Scranton, Pennsylvania Explosion
August 4, 1900
Scranton, Pa., Aug. 4. -- By an
explosion of gas five buildings on Lackawanna
 avenue
in the heart of the business district were
completely demolished and 25 persons were
injured by being caught in the wreckage or
struck by flying debris. The wrecked
buildings were the three-story Merchants' and
Mechanics' bank and adjoining four buildings
occupied by the D. I. Phillips Furniture
company and Craton carpet factory.
Many of the injured were passengers on an
open trolley car that was directly in front of
the bank building at the moment of the
explosion. A leak in the gas pipe in the
cellar of the bank building was responsible for
the explosion. the janitor detected the
odor of gas and was going down to the cellar,
struck a match and the explosion followed.
The loss is over $150,000. All injured
will recover.
The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, MT 5 Aug 1900
THE EXPLOSION IN
SCRANTON
Twenty-seven Were Injured, But Only One
Seriously.
By Associated Press.
SCRANTON, AUGUST 5. ---Thousands of sight
seers from all over the valley crowded about the
ruins of last night’s explosion and thousands
were the expressions of wonderment that any of
the nine persons who were in the wrecked
building escaped instant death.
The total list of
injured according to the revised list numbers
twenty-seven, but the additional victims are not
injured severely H. W.
Skivington, whose leg was cut by a
piece of flying glass is the only one of the
twenty-seven in a critical condition.
The femoral artery
was severed and the great resultant loss of
blood left him in such a weakened condition that
it may be difficult for him to rally.
Miss Annie Klein,
of this city, and
Thomas Brennan, of Minooka, each will
lose the sight of one eye as the result of the
cuts from flying glass.
The others will not
be permanently affected.
The debris was
sufficiently removed this afternoon to disclose
the bank vault and it was found intact. The
money and papers were this evening moved under
escort of a squad of police to a building on
Wyoming Avenue, where the bank will open for
business in the morning.
The loss to the
Merchants’ and Mechanic’s Bank people is
confined to their office fixtures.
D.I. Phillips
Furniture Store and the stock of the
Scranton Carpet Company, which were in the
adjoining building, are a total loss, amounting
all told to $50,000. No insurance can be
recovered. The buildings were worth together
about $125,000.
Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport,
PA 6 Aug 1900
Transcribed by
Trish. Thank you, Trish!
EXPLOSION IN A
CELLAR
Leaking Gas Ignites and Many People Injured
SCRANTON, Pa. Aug 4---By an explosion of gas
this evening two buildings on Lackawanna Avenue,
in the heart of the business district, were
completely demolished and twenty-one persons
were injured by being caught in the wreckage or
struck by flying debris. The most seriously
injured are:
F. W. Woelkers
Miss Maloney
Thomas Brennan
H. W. Skivington
Anthony Patrolav
Mrs. Annie Clark
Miss Annie Klein
Miss Mary Sandislaus
The wrecked
buildings were three-story Merchants’ and
Mechanics bank and adjoining four-story building
occupied by the D. I.
Phillips Furniture company and the
Scranton carpet factory.
Many of the injured
were passengers on an open trolley car that was
directly in front of the bank building at the
moment of the explosion. The others, with the
exception of the members of the
Halffey
household and the bank janitor were pedestrians.
A leak in a gas pipe
in the cellar of the bank was responsible for
the explosion. The janitor
F. W. Woelkers detected the odor of
gas when he returned from supper and after
telephoning for a plumber thought to make an
investigation and going in the cellar, struck a
match. He was picked up unconscious in the alley
in the rear of the bank. The explosion and the
crash of the falling buildings brought the whole
central city to the scene.
The loss is over
$150,000.
The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 5
Aug 1900
Transcribed by
Trish. Thank you, Trish!
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