The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-11-09

! OF REESE Hrau q DQllS TOlIluS mills
were startled by a loud report asiof
some terrific explosion. Almost in
stantly thereafter an alarm of fire was
sounded from box No. Go, corner of
Penn and Smith streets. and before the
people in the immediate ueighborhood
understood the nature of the occurrence,
the engines were on their way to the
place. 1t was soon ascertained that an
explosion had occurred in the
forge portion OF the mill, and that
this portion of the building had been
blown to atoms, involving the loss of a
number OF lives and more or less So
verely inJuring AN unknown number
of men and boys. To add TO the terri
BILE nature OF the calamity, the ruins
had caught fire and were in flames.
Immediate efforts were made TO check
the flames; at the same time every eX-
ertion was made to rescue from the
ruins such OF the injured as could not
help themselves, and to take out the
bodies of the killed. Every physician
within reach was promptly summoned
and by the time the seriously injured
ones had been removed TO available
places medical aid was ready for them.
The scene at first was one of the
most terrific imaginable. The dead
and the wounded were lying together,
and those who were not too badly man
gled, dragged themselves AS far away
from the scene OF terror as possible.
Those who had been in the mill at
work, and had escaped, were fastening
home to tell of their safety, while dis
tracted wives, sisters, children and
mothers were running to and fro to as
certain whether they had suffered be-
reavement. II il, of course, impossible
to ascertain the number of injured in
the present state OF prevailing excite
ment. About sixty men were employed
in the portion of the mill where the ex-
plosion occurred, but how many of
them escaped is not known. So far as
is ascertained, twelve men were
killed, most of them instantly.
In one or two cases, death did
not occur until some time after the
sufferers had been removed from the
| wreck.
The following are the names of the
killed so far as ascertained; there may
be still others, but this list comprises
the number known to have been killed
at one o'clock: Edwin Hutchinson,
engineer, head blown off, !leaves wife
and several small children, residing on
| Foundry street; Barney Boyce, fire.
man, Instantly killed, leaves wife
| IL
| leaves wife and children on Boundary
street; Patrick Gallivan, laborer, kill
ed by scalding, was a single man re-
Gently from Ireland; Joseph Williams,
puddler, leaves a wife and fam
lily; Michael Sullivan, puddler,
killed instantly; Andrew Vallandig-
ham, muck-shearer, an old man, was
er, instantly killed. a man named
Murphy was taken out dead. James
Weaver was injured so badly that he
died soon after being removed. James
McCaffrey's head was crushed so badly
that he died. There is II man missing
whose name we could not learn, but
who is said to be nephew of ex.May-
or Lowry.
There can be no estimate formed of
the number of wounded. The follow
ing are among the number: Two boys
of Mr.. Miller, not thought seriously
hurt: Elisha Decker, Iaborer, serious
ly; man named Rontey, thought
fatally; John Cook, seriously; James
Boyler, seriously, may not recover {;
. |
skull fractured. A man, name
unknown was injured about the head,
and was rendered delirious Kennedy
Mckee, seriously; a man named Town
send, severely; Casper Blacksmith, leg
broken; man named Hanlon, probu-
bly, fatally.
Some miraculous escapes occurred.
One OF the firemen was standing near
Mr.. Hutchinson, the engineer, who
was killed escaped unhurt. Mr.. Reese,
one of the proprietors, was standing
near the exploded boiler, but was not
injured. John Myser, one of the en-
ployees, was blown to the bank ofthe
river, the distance is over two hundred
feet. He got up and walked back to
| Inc lDlll not SeElOuSlJ uuIts
The cause OF the explosion will prob
ably never be known. The engineer
and fireman, the only ones who could
have given any information are
both killed. There were three
boilers in the building blown to pieces
They were comparatively new, having
been put in in 1868, and were made o
the best iron. Half of one of the boil
ers was blown out of the forge and
npninst a brick wall in an adjoining
ward, distant over three hundred feet
1t is impossible to reduce what was {
building to so shapeless H mass of stick
and iron. The flames which cauGh
among the ruins were nearly subduet
when we left, after one O'Clock. Tit
loss by the explosion and fire is $4,000
The following additional casualties
are reported: John Williams. Jr., bur
in the legs; Andrew Williams had his
leg broken of; Peter Rosenberg, sew
eral ribs broken; Abner Jones, boy
killed; Albert Cook, boy, blown oyel
the river bank and sustained severe in
liuries; James McCafrey, shoulder dis
located; Jacob Miller, killed; Patrick
Monahan, fireman, killed; Andrew
Hutchinson. leg blown off; Henry Koch
killed. a man named Hanlan is re
ported missing. A pair OF shoes
identified as belonging to him, Were
| found under heap OF charred wooC
and bricks. his body has since been
found.
Meeting orthe western Dentists.
o A a.