, 1863-12-19
CHICAGO plsTIiLERY EXPLOSION.
Inquest on tbs Bodies Statements Of
Wftnesse*-ihe Investigation to be
Continued To-day.

AZ announced in yesterday = issuo, terrific cx-
lAos1on occurred at about halt-past 10 o'clock, on
Thutsday forenoon, at the Chicago DssslhefJ:
-Four boilers were lying a1oneside, In Enhse. ano
two Of the four exploded, throwing the Whote
four, and the walls Of tho cng1ne-house INTO
1DAss Of ruins, sca1ding and bruIsing ten persona
who were in the building Ut the ttme-aome Of
,hrTo nerious,y and two or three slightly. Seven
of those injured were boiler mixers, In the EN-
,lor Of Dtrine Brothers, eoulcr Of Folk and
Reach II reets, and were at the time engaged in
milking some repairs upon the other boilers tn the
enrif,e room. OF theBn, two Wcfn but recently
from New York, one namod Lucius Mccloskey,
and the other, It is believed. named Farrell, but
his name has not been certainly aseostained.
Having no friends here, they WeEc conveyed In
cxpress wagons from the extreme northern limits
Of the city, where the accident occurred, to the
Mercy Hospital, at the southern part Of the city
Twenty. Sixth street. Both Of these young men
died On Thursday night, and an inquest was hold
upon their bodies yesterday, Anthony Kole, a
German boiler maker. living On Halsted, near
Twelfth street, also died from injuries received at
that tltne, and the Coroner's Jury examined his
body yesterday, and commenced thorough fuycs-
tigahon Of the cuse, the particulars Of which, ~
far as the same have t1xnspired, are given be-
low;
Amer having inspected the bodies, the Jury re-
turned 10 The Office Of the Coroner, where the in
quest was held. The Investigation commenced
about so@c1ock. The following was the evidence
given:
TESTIMONY or GEORGE H. FRENCH
George II. French, book-kaeper and psynnaster
Of tho dietilleEy, tic first Witness. He testi.
fed as follows:
Nc had been running along regularly until
about quarter 70 cle1cf think wss, he foro-
boiicss2she engine roomgand sS va psssine tie tie
door opposite The boilers, and I heard noise
like the blasting OF rock, and the first saw was
hailowing, and vent on and found lone one oi Of them @
under the 1.ctont, one OF the fronts lying on his
back. Then went into the other boiler room
ats of 5oee M T Being neT ~ ST. s 7SR TSs1
was then 50 much smoke and dust could not see
anything; al conld tell was by the cries Of the
there getting them out as 1ast 90 We could, and
that IL abgu1 nj any enc there kaows: The en-
ginecr and Mr. Gnrnee arcunable te be here. Nj.
badly hnrt md Is unable to DO here. The 1st en-
ID engineer. \. J. vorcland, had charge of the
rom % Gyb51ne Avenue. :on Division street. IN.
dcrstand he WAS at work at ona OF the pumps at
the time Of the accident. cannot tel anything
present ] when Tue bodies weze taken out, bat did
Office
Q-What, in your opinion, was the cause Of the
Al should suppose tho water being out Of the
boiler.
A.-Ihc engineer shou]d have chazgo Of the
boilerH, md the dreEnnn said after hc WIS taken
oLt that the water was within one Inch Of the top
Of his Elass- did not hear him make that re-
mark. / undcrstood be made it to Mr. Foreland,
the chief engineer. Hc has been In charge OF
these works nearly year and half I think. aud
before TINT time don't know Of bis occupation
should consider hun competent in bis profession,
snil think he always has been considered so.
Q.--Whnt arc tho habits of Mr. ForelandS
A.-Sh1etly temperate in every respect. think.
think he ia about thirty years Of age. know Of
uo defect IN the boiler; nor have l heard Of any
apprehension Of danger with tho amount Of steam
We were using. It Was the new boiler that explod-
cd
{To a juror.}-1 nerer saw the papers of the Sec
ond engineer. The pump that was out Of rcpa1r
was pump connected with the cistern. don't
know II the pump giving water to the boilers was
In ordc1. Ne hare IN injector and force pump.
think the injector was working at the TINS.
Fo1eland WIS not IN the engine room at the time
OF the accident, but was packing tho old Wofthins-
ton pump. We Ind been carrying from sixty "a
serenity pounds. The defect was III the new boil.
es, suppose.
TEs=xo,;r OF rErxn pryzsx.