The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-03-28
THE DAILY DISPATCH
Saturday Morning, March 2S, 1887.


The Disttllery Explosion In Baltimore.
Less Of Life.
The telegraph, yesterday, announced the explo-
sion Ct steam boiler. in the alcohol factory of
Messrs. Jno Highly e. Co.. Baltimore. The Bal
s:more Patriot CT Thursday afternoon, says:
The buildins which was recently srected. b.,on..
ed to Mr. James Bates, aud was blown eutir.lvs
pieces The csuss of this terrible accident 10 said to
De the kurstins Of the engine used In the fsctory
There was a cor siderable quantity of alcohol in the
vsts which Of eourss became limited and tn. wood
work thst was no, blown away a. quickly in flame,
strenuous eIertons saved the sdjoinins property
The most deploraoe psrt Of the dsaster 10 the los.
Of hue an ife-two persons being known to hay.
been Allied. Thes. two were raymsu, who ver.
enFased at the time Of the plo.ioa o,dips thar
drays Ia the hurry and confusion at the s,ene W.
were able to .srn their nsmes but hear that one
white and the other colored man There
were also several re-sons ipj d. at least dan
gerously Charles Ksgle was passing up East Fail,
avenue when falling fragment of the ruins struck
him the head, fracturius his ku he was driyine
furniture wagon at the time. 10 said to be dan
gerousy Injured; we lesru that he resides at No S0
norh Gay street, ana has wife and family. Joho
for aaushlin l. Johnson, engaged in taking in
load Of lumber at their sstsb .he ut opposite when
he was struck on the head with piece OF living tim
osr. bg which he was cona'dershly though not seri
o1siy injured. Several other persons were iuiurej
whose names we were unable to ascertain Runors
were rife on the spot that several were In the
building ard were killed. but the intense heat nf the
burning alcohol prevented eny Investigation being
made Messrs. BiEhy Co g loss 10 supposed to be
not ie's han S25 GOO which ia fully covered by DO
hey 10 'he Firemeu's Office Mr Bates who owned
'he building is insured In the Equitable but for
whist smount we are not informed. As SOON az the
exfeson occarred, severel persons endesvored to
get the bodies Of ths two draymen known to hT
been killed but the heat 80 intense they vera
compelled to feiiaqni'h the task of these per
sons actually had his hiskers burnt off AMI only
capped by leapipg into the Falls The smoke stack
wes blow into the stream and tie top of the boiler
tance OF not less than hurd dred yards Tbi. ia one
OF the most heartrepding accidents we have had to
record for some time
The American adds the following:
The whole neighborhooi around shows traces Of
the foros with which the tinbers and bricks were
hurled A large piece of timber, probably twenty
feet long and eight inches square was thrown upon
the roof OF Mr. Bates edge tool factory. on Pres
the tin rooas and the o'hs breaking off, went CON.
pietsy through the roof of the of the sh 1p-
Fortunately 10 one was in that part of ths place
the oTent or other lives would have been lost 1t
required six men TO lift this broken pie:e Of timbsr,
v h'ch the explosion had hurled with such force
dis ancH OF near two hundred feet Another beam
quits rs large. wss thrown upon the hack part of
Messrs Mauehiin i J Johrsons steam sash mill The
heavy ire n smoke s.aok Of the engine was thrown
oyer the Intervening buildings end into the Fall. a
distance OF two hundred feet large lrcn ch,
which laid oo thu top of the boiler, afterwards
found hooked the brsnt hes Of tree on President
str"et.
The explosion of course caused great consterns
ton in the immediate ghborhood. which ives net
essened by the bursting ont of the flames, with an
intensity that threatened the surrounding property
Immense crowds CT people gathered in the vicinity
subdued.
The cause of the explosion Is not positive y Known
though from intense force 1t probably caused
by deficiency of water ths boiler Tho en- gu ee
Mr.. John Bates. states that h, had examined the
boiler baf an hour previous, 1t then full of wa
ter and I'd pressure of seventy pounds of steam
whilst it was supposed to b. capable of hearing a
pressure of oa pounds. At the time of tha explo.
sion the ensinser was in a room adjoining the roller
W two of the hands employed in the distery.-
They all escaped without injury