The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-12-11
A TERRIBLE DISASTER
AT MARSEILLES.
Blacks Paper Mills Completely
.... Demolished!
Two Persons Killed and a Dozen
Wounded!

Last Monday evening, at half past 4 o'clock
. most fearful accident occurred at Mar.e;ll.s
in this county, resulting in the destruction o,
J. P. Blacks Paper Mills and the death of two
employees thsrein, Mrs. James Wilson and Mrs.
j. Mcdonald, and wounding several other per.
sons.
The building was most substantial structure
100 feet long, SO feet wide, With an ell nearly
the same length and 16 feet wide. Tho main
building was four and the oil three stories high
The walls were fourteen inches thick, Of brick,
and upon firm rock foundation from eighteen
inches to two and half feet thick, and con .
structsd under the supervision OF Mr.. J. n.
Brattes, especially with Wow to strength and
durability.
THE CAUSE.
This building, thus 90 substantial in all IL.
parts, was suddenly blown into fragments, and
now, save portion Of the north wall, il . he,u
OF ruins, apromiscusus mass of bricks, mortar
planks, beams rafts1s and fragments, in everv
conceivable shape. All this fearful destruction
was caused BY the explosion of tho "Rot.rv
Bleach" m immense iron boiler. The Rotary
Bleach 10 new improvement in manufacturing
paper, and within only brief period has super.
seeded the old tub or vat system Of bleaching
rags. This boiler was about twenty feet Long.
SIX feet In diameter, and made Of tce-eigla.s inch
boiler iron,-muoh thicker than those in ,.. ~,
the western steamers. This immens. c,l;nd.,
rested on two heavy journals, one at either end.
and weighed about twelve tons. II, content.
water and rags and bleaching chemicals, weigh.
Cd about si1 tons more and were kept in q con.
slant state Of conmotion by the reyolutions ~
the boiler. Stesm was discharged int thi, boil.
Or at the ends, and in such quantity as to create
pressure Of eighty TO eighty.four pounds to
each square inch Of the boiler This boiler had
been previously tested in the manner u,us,,v
adopted by manufacturers Of steam engine, and
boilers, and was considered capable Of safely
enduring one hundred and twenty lbs 10 .
square 'nch. The boiler had been running sew.
sral days at . similar rate Of speed, and evan
under greater force of steam, and hsd bean
running oil day the day Of this disaster At
half.psat four this mammoth boiler zuaA.r.~
and OF course without any premonition, .xpl,.
ded with terrific noise and s,upeudou, fo,cs
tearing the mill into atoms and buryinv ten or
fifteen psrsons in It's ruins, all Of whom v.r.
more OF less wounded.
Inc boiler Va broken in two, nearly in tho
center, not squsrsly across, but in Jagged mn.
even sssm, Of prominent points and deep linden.
'aso.' Ons-hah Of the boiler is probably be. |
meath the Hubbish in tho basemen. Of th. build. |
iog, having fallen through two floors, while tho
other portion vss hurled with trsmendos, foro. |
westward sdi'sancs Of sixty feet, where it struck
The ground and made deep hole therein. them |
oarseasd and pitched forward twenty feet far.
thss. asd won't through the eastern wall Of n.
Gotten Mills 1t now lies with about two f...
OF tho head oat and eight feet projecting into
the basement Of the Cotton Mill, nearly . hun.
dred feet fssn its place Of starting Such Va.
the prelisisus power which burst this b..vv
iron cylinder snd hurled it this great distance.
The head cap Of the ether porto. Of th;,
blescher wss thrown . distance Of three hun.
drsd fsss from the place Of the boiler, and bur.
led in the ground, whore it was found BY Mr.
Bowman, the artist while putting his Gamer. in
position for view Of the ruins This piece Of
iron alone weighed over two hundred Lbs.
CAsuALrIRs.
The explosion aroused the citizens. and At onc.
stores we're left wide open, shops deserted ofhoss
abandoned and dwellings evsrywher. tsnantless,
and hundreds Of men, women and children
crazsd with excitement, rushed to the seen. Of
tho awful calamity. There had been twenty
employees in the mill, chiefly women and young
girls ssd cut Of all employed in tho il.fat.d
mill but lew escaped unhurt, while two war.
killed outright
One was Mn. Wilson, aged 80 years, the moth.
Or OF five children. She was In tho picking.
room, 40 feet from the ground, and was found in
the tsil-raee, in the water, face downward. ak
feet Of debris upon her.
The other was found dead also, She vss Mrs.
Mcdonald, also employed in the picking-room.
She was found near the west foundation, under
three feet Of brick and mortar. She also leaves
a husband and one child. HBoth were wives of
poor men, and were industrious, good and kind il.
women; sAsh leaving circles of true friends and IT,,
neishbors.
The wounded we're % follows:
Mr. Fitch, thrown through the wall on tho =
'Ast side scross tho mill-raos TO Tillsoas mill,
distance Of rs feet, but, strange to s.y, WA net
'srisssly hurt
Mr. Bolton, foreman, wounded internally.
Peter DeHser, raining The boiler found him. .