The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-10
FIRST EDITIO N
TERRIFIC BOILER EXPLOSION.
Three Persons Killed, Six Wounded, and
One Missing-Names Of the Suf-
feFers-The Boiler Blown
One Hundred and
Fifty Yards.

RiANJ ANANSe
From the ". Y. Herald.
An explosion of a most frightful nature oc.
Cured in the three-story brick building No.
25S West Twenty-eighth street, near Eighth
avenue, yesterday afternoon. The premises
above mentioned were occupied by Abram r.
Welch as a turning and scroll-sawlng establish
ment, and extend through the entire block
from Twenty to Twenty-eighth street.
In the centre of the premises, between the
building fronting on Twenty-seventh and that
facing Twerty-eghth street, there was space
of about fifteen feet, apart OF which was covered
by wooden roof Under this roof, and in a
sort of vault or sub-cellar, stood an upright
boiler and stationary engine, used in driv
ing the machinery OF the establishment
boiler exploded with a tremendous re-
port, hurting bricks timbers, and rubbish high
into the air and shaking the adjacent buildings
to their foundations, About two-thirds of the
boiler-a portion OF about fifteen feet in length
and four or five feet in diameter-was thrown in
an Obfque, westerly direction, and crossed
Eighth avenue at an altitude OF ABOUT one hun
dred and fifty feet. When Immediately over the
residence of s. Hausman, No. 908 W. Twenty
eighth street, the monster proectlle descended
with fearful velocity, and, striking on the rear
roof of the building, passed through every floor
of the house, resting finally in the basement
kitchen. The house No. 30S is a well-con-
structed brown stone front building, of three
stories in he1gth, standing on the southerly
side of the eteet The shop from which the
boiler commenced its terrific flight is also stu
ated on the south side olTwenty.eighth street, the
former building located about i've houses west
of Eighth avenue, and the latter about six or
seven doors east IT. avenue. The portion of
the boiler which 'ttthe premises of Mr..
Hausman is eF .t6 as weighing about five
TONS and is tuGu Ar or cylindrical in form. 1t
will be seen therefore, that this immense mass
of metal must have traversed distance of about
one hundred yards in an air line from the
turner's shop to the place where it fell, crossing
Eighth avenue in its course. In passing through
the Hausman building it made a clean sweep of
everything from the roof to the basement,
making sort of we'll or hatchway down through
the building of about twelve or fifteen feet in
diameter. The entire southerly wall of the pre-
misses was demolished, and the heavy timbers Of
the floors wrenched off or snapped in twain
as though they were plasterers' laths. The
bo,4er is now standing on one end, as IL de-
scended through the building destroying bed
rooms and parlors, with about six feet of its
length in the back parlor on the first floor, the
lower end resting in the basement. In the rear
room on the second floor at the time of its
descent were Mary Dowling, the chambermaid
in Mr.. Hausman's family; Mary Welberzahl,
wet Nurse Dora Hausman, aged twelve years,
and her infant brother Harry, aged three
months These four persons were carried down
with the avalanche of debris to the parlor floor,
and little Dora was taken out, dead, from
y among the ruins. Mary Dowling was found,
after much difficulty, beneath the rubbish, and
was convey ed, righttully injured, to the Jews
hospital on Twenty-eighth street. Mary Weber
Zabl went through with the boiler to tie kitchen
bricks, and mortar, severely cut and bruised,
but without any serious injury. The infant was
fCynd between and O'Clock, with his head
smashed in. No other persons were in the
house at the time, Mr.. Hausman, who CigHes
on business in Reade street, being at the time in
his store, and Mrs Hausman being out shop
ping. A large plate or cap OF the boiler forced
its way through the roof of the house opposite
that OF Mr.. Hausman, but fortunately without
damage to life or limb of the occupants.
The rear portion of the Hausman premises
IT. on1 hn
with mounds of bricks, broken rafters, planks,
laths, and mortar,
Returning to the original scene of the disaster
an awful wreck presented itself. The rear wall
of the building, occupied as scroll-sawing
shop facing on TweHty-eighth street, was
reduced to mass of rubbish, and the back
wall of the house fronting on Twenty-seventh
street was in q similar condition. large
portion of the roof was suspended like a huge
wing over the chasm beneath, and the heavy
roof of the shed which sheltered the boiler and
engine hung like q twisted rag above the
unsightly mounds of debris that had fallen into
the enclosure, filing up the vault or cellar IN
which the boiler had stood. The engineer and
fremen are both believed to have been ear the
boiler at the time of its explosion, and the body
of the latter was found in a remote part of the
cellar, beneath the rubbish. When taken out
he was quite dead. At halfpast 10 o'clock last
night the engineer had not been found, though
almost the entire vault had been eXcavated by
the hremen, a large number of whom were for
hours industriously employed IN the work.
SCENES IN THE VICINITY.
Most of the workmen employed in the factory
were residents of the immediate locality of the
catastrophe, and as soon as the neighbors be
came apprised of the occurrence tremendous
crowd assembled about the building. The
scenes were heartrending in the extreme, al
many persons in the throng were relatives
those known to have been at work In the shop
Wives brothers, and sisters clamored about th'
entrances on both streets, and endeavored tC
force their way through the doors and gateway
leading to the interior Of the building, In ques
of those whom they, in large number OF In
stances, too truly anticipated might be included
among the killed or wounded. strong de
tachment of police, under Captain Hedden, o
the Twentieth Precinct, we're speedily on Jn'
ground, and were assisted by detachment iron
the Sixteenth precinct, under Captain William
son, IN restoring order and enabling those who's
aid was available In endeayoring to recover
IRON the wreck the remains OF the sufferers
at one time not less than two thousand men
women, and children had eOngregated arount
the scenes OF the double disaster, and great dllf
Guilty was experienced in controlling the anXlou
inquirlng ones who sought TO CLEAN the pro
bable tate OF relatives and friends from the fire
men ana others who emerged from time to tim
from the sitting ruins to obtain fresh air
The fight OF the boiler across Eighth ayenu
was observed by large numbers of persons VIII
were at the time on that ALWAYS crowde
thoroughtare, all OF whom are singularly unani
nous in describing its appearance
One person who stood on the corner of Thirty
fifth street states that II resembled n blac
1stoyepiper hat, carried away by a strong orr.
of wind, at an elevation OF about three hundre
feet. Another described 1t as "a length of STOW
nine and SAYS that II went lend over end y n
scribiDg an arc in its course. Both of the,