Show LAST LAsi SPREADS WRECKAGE OVER BUSINESS AREA ABEA Brick and Stone Bury Automobiles Automobiles Automobiles Auto Auto- mobiles in Street Force of Explosion Felt Two Miles From the Scene CITY BUILDING WALL WALL ALMOST DEMOLISHED State Militia Held in Readiness Readiness Readi Readi- ness to Patrol Streets Street in Springfield Mass Many Many- City Workers Are Hurt I SPRINGFIELD Mass At At least three lives were lost about persons were injured and the business section of this city was shaken with damage to several bu buildings including the city hall hail by the explosion of a gas tank today Fire followed the explosion explosion sion sion but was soon coon subdued SPRINGFIELD Mass Ma s. s Feb 1 The the hf cf explosIon 1030 of a st storage rage tank of ot Springfield Gas and Light corn company com com- pany today injured forty persons persons' and caused confusion and wreckage in the business section Office workers and ana persons in the streets were struck down by debris Automobiles in the tha streets were hub deep In wreckage The municipal group of buildings building centering about city hall banks and business blocks were In the area In which windows were broken Persons Persons Persons Per Per- sons in these buildings comprised many of the injured The big storage tank was located at the foot of ot Elm street near near Water S Sand and not far distant from the tle Connecticut Con Con- river Fire followed the explosion but firemen formed a cordon around the wreckage of the tank and Indications indications Indica were that the flames would not spread The tank which exploded was forty orty feet high It was said to have been nearly full of or gas at the time The Tle cause cause- of the explosion was u de some time afterward When the blast came J it rocked city hall hail so so much that one side of the building was b badly damaged Automobiles Automobiles Automobiles Automo Automo- biles in the streets were struck by bricks and stone work and firemen had to dig them out Occupants escaped serious injury according to first re re- re ports Buildings two miles from the scene were shaken The power power plant of the United Electric Electric Electric Elec Elec- company is in the immediate vIcinity vi vicinity vicinity vI- vI of ot the gas works but ser service ce was not affected The four companies of or state militia stationed here were ordered to report to their armories to be held in reserve for patrol duty Members of the state constabulary stationed at Northampton I were ordered to proceed here for duty at once |