Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-09-14
Terrible Disaster at New Haven

from the Fort Wayne Republican
The country has been Mortified almosl
daily by the intelligence of disasters by /
steamboat explosions and railroad coils |
ions, until the cup of sorrow is full to the
brim and yet another fear ful rumor comes
the carnival of death.
On Thursday morning at about 0 clock
news was brought to us that the Maumee
Valley Mills, situated in our neighboring
Town of New Haven werein ruins, in con-
sequence of the explosion of the boiler
and that number of lives had been lost
| We have since then learned the following
i particulars:
| The Maumee Valley Mills was owned
/ by Messrs Charles and Louis Lepper,
brothers, who established themselves
there some months ago. The building
was of wood. substantially put up. The
boiler was a very large one manufactured
by Bass & Hanna, in this city.
On Thursday morning the engine was
started little before : O'Clock, and had
been running about half an hour when the
boiler exploded with terrible force, instant
ly killing both the proprietors and Mr. A.
: B. Carr the engineer, and wounGing three
others-Mr. Abraham truth, the miller,
: Sherman II. Lewis, lad of IA or Is, and
another about the same age, named
5 Ephraim Sternberg. The wounds OF
| these three are not serious, and they will
{ no doubt fully recover in day or two.
The cause of the explosion is stated to
: be that there was but little water in the
boiler, the pumps not working well, fol
: some unexpected reason.
a A large piece of the boiler weighing
e some 200 pounds was thrown about 20t
J, yards, thence through Mr. Rodgers dwell
e ling. There was great excitement in til,
! town, and everything was de- that hu
n mainly suggested to relieve, by sympath,
is and kindly acts. the anguish and the dis
n tress of the friends of the unfortunat
j. dead
5 The following testimony, given befor
lie Coroner John P. Waters and his jury, b
s. Mr.. Allan II. Dougall, will explain tn
IL affair more fully:
a. Shortly after Z o'clock I was startle
lie by loud noise, as if peal of thunder
III On looking out saw in the direction {
Sc the swinging bridge, the air was full {
n dust and debris l took my hat and starte
e. on the run in the direction, and was me
es on the railrord by shower of water. o
a arriving at the scene of the disaster,
found the engine room of the Maumt
re Valley Mills in ruins; piece ofthe STAG
an lying lengthwise where the boiler stood
ed the front end of the boiler doubled at til
er, door of the engine room; the shell of ii
en- boiler rent the entire length, and near
original position. On removing the STAG
nd and timbers, we found the body of Charl
,er Lepper, just forward of the engine Gran
laying across the bed plate of the engin
with one of his legs gone below the kne
accidentally cut off by the arms of the fl
- wheel; life extinct
The body of Louis Lepper was found
..o the southwest corner of the engine ROOF
~ in position as if he had been throw
'he backward-life extinct. After rolling t
'uf shell of the boiler out of the ruins. t
lhe body of A. B. Carr, the engineer, W
70 found laying across the cross head of t
u piston rod; his head torn by the fly whe
M and his arm thrown around the rim. E
as body was in horrid, mangled conditic
ne and taken up by piece meal, and put int
Inc shoe-box. His head ant trunk was ST
as connected, but we had to use shovels
lift him up in anything like human for
Sc ordered the remains of all to be CARR
rem to the town Office, there to await the
so rival of the coroner"
pm The following is the verdict of the il
LAY in the case:
We, tie jury, being duly empanne
,ad. and sworn by John p Waters, Corol
and of said county, to examine into and
port as to the cauee of the death of Char