| Show A WILD SCENE OF FRENZY PEOPLE WATCHING AN OIL FIRE ARE SUD DENLY ENVELOPED IN FLAME of naphtha at anler two handed f topic pw cat of whom will die the sheridan yard of the pan han die railroad at pittsburg wag the acene tuesday evening of the most disastrous explosion and fire known in this section for many years A score of lives were lost and about per sons were eo badly burned that accord ing to the judgment of physicians in attendance 75 per cent of them will die from the effects of their injuries the cause of the catastrophe was the explosion of a train of naphtha cars which were be ng switched at the yard in the switching the rear car telescoped a car forward the leaking naphtha ignited from a switch light causing an explosion which threw the flames 50 feet high the first car of naphtha exploded about 4 40 clock and the spectacle soon attracted a large crowd on th streets lining the hills on both sides 0 and parallel to the railroad the ond car exploded about 5 clock bul it wa 6 15 clock when three more cars of the deadly stuff went up with a roar that could be heard for miles and the work of destruction really be gan the ons had heated the air to such an extent that bedfor the third explosion many were ren dered unconscious by the extreme heal and the gaseous fumes and were being carried away when the torrent of flam swept over the excited crowd there was an awful hush lor ment then followed a scene of fren zy men and women their clothing ablaze their faces scorched and alist ered and their hair burned off then heads ran wildly enneking ehn eking hither and thither only intent on escaping frons that awful furnace of fire some gan vent to frenzied appeals to kill them and put them out of their ra sery an little children with their curly lock and light summer clothing small pil lar of fire cried piteously as they were swept along by the tide of burn ing humanity |
