLAST KILLS MANY. [ARTICLE]

BLAST KILLS MANY.

EXPLOSION IN CHICAGO MEAT - SHOP SPREADS RUIN. Family of Seven Wiped Out —Four Other Persons Vanish Manholes Blow Up and Flames Leap from Openings and Ignite Near Buildings. Ten persons, including a family of seven members, perished in a fire that was accompanied by an extensive series of explosions on Twenty-second street, Chicago, at 7 o'clock Wednesday evening. There are four other supposed victims of the disaster. The flames, which destroyed the building at 302 Twenty-sec-ond street, had their origin in the butcher shop owned by Otto Troste] and is said to have been caused by an explosion of gas. The entire neighborhood was shaken by the blast and scores of persons were injured by falling glass. Adding to the general horror the gas mains in tile district ignited and explosion after explosion followed the destruction of the Troste! home. The first explosion occurred during the busiest hour of the day in Trostel's, butcher shop. No one appears able to explain the cause. Many of those who were in the shop at the time succeeded in reaching the street, but Trostel and his family perished. Trostel lived above the butcher shop and neighbors say his wife and children were about to retire when the explosion occurred. Immediately after the first explosion the building occupied by Trostel collapsed and in a few seconds the adjoining structure fell in a heap. The latter building was occupied by John AV. McLeod as a saloon and the proprietor was standing in the front door when the explosion occurred. The crashing of glass for several blocks on either side of the burning buildings created a panic and men, women and children flocked into the streets in terror. •

Several firemen after their arrival on the scene declared that they heard the cries of children in the Trostel home, but before they could eater the building it had collapsed. Flames shot up from the debris and at the same time the gas mains in the district began to burst with rumbling detonations. The explosions followed so quickly that it was hard to distinguish them. The first was in a main at Twenty-second street and Archer avenue. Then the cover of the manhole half a block south in Archer avenue was thrown into the air with a loud report. Flames sprang from the hole. The fire Spread lielow the street and the covers of smaller manholes were blown into the air. West in Twenty-second street a. third main exploded. The flames from the main in Twentysecond street shot high into the air and reached with the aid of the wind the butcher shop of Otto TrffStel. The building was a three-story frame structure. The fire reached out and caught the weather-worn timbers. The dry wood was a feeding place for the flames and in a moment they had enveloped the doomed structure. At this juncture the building collapsed. The adjoining two-story structure then flared up and a moment later an adjacent building caught fire. It seemed that the whole block would be wiped out before the firemen could bring the blaze under control. But a fire wall of a brick building at the corner of Archer avenue and Twenty-second street cheeked the flames in that direction. Disaster had followed the explosion. The district was wrecked. Window glass had been broken and bottles and glassware in saloons had been thrown to the floor and shattered. Officials of the gas company say that they can give no explanation of the explosions.