The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-12-10
The Terrible Boiler Explosion at Fall
River-FuIl Particulars.

The Fall River (Mass.) Ne,os gives
long account Of the terrific boiler explo-
sion which occurred on Thursday morning,
and was partially reported in our tele-
graphic columns. The Neaos says:
One Of the boilers of the Globe Print
Works at Fall River exploded about half
past 6 O'Clock, entirely demolishing the
boiler house, which contained seven boil
ers, and setting fire to the print works,
which were completely destroyed.
Two Of the boilers were thrown into the
air, and, in descending, struck. upon the
roof of the madden dye-house, making
complete wreck of that building-boilers,
reels, timber, machinery, and steam-pipes
being mingled in one confused mass. A
piece of another boiler, weighing over
three tons, struck the stone wall of the
main building (which was two feet in
thickness) and went through it, opening
breach forty or fifty feet wide the entire
height Of the building -four stories).
A portion of the exploded boiler, with
large number of the tubes, weighing about
half ton, struck the cottage occupied by
Mr.. Borden, on the opposite side Of the
street, with such force as to smash in the
upper part of the front, tearing off the
Jet and thoroughly demoishing the win
dows and doors. AS soon IS the noise was
heard in the house young man visiting
there instinctively pushed Mrs. Borden out
Of doors, but she, exclaiming +" My child
my child 20. attempted to rush back into
the house to recover her child, who was in
cradle near the stove. But the young
man prevented her, and going in himself
found that three kerosene lamps which
stood on the mantelpiece had been knock
ed over on the stove and exploded, so that
the flames almost enveloped the baby's
cradle. He carried the child to its mother
safe and sound. This was an almost NIL
raculous escape, for in an instant after, a
large tube from the boiler came crashing
through the house and spent its force on
the very spot where moment before the
Young babe lay in its cradle. No damage
was done to the house by the flames OF the
burning oil.
Another large piece of the same boiler,
weighing about three quarters of ton,
with considerable number Of the tubes,
passed over the same cottage, knocking
down the chimney and lodging itself in
garden some $50 or 800 yards from the
boiler house, and blowing into the hard
frozen ground to the depth of foot or
more. Tubes and bricks were scattered
in great profusion all along the path of the
hying missiles, and we think it safe to say
that tubes and bricks could be found in
large quantities anywhere within radius
of 800 yards from the boiler-house. Win
dows and doors in every quarter were de-
molished.
In the madden dye-house, where the two
boilers Law, some sixteen hands were at
work at the time Of the explosion, yet not
one of them was seriously injured. Thos.
McKale, the person who was most injured
in this room, saws that the workmen there
were tossed about and thrown down like
| mere TOYS. He was at work close to the
Mace where one of the boilers fell, and
would have been crushed to death had IL
not been for the support which the large
reels gave to the falling timbers. He was
injured in the right shoulder and left leg,
and received slight cut on the head.
Patrick Lowney, who was at work In the
same place, received a slight injury IN the
back. Four persons were at work where
the other boiler fell, yet all escaped with
ont injury. On hearing the rip OF the ex-
nlodinc boiler, and seeing the gas lights
distinguished, they thought something was
wrong, and rushed out just in time to save
them from horrible death. Hiram Pierce,
the fireman, was seriously injured about
| the head and chest. There was large
cut upon his head, some four inches in
length, and his left ear was slit. His head
was bruised in shocking manner, the
periosteum or the membrane investing the
skull being denuded to considerable ex-
tent.
About two hundred hands are thrown
out of employment by this catastrophe.