USA > Indiana > Madison County > Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana: A Detailed History of the. > Part 41
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
of accidental drowning. His remains were sent home by his friends for burial, and thus another victim was added to the fatal swimming hole.
A SERIES OF NATURAL GAS EXPLOSIONS.
Several years after the laying of the gas mains through the city of Anderson and other places in Madison county for the purpose of conducting the fluid from the streets for the purposes of domestic use, gas explosions occurred at frequent intervals before the pipes had become sufficiently settled in the trenches to prevent breaks in the lines. The severe cold weather also had the effect of contracting the iron to such an extent that in many places the lines were separated, and in some instances the couplings and joints became broken, allow- ing the gas to escape from the mains, which invariably fol- lowed the service pipes into residences and cellars under busi- ness houses, causing much anxiety to the gas companies and endangering the lives of the citizens.
The first gas explosion of any note that took place in Anderson was on the 4th of February, 1888, when a frame building that had formerly been occupied as a residence by Oliver P. Stone, on the ground at the present time known as Lincoln Terrace, was blown up with terrific force. The house was at the time occupied by the Sisters of the Holy Cross ; this was before the erection of the new hospital. A break had occurred in the pipes in front of the building opposite the residence of Dr. George F. Chittenden, the cellar of whose house was also thoroughly saturated with gas. The front part of the Stone building was entirely blown out and the timbers were badly wrecked, but fortunately fire did not ensue nor was there any loss of life or limb.
Dr. Chittenden, detecting the gas in his cellar, was cau- tious enough to enter the place without a lighted match ; as a result his building was saved from destruction.
A few days afterwards, in the same month, an explosion took place in the cellar of the business rooms occupied by Stephen Markt on North Main street. Mr. Markt had de- tected a smell of gas about the building, and on going into the cellar to make an investigation thoughtlessly lighted a match, and in an instant he was hurled to the opposite side of the building, being terribly burned and bruised, from the effects of which he did not fully recover for more than a year. The dis- covery at the time it was made was very timely as but little
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fluid had collected in the basement, otherwise the entire block of buildings adjoining would have been totally destroyed.
It is said that Mr. Markt had hardly recovered from the shock and got upon his feet, when he remarked to some one that he supposed the people would say that " the d-d fool struck a match."
On the 7th of February, 1888, one of the most terrible ex- plosions of natural gas took place at the residence of Thomas Norton on North Main street, nearly opposite the Markt build- ing, which originated from a break in the gas mains at the cor- ner of Main and Seventh streets. The gas had followed the service pipe from the street into the basement of the Norton building where it had been pouring in for quite a while. The family noticed the leak, but failed to locate the point from which it made its escape. The night prior to the explosion Mr. and Mrs. Norton had been entertaining a number of friends, and remained up until a late hour.
In the morning the family arose about 7 o'clock, and after preparing the morning meal Mrs. Norton entered the room occupied by Mr. Fenton Rogers, who was a guest in her house, to awaken him. IIe had not been feeling well for a few days, .and for this reason remained in bed later than usual. Mrs. Norton then proceeded to light the fire in his room so that it might be warm when he arose. No sooner had she done so than a terrific explosion took place. She was hurled through the doorway into the adjoining hall, and was badly burned about the face and hands, but luckily escaped serious injury. Mr. Rogers was instantly killed. The front and side walls of the house were blown out and he was crushed beneath the fall- ing debris. Two ladies, Miss Norton and Miss Bridget Breen, were occupants of the same room on the second floor immedi- ately above that which was occupied by Mr. Rogers. They were precipitated to the ground ; the bedstead on which they were sleeping sliding to the front yard, and, strange to relate, they were not injured in the slightest degree.
Mr. Rogers was at one time a dealer in musical instru- ments, having a store in the Doxey opera house building. Ile was the son of a widowed mother. He was well known and was especially beloved by the Catholic people of Ander- son, being a member of St. Mary's Catholic church choir at the time of his death.
