, 1864-04-10
A SERIOUS CALAMITY AT
PHILADELPHIA
E<plobion OF a Boiler. and Loss OF
- IIfes

~~-c..s-- So Dhs,Aaa,nhia North American 7th-l
Inc most se11u1o tou-- --rl~ssan that
Philadelphia 1as Geen for many a year oc-
CURED yesterday, at the foundry and machine
ipgton street, between, Fourth and Fifth.
Tie pre- mises are very spucious. They Cccu-
py an cntirc square, and at the time of the
casualty we're running with seven hundred
hands. \, - :: - -: ...
At quarter before o'clock in, the morn
Ing de.feuIng explosion. took place that In
the swinkling Of IN eye filed the ;afr with
bricke, iron nrd tlmbers, and shook the
whole vicinity. There were three: distinct
reports, each apparently louder than the
other. "A minute afterwards and the factory
buildings presented scene thar beggats I'LL
description. The boiler that exploded was
blown to the four winds, and the debris OF
the eugine-house; In the shape Of bricks,
jagged fragments Of the collapsed boiler,
pieces Of beams, boards and Iron, were raintd
down upon the neighborhood.
=. The buildings upon the premises comprise
the upper and lower machine shops, erecting
sheds, boiler and smith shops, foundry, car
penter and pattern shops, bruss pattern shop,
pattern shed aud Offices. These buildings
occupy places In the outer line, Of. the lot,
forming In the centre q Kind Of hollow square
used as yard. The boilers, two In numbea
were known Us horizontal tubular boiler.
they we're eight feet wide, twelve feet lont,
nine feet high, with four furnaces, and tWn-
ty-fre horse power each They were stu
ated in the centre Of the lolloW7square form.
ed by, the buildings. The one which exploded
was new. It had only been used three or'our
1t the time of:the occurrence there Has q
prcssurc of fairgrounds Of steam. It had
been tested with sevcnty-tlye pounds tteam,
and was regarded as staunch and reliable be-
1t leaked, and 1t was while the steamit con-
talned was in process of transfer to another
boiler, that tie calamity trunsplred. The
boiler house Was of just sufficient size to COW
er the two huge boilers, It was ofbrick, fire
proof, and braced with iron girdera The ma
! ncighborhood. Tho boiler vas thrown across
| the yard like burst bladder, The whole
| range Of buildings manifcsts the efccts Of
the conclusion, and shattered window sashes
square off proclaim the wonderful expan.
siveness Of steam. The exposed side Of the
end Of the pattern shop was Frustrated like
house of cards, and ton CT two Of falling
| debris crushed In the SLATE yoof Of the smith
! shop beyond the possibility Of recognition.
\ The gable end Of the main building. which
Is the foundry, was shaRen down, aud IN tht
whole structure scarce f3fty panes OF glass
remain unbroken. O1cJ the boiler was {
iofty smoke stuck. With the first shock il
asceuded high in the air, and Its fragments
descended into the plttcrn shop. The dense
: volume of steam, mixing with the asnes O.
the furnaces, enyelopod every object with {
grey ish white powder, as uniformly applied
! as though 1t had besa- exocnted By white
washer. $50 .
| Church were wrecked In a bad manner. III
| gardens Of Mr.. Baxter, in Fifth street, wer
/ well Gprfnklcd with bricks, and good dea
OF damage was done to his fine orchard c
dwarf fruit treca.. 4 single brick wen
through = second story window. where
dem olialled a handsome piece Of furnitur
sent home only = day or two hoEoro- =
4 wild rush took place toward the buildin
when the disaster occurred. 4 fearful pani
was the first result. The ruins might hay
served to Illustrate an earthquake in Caracas
and among them lay the dead and wounded
To add to the excitement women by dozen
crowded 10, the spot. They had locked thei
houses and come to see what was the late {
their relatives employed at the foundry. .
number of men we're slightly. Injured, an
people flew first to these, neg1ecting til
J nangled wretches unable to tell tee extez
| Of their injuries.
The Messrs. Merrfck Soon restored order
II Ibis scene of terror. The f1re-bells wei
rung, and Major Henry, Chief Engineer Ly
and Police Lieutcnants Henderson and Cold
came to the spot. These two Lieutenan
took charge OF the police arrangements, ar
, | conducted matters In .creditable manner.
Six poor fellows were killed Outright-tW
} from the explosion and four from the falll1
debris. Two others died Afterwards from
b. | {arun1 Injuries,