Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA (Valley Falls) (Ashton) (Cumberland Hill)
1924 - GAS EXPLOSION KILLS FIFTEEN

Man Strikes Match in Gas-Filled Room of Tenement House; Family Dies

(By Tribune's Special Leased Wire)
CUMBERLAND, R.I., Jan. 28 - Fifteen persons met death in a terrific gas explosion that early to-day demolished a tenement house owned by the Manville Mills. An entire family - mother, father and 11 children - was wiped out by the blast. A boarder died with them. Michael Conway, in whose home the explosion occurred, died in the ruins.

The explosion is said to have occurred when Michael Conway, one of the tenants, lit a match to look at his watch. His room had filled with gas during the night. There was a terrific blast that tore the building asunder. Conway and 12 other occupants of the tenement died almost instantly. The bodies of several victims were badly mangled.

The Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
January 28, 1924

Visit Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA (Valley Falls) (Ashton) (Cumberland Hill)
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.