The damage to Mr. Norton's property was in the neigh- borhood of $4,000, without any insurance. This catastrophe
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caused considerable litigation between Mr. Norton and the Anderson Gas Company, against which he brought suit for damages, but before the case came on for trial a compromise was effected and Mr. Norton was fully reimbursed for the loss he had sustained.
On the 13th of January. 1892, another gas explosion occurred in Anderson at the residence of David Dillon. on Madison avenue, in Hazelwood addition. The house was a
THE DILLON HOME, DESTROYED BY A NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION.
new one, having been erected only a few months prior to its destruction. There were several persons in the house at the time who were more or less injured, among whom were David Dillon, his wife, Maud Dillon, his daughter, John Donahoe, James Kilbain, Andrew Rogers, Cora Heaton and Cora Pulse. While several of these parties were severely injured, all sur- vived. Mr. Dillon was badly burned and carried the marks on his person for several years thereafter.
The cause of the explosion was supposed to have been
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
from a leak in the gas mains or from the service pipe con- nected with the pipes in the street, which was, however, never fully determined by those interested. The cellar had become filled with gas, the family having noticed, for a day or two prior, the evidences of a gas leak, but were unable to ascer- tain where the difficulty lay. About 4 o'clock in the after- noon Mr. Dillon came home from his work and went into his cellar to get some apples. While there he detected the pres- ence of gas and made up his mind to locate it. Returning to the kitchen he provided himself with matches and returned to follow out his investigations. Upon entering the basement he struck a light and a terrific explosion instantly followed. The' work of destruction could not have been more complete had it been planned in advance. The building reeled and tottered for an instant and then the walls tumbled to the earth with a heavy crash that was heard several blocks away. The east front of the building was torn from its fastenings and almost hurled across the avenue. The roof came down with a crash, while cross pieces and timbers fell in a heap below. Frag- ments of furniture were found two squares distant, the house being literally gutted of its contents. An alarm of fire was turned in at once, which was responded to promptly and the remainder of the building was saved from destruction. The cries of the wounded were pitiful to hear and brought tears to the eyes of many who witnessed the scene. The force of the explosion was plainly felt upon the public square in the city, nearly a mile distant. John Day, a next-door neighbor, was sitting at his home in a rocking-chair about five feet froin the window. The concussion threw him against the window, thereby breaking the glass. The clock was thrown from the shelf and broken into many pieces. Dishes and glass and all kinds of table-ware lined the sidewalk.
Shortly after the explosion at the Dillon residence another occurred at the home of William Shively on the opposite side of the street. This, like the former one, occurred in the cel- lar, but no disastrous results followed. The glass in the win- dows was broken, a portion of the flooring was torn up and some of the doors were blown from their hinges, but no one was hurt in the wreck. The cause of the accident was attrib- uted to the same fact that had brought about the one in the Dillon residence. Considerable litigation was the result of this disaster. The parties who were injured brought suit against the Hazlewood Gas Company for damages to be
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
awarded in compensation for their injuries, all of which were amicably adjusted by a compromise between the parties.
A fatal explosion of natural gas took place in Anderson on the 11th of May, 1893, at 116 and 118 South Central ave- nue, in which Mr. Eli Murray and his wife both lost their lives. The accident occurred in a double frame house owned by James T. Knowland, and was occupied by the Murray fam- ily and George Greyer, the jeweler.
The accident is supposed to have been caused by leaving a gas jet burning in a room in which there was a leak in the pipes, or by a sudden rise in the pressure in the street mains causing the lights in the house to be partially extinguished, and the escaping gas coming in contact with the burning jets, after filling the room, exploded. It will, perhaps, never be known what the real cause was, the whole matter being con- jecture. It was about ten o'clock at night, after the Murray family had retired, the Greyers not yet having gone to bed.
The explosion was a most terrific one, being heard for a long distance, and blowing Mr. Murray out of the house through the front door. Ilis wife was also blown a con -. siderable distance, both being terribly burned and bruised. They were taken to Emergency hospital and cared for by physicians, and also by kind friends, but both soon died of their injuries, suffering untold agonies.
