A Gas Explosion.

Grand Forks Herald: The Baptist church this morning came very near being ruined and a young gentleman almost suffered annihilation. Last evening the chairs of the auditorium were being returned to their places, after the church had been painted and the walls and ceiling finished. When going home one of the men turned off the gas. The plumbers had neglected putting on a stop and the gentleman turned the valve to {sp} far, allowing the gas escape from the large gas gets {sp}. The windows were all closed and the church was pretty well filled with gas this morning when a young gentleman entered the building to procure a parcel he had left there. He got nearly to the middle of the church when he noticed gas was escaping. He thought to find out where the leak was, and lighted a match. The result was instantaneous. With a roar and loud explosion the gas took fire. Luckily the outside doors had been left open and the flames found an escape, carrying the gentleman along about fifty feet and landing him near the middle of the road. Had the doors not been open probably the wall would have been blown out. Considerable damage was sustained on the interior of the church. The chandelier was cracked and otherwise broken. In the large circular window every pane of glass was cracked. The door through which the flames found escape was scorched and burned, while the paint in nearly every part of the church was more or less blistered. It is a wonder the building did not burn. The noise of the explosion alarmed the neighborhood and people rushed from their houses to see if a cyclone was coming.

Jamestown Weekly Alert, 7/5/1888