| Show FORCE OF OP EXPLOSION Whole Wole Building Wa Was Shattered by Tremendous Concussion From the appearance of the building after the fire fre the entire force fore of ot the explosion seemed to have emanated from the vicinity of the vaul vault extend extending extending extending ing from the floor foor to the ceiling In the southwest corner of the te main room rom of the Mine lUne Smelter Supply y store stor In the basement just north of the vault vaul was stored store some thirty bar barrels barrels barrels and a number of oC carboys of vari various van vanous arl arlous ous explosive cds which are sup supposed supposed supposed posed to have caused the explosion The explosion left the te Iron vault vaul a mass of or twisted S and d splintered I d Iron plied piled d upon the pier I r which it rio stood Some thirty 01 or 01 feet teet of the te brick wall wal about tw tv tet et t south sout of the te vault was Wa blow u pieces I c s a I portion of or it I ber blown nt the side of T G Smiths house tous across the avenue de demolishing I the walls wals of ot two rooms Half of the L brick wan wall back of or the vault was blown down leaving l the other half hal standing but curved cured outward like I a I bow The force of the explosion sent plate glass from the front windows w i i ithe f far out into the street f and d dw cleaned the doors door and facings facing from the front of the store as a clean cl an as a if it done by a I carpenter The explosion seemed to extend over oer the entire entre building and I heavy stone pillars along the front of the building were displaced and the walls wf war cracked cra ked I Had It not been for the explosion which seemed to spread the lire fire fre throughout t the te whole building the fire firemen med men believe beleve that they the would have been abin abla to control the flames fames There were reports of an explosion previous to the arrival of the te fire fre de department department but nothing definite defnie could be learned about it it It I was wa stated to Chief Devine that tat a man who had been sleep sleeping sleeping sleeping ing somewhere in the building was wa awakened by a muffled explosion be before before before fore the te fire tre was wa discovered and found the basement to be boiling boin over oer with wih smoke a a few minutes later It I was wa sug suggested suggested suggested that tat this first frt explosion might I have hae been the origin of the fire tre but the chief was unable to t determine I whether or not there was wa a previous explosion It I was wa circulated that the carbonic acid gas tanks in the soda water store had bad exploded but a careful examina examination examination I tion ton of that part of the building by bythe bythe the firemen failed faie to reveal any signs sigs of an explosion from that source The I firemen state that after the big explosion explosion explosion sion there was a rattle of ot small smal explosions like li that of or cartridges for some time and ald one of the firemen fremen ex exhibited exhibited exhibited an exploded shotgun cartridge which he said struck by him while in inthe inthe inthe the building The firemen fremen think there must have hae been cartridges and caps The explosion caused wild wid excitement among the people at the fire fr and alarmed the sleeping citizens in every ever part of the city People living on Ninth South Sout in the western wester part of the city say sy that it shook the t windows of or their houses house and In the northeast northeastern cnn ern er part of or the city the te shock shok was wa felt as far tar as m a Fifth and I streets |