The Greyer family escaped serious injury, but were more or less burned and terribly shaken up. The building was en- tirely destroyed and the family lost all of their household goods. Mrs. Greyer had just gone into the bath-room to get some water and was blown out of the house, severely bruising and badly frightening her. The most remarkable circum- stance was the escape of the children in the building, who were not injured in the least.
The loss of the property was about $5,000. The Murray estate brought suit against the Citizens' Gas Company for damages, and in a compromise was awarded $2,000.
The Hon. Ben. Smith, of Rushville, represented the ad- ministrator of the Murray estate, and, in his argument in the Case, made a wonderful and telling speech.
On the 1st of February. 1893, at about the hour of mid- Flight, the house occupied by Ulysses Bronson, at the corner Of Main and Twelfth streets, was wrecked by a natural gas explosion, and the inmates terribly burned. The explosion Was caused by a leak in the street mains, allowing the gas to
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
find its way into the cellar of the house, and when coming in contact with the burning jets on the upper floor, exploded. The building was demolished and entirely destroyed by fire. The family were all terribly burned, but recovered. The property was owned by C. K. Mccullough, and was formerly part of the possessions of the old artificial gas plant.
The report of this explosion was heard many miles in the country, and the shock was perceptible in every part of the city.
At about the hour of 11 o'clock p. m., on the night of January 23, 1893, the terrific noise of an explosion shocked the people of Anderson, shaking their houses and scaring them out of their wits. It was soon discovered that an ex- plosion of gas had occurred in the basement of the Doxey House under the National Exchange Bank, in which corner this establishment was located. The entire room was blown to the four winds, or as much thereof as was in shape to be affected by the explosion. The floors were raised to the ceil- ing and the contents of the room were demolished. The promptness of the fire department saved the hotel and adjoin- ing buildings from destruction. The safe and vaults in the bank were not injured and in a short time the next morning the officials had quarters in the court house, where the busi - ness went on as if nothing had happened. The guests in the hotel were so frightened that some left the city on the first outgoing train.
One fellow came down in the office from his room en- treating his friends to not get excited ; at the same time he was in his nightshirt, with his pants under his arm, with a " plug " hat on and making for the railroad station, to get out of town.
This fellow in an excited manner asked the hotel clerk what time the train went out.
"On what road?" asked the clerk.
"It don't make a d-d bit of difference which road-the first train out." He was pointed to the nearest depot and has never been seen in Anderson since. The entire front of the room in which was situated the bank was blown out, but the other part of the building was not injured.
The explosion was caused by a leak in the street mains as usual, which caused the gas to accumulate in the basement, in which was a hot air furnace. As soon as a sufficiency of gas had gathered to come in contact with the fire in the furnace, it
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ignited and exploded with wonderful force. Luckily no one was injured, as it was at a time when no one was in the bank.
No accident ever occurred in Anderson that caused more excitement or looked more like a big conflagration would fol- low. If any person had been in the bank at the time of the explosion, he would have been instantly killed and cremated, as there was no possible means of escape.
THE FALLING OF A SHED.
For many years there stood at the corner of Twelfth and Main streets, in Anderson, a building known as the " Valley Grocery," which was owned and conducted by Amos J. Davis. In addition to this there was a row of old rickety buildings to which a large shed had been built, and which projected in front. Part of the building was occupied by Maurice Wallace as a meat market.
This place was a great resort on Sunday afternoons for men and boys who congregated there to shelter themselves from the rain or the rays of the burning sun. And here they would tell jokes and relate stories.
On the 23d of January, 1888, while a crowd was thus congregated, the shed gave way because of the heavy weight of snow piled upon it, and buried several persons, among whom were Grant Baker, William Carr, Michael Boland, Patrick O'Neal, Clarence Gustin and Maurice Wallace. Wallace re- ceived the most serious injury, having his right shoulder dis- located. He also received several painful bruises which con- fined him to his room for some days thereafter. Mr. Carr received a fracture of his right leg. The injuries of the other parties were but slight. Considering the weight that fell upon them, it may be regarded as miraculous that none of them was more severely wounded. It took a long time and a good deal of hard work to liberate the parties from their imprison- ment under the fallen shed, and great excitement prevailed until they were finally and safely rescued.
