FOUR HURT AS BLAST WRECKS MORTUARY $50.000 in Damage Results In Chesapeake Explosion Special To The Times Chesapeake, Ohio, Sept. 18, 1942 — A violent explosion wrecked the rear part of the two-story brick Schneider Funeral Home here Thursday night and caused injuries to four members of the Schneider family, who reside in the building. Jacob Schneider, 35, was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital, Huntington, WV, suffering from severe burns and other injuries.
His mother, Mrs. J. W. Schneider, a brother, William, 27, and William’s wife were injured less seriously. Two other persons in the house escaped injury.
The Huntington [West Virginia] fire department extinguished flames that sustained after the explosion, attributed tentatively to fuel gas. The rear walls and part of the walls of the building were blown out, and part of the second story crashed into the wreckage of the first floor. Damage was estimated at nearly $50,000.
Source: The Portsmouth Times – Friday, September 18, 1942 Page 7
Photo courtesy of Carl Murdock as posted on the Lawrence Register Facebook page.
Blast Wrecks Funeral Home – Three Walls of Schneider Mortuary at Chesapeake Blown Out Marshall Places Loss at $50,000. Fireman Says Gas Exploded
An explosion last night at 6:45 PM virtually demolished the Schneider funeral home in Chesapeake, Ohio, causing damage estimated at $50,000 and injuring three members of the Schneider family. Member of the Huntington [WV] Fire Department called to the scene, said the explosion apparently was caused by gas.
More than 2/3 of the house was demolished and walls at both sides and the rear were blown out, fireman said. The second floor of the two-story brick house was left hanging and late last night still threatened to collapse. Fire breaking out on the second floor, as a result of the explosion was extinguished.
Bricks were scattered for 15 to 20 feet and the side doors of the house was found 20 feet away. The exposed three sides of the house revealed first floor living, quarters and mortuary equipment buried under debris. The second floor house, the display room, and the explosion left several caskets.
[Please turn to page 5. – I do not have the rest of the story, or the source or date of this newspaper arricle]
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