Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-12

ANOTHER rERRrnrn TRAGEDY.

NEwBURYroRT, Mass, Sept 11.-An explo-
sion Of tine boiler Of the Curtis hat factory oc-
Cured this morning at ten minutes to seven
O'Clock. The boiler house was shattered COM
pletely, and the main building much damaged.
The loss of life is frightful Already five men
have been taken from the ruins killed. The
names of the killed. so far as recognized, are;
Charles Boyle, 80 years old, who leaves wife
and two shildren
Nicholas Purcell, - years old.
Reuben Mace, about 30 years; single.
James L. jackson, 10 years old; all of New
buryport; and
George Etheridge of Lawrence, who leaves a
wife.
Albert Page of Lawrence
The works had not started up at the time Of
the explosion, or the loss Of life would have
been much greater. The fireman commenced
firing up at six o'clock, and had just stepped
into the engine room when the explosion took
place. When he left the boiler house there was
q pressure Of but seventy pounds OF steam on
the boiler. The boiler burst nearly at one-third
its length, separating where the sheets of iron
were riveted together as clearly as though they
had been cut with a cold chisel. The roof of
the building, followed by an immense mass Of
brick, was blown into the air some eighty feet,
and one man named Boyle, blown up, fell across
the collar factory, landing upward of $50 feet
from the factory. Charles Randall was badly
scaldcd, but it is not thought that he is fatally
injured. A son of Nathaniel Perkins is very
badly scalded, and there is very little if any
hope that he can live but a short time The
west side of the factory, where the boiler house
is located, is more than half destroyed, and the
machinery is among the ruins. The loss to the
hat company will probably exceed $1,000. The
boiler was a tubular one, built at the Atlantic
works, East Boston, and has been in use but
fourteen months 1t had guaranty of $50
pounds pressure, and it has not been run ut
much above ninety pounds on the average. The
fireman says there were two gauges Of water in
the boiler Il moment before the explosion. A
Jury has been summoned bv Coroner +. w.
Rand, composed of Hon. G.. w. JaCkman, Jr.,
foreman; Rev. DR.. Spalding, MesSrS. Amos
NOyes, l.. f. ribbetts, w. j. Creasey and Calvin
Martin, who will take testimony and investigate
the affair tomorrow.
1t was an unfortunate circumstance that the
explosion occurred when it did, as the workmeu
in the drying room were changing their clothes
preparatory TO going to work. Had it occurred
half an hour later, most of the handS-prObaby
all Of them-would have been in the main build
inc, and it is very likely there would have been
no loss of life. As it was, the engineer was at
his breakfast, and only a few of those who ar
rived before the time for beginning work were
in the building. The finshers were in the dry
ing room over the engine room, and the others
were in and about the engine room. Mr.. Philip
Curtis and several Others were in the main
building, and made their escape by jumping
out of the second story window.
EUentng-Wm. Perkins, scalded by the explo-
sion, has since died, making seven deaths. c.
W. Randall, injured, will probably recover. No
additional casualties are reported. The building
is damaged 10 the amount of S500O
KILLED BY A FREIGHT TRAIN.
ROCHESTER, Sept. 11.-Frank Silsby, of the
Silsby steam fire engine manufacturing COM
pany, Seneca Falls, was killed at Canandaigua,
this evening, by freight train.