FOUND DEAD.
On the 20th of December, 1875, Vincennes Guenthens- berger, a German citizen of Anderson, was found dead in his place of business, on South Meridian street, on the lot where the street car stables stood a few years ago. He operated a stone yard at that place, and had it well equipped for the business. He had large saws and all modern machinery, and
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
was prepared to saw out door and window sills and other stone ready for the masons to use in the erection of buildings. He did quite a prosperous business, and was a man well respected by the community. His only fault was the cup. It is sup- posed that this was the cause of his sudden taking off. He left a wife and several children, one of whom is now Mrs. Amory Graham, of Anderson. His widow yet survives him, having married a Mr. Solomon Sheets, who has since died, leaving her again a widow.
SHOOTING OF WILLIAM KYLE.
Policeman Samuel Bass, of Anderson, shot William Kyle on the 24th day of September, 1891, while the latter was attempting to escape from custody. Kyle had. been fined before the Mayor for intoxication and placed in charge of Officer Bass, and along with four or five other prisoners had been taken to jail. Mr. Bass had taken the prisoners into the jail office when Kyle, seeing the door leading to the residence portion of the building standing open, made a dash for his liberty. After reaching the lawn he ran down the hill to- wards the railroad, and the officer followed in close pursuit. When a little distance beyond the Pan Handle railroad, Kyle began pulling off his clothes for the purpose of swimming the river. The officer ordered him to halt, but Kyle paid no attention to his command. The officer, seeing that he would be likely to escape, opened fire on him, the ball striking Kyle in the upper portion of the left hip, lodging in the right groin. He was taken back to the jail, and his wounds were dressed by Dr. H. E. Jones. He afterward recovered and Officer Bass was held justifiable for the shooting.
A DISASTROUS WRECK.
A very disastrous railway wreck occurred in Anderson on the 18th of June, 1890, on the Pan Handle Railway near the Philadelphia Quartz Mills, the " Merchandise train " and through freight, consisting of forty-two cars, in charge of Con- ductor Spangler, of Logansport, being ditched. Thirteen box cars laden with various kinds of merchandise, pianos, books, pottery, lumber, hardware, and agricultural implements and furniture, were heaped up in one mass of broken lumber and splinters. The track was twisted out of shape for sixty or seventy yards from the scene of the disaster. No one appears to have seen the wreck at the time it took place except a car-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
penter, who had been at work in the locality and who was waiting for the train bound north. His statement was to the effect that in facing the train he noticed that it had been dis- connected from some cause, and that the engine with five or six cars was some distance ahead of the other section of the train ; that the draw-bar of one of the front cars of the last section was dragging along the ground, and he believed that it entered the ground and threw the first car from the track, causing the others to pile on top of it. He had a narrow escape himself in getting out of the way of the falling cars. Neither the engineer nor fireman could give an authentic ac- count of the accident. Arrangements had to be made to transfer the passengers around the wreck. Elsie Castor, son of Lewis Castor, section foreman at Frankton, had a remark- able escape from death. He was on top of the second car, and when the first car left the track they began to pile up one upon the other, and the concussion of the colliding cars threw him from the top of the train, but he sustained no serious in- juries. He was stunned by the fali and it was thought for awhile that he was internally injured. Ile was removed to the house of William Wise, his uncle, where his wounds were dressed and he soon recovered.
The destruction of property was greater than in any simi- lar disaster that has ever occurred in the vicinity of Anderson.
A WRECK ON THE BIG FOUR.
On Saturday, the 25th of August, 1883, one of the most destructive railroad wrecks that ever took place in this section of the country happened on the Big Four railroad where the road runs through what has for many years been known as the John Kindle farm, east of Anderson, in a curve in the road. The accident occurred through the negligence of the con- ductor in disobeying orders. llis train was on the side track =it the crossing in Anderson, and his orders were to remain There until the next incoming freight had passed him. -Another train not running on schedule time, known as a " wild "train," passed. and the conductor mistook this for the regular freight, and " pulled out." Both trains were running at the Rate of twenty miles an hour when they collided. The engi- Cheers and firemen on the trains saved their lives by jumping before the crash came.
