Show fl yla t i I j THIS BEDROOM in which Mr and Mrs Wally Davis were sleeping at the time of the explosion was completely demolished Mrs Davis was blown up into the ceiling Mr Davis was helpless under a pile of debris I L HELPER COMES out of hole in the bedroom floor made by a water heater which was blown through the bedroom ceiling and out into the street last Blast Wrecks W s Nome Home Hurts Vernal Couple An oil furnace apparently malfunctioning at the Wally 1 Davis residence So Ver- Ver VerI Vernal Vernal I nal Avenue blew up Sunday at am demolishing the rear of the house 1 The explosion occurred in inthe the basement immediately ely be- be below below low the bedroom where Mr and Mrs Davis were sleeping l Mrs Davis was blown into the roof and left hanging by her neck Mr Davis although still on the mattress mattress was help help- helpless less with the weight of debris deblis f on top of him I THE FORCE of the explosion slon sion ripped out a water heat heat- heater heater er launched it through the 4 Davis bedroom out through J the roof and into the road 1 About was caused to the home and fur fur- furI furnishings I I Both Mr and Mrs Davis were hospItalized with several fractured ribs severe bruises abrasions and lacerations I Mrs DavIs who followed the rocketing water heater Continued on page 5 r 1 d t 2 4 F h hs s 11 r I eP l a I d r ay kr 4 CITY OFFICER JACK LENT investigating the explosion examines the water heater blown through the roof by the force of the blast Blast Continued from page 1 was knocked unconscious when she struck the ceiling She told investigators When I came to tl I was hang hang- hangIng hanging Ing by my neck in a hole in inthe inthe the roof and was choking I didn't know where I was I grabbed a board loose and fell back down into the wreck wreck- wreckage wreckage age I THE THREE Davis child child- children children ren asleep in nearby bed bed- bedrooms bedrooms rooms all escaped injury They were Kay 16 l f 12 and Ann 8 j i Kay was unable to get into the bedroom on account of debris in the doorway She Sheran Sheran I ran outside to the bedroom window where she could hear her mother calling for help and saw her father trapped on the bed Kay rushed back into the house to telephone but the dial had been blown off the phone She then ran into intI the street to get help and was met by neighbors and police rushing to the scene THE BLAST shifted the en- en entire entire tire home off its foundations and pushed the back wall partly out A rl rifle le and a shoe were imbedded in the ceiling There was no outbreak of fire The home is owned by Ash Ash- Ashton Ashton ton brothers THE DAVIS had rew re- I sided there since December 28 Mr Davis is owner manager of Davis Chevrolet Co I Investigators said that the automatic igniter on the fur fur- furnace furnace nace apparently failed to fun fun- function function and fumes built up and were set off by the hot burner box |