On March 14, 1908, the city of Natchez writes that an explosion occurred at the Natchez Drug Company. The New York Times states that the business was housed in a five-story brick building. Per the Natchez Historic Foundation, the property, which was built in 1891, was a masonic lodge until it was purchased by John H. Chambliss, the president of the Natchez Drug Company. On the day of the explosion, the company's employees complained that the building smelled like gas. In fact, court documents (via the Case Law Access Project) revealed that employees could smell the gas the day before the explosion. Nevertheless, nothing was done.
The documents go on to explain that by March 14, the smell was so bad that a plumber, Sam Burns, was called to the scene. Burns reportedly found the leak and told employees that he had fixed the problem. The smell of gas, however, persisted. Despite this, the company's employees were not sent home. Burns decided to take a second look for the leak using a lighted candle. Unfortunately, Burns triggered the massive explosion at 2:45 pm.
The city of Natchez reports that the building was completely destroyed. According to The New York Times, the explosion occurred in the building's basement. Documents posted by the City of Irving notes that several young women, as well as Burns, died in the explosion. In total, it's believed that a total of 11 people died (via the Natchez Historic Foundation). The youngest was 12 years old.
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