The two trains remained on the track, but were badly orn up and ruined. Fourteen freight cars were piled up,
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
one on another and were badly shattered. Their contents, consisting of boots, shoes, clover hullers, beer bottles, in fact, merchandise of all sorts that could be named, were scattered about promiscuously.
The wreck occurred about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the noise of the collison was heard plainly at the railroad crossing nearly a mile distant. Great crowds of people from Anderson and vicinity visited the wreck. The evening mail train coming to Anderson was loaded with people who had been to Muncie to attend Barnum's show, who were side tracked at Daleville until the next morning. Many of the passengers who were anxious to get home " hoofed " it to town on the track. The damage done by this wreck aggregated many thousand dollars.
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIMSELF.
All of the older citizens of Anderson will remember Arm- strong Taylor, who so long held the office of City Treasurer. It was said by one of his opponents in a race for this office, after Taylor had defeated him, that there was only one way to defeat Taylor for City Treasurer, and that was to kill him. Mr. Taylor was a cripple, having the use of only one of his arms, the other having been maimed in his youth, making him an object of sympathy, as well as being popular with the peo- ple in his intercourse with them. It was almost an impossi- bility to defeat him at the polls. For several years he was nominated, without opposition in his own party, for City Treasurer, and always elected, many Democrats voting for him through sympathy. Many of the most popular Demo- crats in Anderson have measured strength with him at the election and came out defeated. He was at one time Recorder and once Treasurer of Madison county, and while serving in the latter capacity, on the 1st of May, 1855, he accidentally shot himself in the fleshy part of his leg while fooling with an old single-barreled pistol. The ball was removed, and in a short time he was able for duty again, not having caused him much inconvenience.
Mr. Taylor was a dear lover of the sport of hunting, and had but few rivals in the county who could even interest him in a contest with a rifle or shot gun. He only had the use of one hand, but could load a gun as readily as most people would with two hands. When he went hunting he always came home with a shot pouch full of game. Armstrong Tay-
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, INDIANA.
lor was one who filled his place among men of his day in a befitting manner, and left an honored memory behind him when he passed away. He died in Anderson a few years ago, leaving a respectable family to mourn his departure.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
On the 25th of April, 1881, about 2 o'clock in the after- noon, when the citizens of Anderson were busy at their voca- tions, they were suddenly startled by a heavy rumbling noise, culminating in a deep thud. It was soon ascertained that the roof of the Boring-Hannah building, on the north side of the square, then in process of construction, had fallen in. The building had been under way for about two months previously and Messrs. O'Neil & Crickenbarger were engaged in plas- tering it. The workmen were on a scaffold about twelve feet high, and were warned of the impending danger by the plastering giving away from the center of the building. In leaping from the scaffold, Mr. Crickenbarger was caught in the flying debris, and suffered a severe fracture of the bones of the left foot. His fellow workmen, who escaped injury, car- ried him from the building, and just as they were outside the door the entire roof fell in with a terrible crash. It was a narrow escape from a frightful death.
The building had been rented by the Commissioners of Madison county, to be occupied by the Circuit Court, Sheriff's and County Clerk's offices, and would have been so occupied in a few days if this accident had not occurred. It was, indeed, Very lucky that the defects in the construction made them- Selves known by this occurrence, for it might have been much vorse . Had the room been occupied by the court, there is Reason to believe that many persons might have been killed. Mr. D. S. Crickenbarger has been a cripple ever since, and Will be during the remainder of his life, although he is able to Eattend to the ordinary duties of business life. Ile was at the Following spring election, owing to the sympathies of the Epeople, regardless of political affiliations, elected to the honor- = able office of Justice of the Peace for Anderson township, which he filled successfully for the term of four years, and in The fall of 1894 he was again elected to that important office, zand is at this time administering its duties.
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