Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-09-04

large rolling mill had blown up.
THE EXPLOSION.
The cause of the eX plosiOn can only
be a matter of conjecture. The boilers
were new and strong, having recently
been put up at a cost of S25 900 to run
the large mill south of the canal.
There were ten of them, fifty feet in
length, and it is said that they were
the largest and strongest set of boilers
in the State. The facts as far as
known are as follows:
About half an hour before the ex-
plosion took place, the night turn
which had been working all night,
ceased work. The engines were
stopped, and nearly all of the hands
had left the mill. Two or three men
remained doing odd jobs around the
mill. The engineer had stopped his
engine and was sitting near the fly
wheel in the mill. The only person
neal the boilers, which were located
in a building over hundred feet east
of the mill, was the fireman, John
Gaherty. Suddenly the explosion
took place with a terrible conclusion,
tearing the boiler house literally to
pieces, and throwing immense pieces
of the boilers with terrible force in
every direction.
1t is supposed that the explosion
must have been caused from a low
stage of waterin the boilers, and from
suddenly turning on water. 1t is
said that the fireman was seen to
examine the water gauge and turn
on water a moment before the explO-
sion took place. Whether this is so
or not, is not certain. The fireman
can tell nothing of the facts, as he
was found dead some forty feet from
the boilers after the explosion. This
seems to be the most reasonable
hypothesis for explaining the eXplO-
sion. The cause, however, will
probably always remain a matter of
conjecture.
THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION.
The terrible force of the explosion
can hardly be described. Houses q
away were rocked as if by an
earthquake. Huge fragments of the
boilers were thrown in every direc-
ton with immense force. One frag-
ment, weighing over a ton. was
thrown a quarter of mile, and struck
a house, demolishing it, and killing
two persons. 1--WE will refer to this
more fully below Alarge fragment
is said to have been found in the
Catholic cemetery more than a mile
away. Another was found in the
vicinity of the d living Park, which
is nearly a mile distant from the
works. A large piece of the boilers,
more than two tons in weight, struck
tie southern abuttments of the
Presque Isle street bridge, tearing
two braces, and rendering that
bridge unsafe. Two large pieces were
hurled some tive hundred feet, aud
brought up against a einder pile there,
while th e force of the explosion pros
trated about thirty feet of the trestle
work, running south of the Phoenix
Furnace toward the boiler house.
These were the manifestations to the
east of the boilers. To the west a
large weight of the boilers was hurled
against the iron roof of the rolling
mill, tearing out an immense hole in
the roof, and overthrOwing the stacks
of two heating furnaces. Two frag-
ments went through the roof and fell
on the other side of the mill. An
immense fragment was thrown cross
the river over Genkinger's brewery,
a distance of nearly half a mile.
Another fragment went into the spike
factory, south of the mill, tearing
three walls wide open. and finally
spent its force when halfway through
a large brick smoke stack some six
feet square.
THE LOSS OF LIFE.
The deaths from the explosion at
this writing are three, with one dan
gerously injured, John Gaherty, the
fireman, was picked up dead about
forty feet from the bOilor house. He
did not seem cut or bruised, bat the
life was simply blown out of him.
But the most fearful casualty was
that by which the Quigly family lost
their lives. A large fragment of
took an upward course passing
Immediately over The Phoenix Fur
mace and flying with immense velOci-
ty to the vicinity of Reno, Tilden &
planning mill, nearly a quarter
Of a mile away. It tore away a poT-
of shed belonging to that estab-
struck in VIM. Lindsey's
back yard, utterly demolishing a new
wagon which stood there, and then by
a ricochet struck a house belonging TO
Patrick Tinney, standing directly
opposite TO Homer, Hamilton d Co.'s
foundry. It struck the house Just
the ioist for the second floor
are fastened into the studdiug, and
literally stove in the whole side of
the house, falling Tito the first floor
and laying across two rooms. The
room was occupied by a man
named Quigly, with his wife and
child. The boilor fell on them as
they were lying in the bed, instantly
the woman and child. 1t
was thought that the man vas fatally
injured, but at this writing, there
was a chance of his recovery. He
found with the boiler lying across
him, but strange to lay, no bones
broken. The danger in his
is from conclusion of the BRAIN
In the room above slept Mr.. Ti1ney
the owner of the Louise, and his wife
Mr.. Tinney was aroused by being
thrown out of bed by the force with
the boiler struck the house.
L1C alOucCN hlAloOll Al NAAAO " = lis
sliding toward the aperture
the huge missed had made on
The otherside of the room, and caught
her in time to prevent her from fall
A boy sleeping in a shanty on the
bank of the river near the boiler house
said to have had his feet scalded by
The explosion. 1t seems strange that
.hr Sc two shanties both of which
were hardly a hundred feet from the
should have suffered SO
damage. But as they stood on
lower ground than the boilers, it is
supposed that the force of the eXplO-
;icn passed over them.
The extent of the damage to the
firm is from $40, 600 to $50, 200. The
boiler house, boiler and connections
had been in use only a short
lime, cost over S25, 900. The damage
the buildings will probably swell
he total to nearly $50 600. When we
i'd to this sum the loss of the en-
and employees, by the stop
page of the mill, the total cannot be
ess than a hundred thousand dollars.
81 will never forget ~ said General
Ia rfield in a recent speech, 1.-The sol
voting I'm the Ohio regiments