Death Reared Its Horrid Head: Steam Heater Explosion Kills Two Men in Downtown Seattle

DEATH REARED ITS HORRID HEAD Horrible Tragedy at Second and Washington During the Early Hours of Tuesday Evening.

Death reared its horrid head in most friendly form, 'at the corner of Second Avenue South and Washington Street. Six men were passing—one is two men was thrown high into the air, mangled, and fatally killed. Another was fatally injured, and died this morning. The other four may survive, but they are badly hurt.

Daw Blake runs a saloon in the building at the corner where the tragedy occurred. He stood in the doorway in front of his place. A shallow cellar door a small steam heater was located. This heater had not been filled up for some time, tearing a great hole through the sidewalk, killing and maiming the unfortunate passengers, breaking all the steam windows for a block around, and shaking the buildings to their very foundations.

Fire quickly broke out in the debris and as soon as the fire department got together with a detail of 15 officers, and quickly extinguished the blaze.

Commercial travelers, P. W. Jacobs, aged thirty-three, of Chicago; Alfred Kalles, aged thirty-three, of New York City; L. W. Reed, of St. Louis; and H. Moss, of Los Angeles, left the hotel and passed into the two saloons, accompanied by Albert Swanson, of No. 584 Marion Avenue, and a housekeeper Miss Louisa Mollie. Their tour through the city. They hoped to be passing Blake's Place when the explosion occurred.

Swanson went flying up into space, turning over and over, and fell near with a dull thud, his eyes closed and seeming to his usual trick, and bruises and cuts all over his body. He was unconscious when picked up.

Capt. Sullivan and Berst, received on the scene within a minute after the explosion. They threw a rope at the building and assisted the wounded men to the restaurant.

Dr. McKethle, Dr. Horlea, and Dr. Beecher were summoned. It was at once that Jacobs, Kalles and the housekeeper were probably fatally injured. The form of all black with soot and dirt, indicating that they were directly over the heater pipe when the explosion occurred, said Swanson.

Jacobs was carried into the restaurant and laid on a mattress. He was partially conscious, though suffering greatly from the shock. His hip and lower leg were shattered into dozens of pieces, and his left leg below the knee was fearfully crushed. At the hospital he was placed under the influence of anesthetics. In order that the physicians might amputate his limbs. He sank rapidly under the influence of chemicals and from the shock. The physicians were compelled to drain after which the sufferer became conscious for a few minutes. He inquired for Kalles, his age and residence, and then lapsed into a remalos condition. He died at 11:45 p.m.

The housekeeper was fearfully bruised and cut about the head and body. His left leg was badly fractured, the broken bone protruding through the flesh and making a gaping wound. He was internally injured as well, and was unconscious from the beginning. Dr. McKethle dressed his wounds, and set the broken limb.

It is stated that the explosion was due to the carelessness of a Jap who had charge the heater, and after running the firebox full of coal, sent away to attend in other matters.

A coroner's inquest will be held, and the matter of the responsibility examined.

The building where the explosion occurred is owned by Willif Van de Vate and P. W. Jacob, who employed the Jap Charley Okada. He says: 'I filled up the furnace with coal. Mr. Blake told me to do so, and put plenty of water in the boiler. I left at a little before 1 o'clock.'

Though no definite explanation can be made of the war in which the accident occurred, it is more than likely that the fire in the heater spread faster than water ran in. As there was no water left, the heater exploded.