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Show A TKIHIIIILK EXPLOSION. About (i o'clock on Tuesday morning thousands of our citizens wcro aroused by one of the uiont terrific explosions that ever "shook up" things terrestrial in this Ideality. It proved to be the agitating house of 1 1 ufcj', Payne & Co's oil ivfinery, situated on the canal, a short di-tance south of the Atlantic Si Creat Western railway. It exploded without a moment's warning, and without with-out any assignable cau-c, as far as known. The report was tremendous, and the cuneusiun of the air was so great as to shitke buildings two miles distant. Over a thousand barrels of oil were in the agitator, and in a moment mo-ment an immense volume of flame and llik-k black smoke told that ihe lire fiend was completing the work of destruction. The immediate effects of the explosion explo-sion were appalling. The building was entirely covered with iron, intended in-tended to be fire-proof. It was literally liter-ally blown to pieces, large fragments of iron rolled up and twisted, being hurled to a rreat distance in every direction. The building was made a complete and utter ruin, the work of desolation being finished by tho flames. Other buildings build-ings connected with tho works were nearly destroyed. Brick walls were blowed down and windows everywhere in the vicinity were shivered to atoms. The chemical works of Marsh & Har-wood, Har-wood, situated a short distance from the oil works, were badly damaged, and look as if they had been through a first-class earthquake. A fragment of wood was blown through tho window of a house fully a hundred rods distant, and struck a woman who was making a fire, but its force being spent it inflicted no serious injury. Within a radius of half amile houses were shaken to their very foundation, and their occupants not already awake tumbled out in the wildest dismay. Windows were broken, the entire sash being blown in in many cases; crockery rattled, shelf ornaments were thrown promiscuously, and the destruction of property was considerable. The jar was very perceptible as far distant as Prospect street, and was felt throughout through-out the entire south-eastern portion of the city. The damage to the oil works is estimated esti-mated at $25,000, although it is quite possible that it will reach a higher figure. Cleveland Herald, April 12. |