Terrible Effect Of A Natural Gas Explosion

Fiudlay, Ohio, Jan. 20.- What has been expected ever since natural gas carne into use in this city bas occurred at the Hotel Marvin, and as a result two girls lie dead, while a half score of persons are inoaning with pain from fatal wounds. This morning gas was noticed to be escaping in the dining-room of the hotel, aud in an endeavor to find the leak a match was placed in the stove and in an instant sheets of flame sprang into the room and enveloped the one side of the apartment, setting on flre the linen on the tables. This explosión and flre, however. did but little damage and ivas soon controlled. Mr. Marvin, the owner of the building, was called and two plumbers were employed to ascertain the location of the leak. These workmen with Mr. Marvin entered the :asement under the dining-room and spent the entire forenoon in searching for the spot fiom which the pas was escaping. Just about 1 o'clock they commenced sawing a hole through the dining room fioor from underneath to jet some air. as there was so much gas in the chamber where they were working they could hardly breathe. At the moment the opening in the floor was made one of the dining room girls entered the room aud opening the door of the stove threw in a lighted match. The next instant an explosión oecurred which rocked he entire city. The Hotel Marvin was eft in ruins, while within the fallen walls and breken timbera were a score or more of employés dead and dying. For one brief moment there was silence, hen the screams and moans of the inured rose in a wall which was broken by alling timbers and breaking ghiss. As f ast as those killed and wounded were taken from the ruins they were carried across the street, where a temporary ïospital was arranged and a corps of physioians dressed the wounds. The entire jolice foroe was required to keep the crowd from the building, which, while till standing, was liable tofall at any moment. The dining-room, which was set or dinner, was hurled almost in its enUrety across the street. There were many narrow escapes from leath. A. Weireick, a Fhiladelphia traveling mau, was flung from the sample-room vhero he was packing bis goods to the mídale oí a side street, and his trunk folowed liira so elosely that he barely esaped belng crushed ivith it as it fell. John Roth, the barber. bad just finished having a man when the explosión occured, throwlng the man, chair, aud all nto the street. Jennie Wilson. a dining-room girl who was brushing the floor, was hurled into he street and all her clothing torn from íer body. Friends hurried to her resonó and led her away enveloped in a tabla loth. Beyond leing frightened almost to eath she was uninjured. The Hotel Marvin was ouly completed the flrst of the year and was a large and handsome stone-front structure. It is the property of Anson E. Marvin and was leased by the Andrews Bros. of Meadville, Pa., who took possession of it only fifteen days ago. The loss will aggregate $25.000 on the building and 810,000 on the fumiture, but as there was no destruction by fire it is doubtful if any insurance can be collected. The hotel transferred its guests to the Joy house. This is the first great disaster Findlay has ever experieneei from natural gas.