The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1867-11-13

tors present assisted in the w6rk, and
succeededin recovering about half a
dozen ofthe bodies, some of which
were 30 terribly burned as to be almost
unrecognizable. A sad spectacle was
presented to the eye of the spectator as
he reached the scene of the disaster
shortly after the explosion. As body
was extricated from the ruins, women,
little girls and boys would crowd
around it to get glimse of the corpse
fearing to discern in the features
some husband, father or brother, who
had been employed in the mill, and
who was missing. The agonizing
tears ofthe women and children as they
recognized in some mangled corpse the
well known features OF those nearest
and dearest to them, was heart t-rending
in the extreme, and by-standers could
but look on and pity them. "a AS, the
bodies were extricated from the ruins,
they were laid on the ground near by
or taken into the adjosning houses.
The injured were removed into the
houses, where everything possible was
done for them. AS soon as the nature
of the disaster had been ascertained, q
number of physicians from this city
and vicinity repaired at once to the
scene and administered relief to thein-
jured. nIl III ep ,a'7a- y
Sixty men were employed in the
forge department but it is believed that
all have been accounted for.
The boilers three in number) were
parallel with the river and Allegheny
Valley Railroad track, and about sew
en- inches apart. They were built in
July, 1863, by Carroll & Snyder, and
were forty-two inches in diameter and
thirty feet in length, with two sixteen
inch flues in each boiler. The shells
and flues were made of full quarter
inch iron. The iron was manufactured
by Shoenberger & Co., each sheet
stamped G. ii. (Charc0a! Hammeredj
No. l. 1t is impossible to ascertain
which boiler exploded first as the en-
gineer and fireman, the the only per-
sons capable of giving such inlorma-
ton, were instantly killed. Theprob-
ability is that one of the boilers explo-
ded and Immediately caused the cxplo-
sion Of the other two. They all ap-
pear to have broken in the middle
and the fragments were thrown all
directions. From an examination of
all the fragments of the boilers that
were to be seen, it appears that they
were broken in peices where riveted
together. Several of the fues were
collapsed, and but little remained by
which the boiler could be identified,
Immediately after the explosion the
building took fire and the damage was
thus rendered much greater than it
otherwise would have been. The few
persons who escaped from the building
were so intent upon getingo out that they
paid little attention to what took place
in the brief interval that occurred be-
tweenthe explosion and the fire..
Coroner Clawson arrived on the
ground shortly after the explosion, and
took immediate measures towards hold
ing inquests on the bodies of unfortu-
nate victims. ....t.. ...
A pcice of timber four feet long and
several inches thick, was thrown
through the air a distance of a quar-
ter Of a mile, and struck near the track
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Compa-
ny.
A little son of Mr.. Hutchinson, the
engineer, was just in act of handing
his father his dinner bucket, when the
boiler exploded, blowing off portion
of Mr.. H. head and killing him ms
family. The boiler passed over the lit
tie boys head, and he was not seri-
ously injured, only sustaining few
cuts on the head from falling timbers.
His escape from death was most mirac-
ulous. ..r'
John Weaver, one of the employees
in the mill, was standing near one Of
the pits when the explosion occurred.
The force of the steam blew him up
through the building tho timber hav-
ing fallen) and over shed, lighting on
the bank fthe river, distance of two
hundred feet. He only sustained a
fracture of the shoulder blade, besides
having his face scalded, and was able
to walk back.
The firm estimate their total loss at
$4,000. Their establishment was full
ly insured against fire. The building
was a frame structure and was entirely
destroyed, but the principal part of the
was not materially dam
aged.
Many plans were proposed in order
to afford relief to the families of the
sufferers, but no definite action was
aiken until the Young Mems Chris
ian Association, with their charac-
eristic bcnevoleuce, took the mater in
land. oa
1t is also proposed that the manufac-
urcrs of the city, and their employees,
,xtend a help hand to the sufferers.