The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-22
A PRISON BOILER EXPLOSION.
Nearly One Hundred Convicts
Blown Up.
NO ONE KILLED.
List of the Observation-Disclosures
Escapes.


Escapes.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June q, 1874
At halfpast six O'Clock this morning our citizens
were startled by conclusion which some at
tributed to earthquake but enquiry proved 1t to
oe the explosion of boiler in the shops at the Ohio
fehitentiary, located about half mile from the
State House, and almost within the business portion
Of the city. 81,
THE PRISON GROUNDS
comprise about twenty-five acres of which the
northern half is enclosed by the administration
building, chapel hospital and shops for manufac-
turing purposes. Beyond these, nom the main en-.
trance ana witnin the prison walls are several
large buildings in which convict labor
is employed, hired nom the State bv
contractors. Two of these buldnps
each about one hundred feet by forty, and two
stories high, running parallel to each other, per-
haps twenty feet apart, were occupied by the Ohio
Brush Company, Hufrs & Manpenny's c0operage,
Miller Hess plough mandatory and G. W. Gin's
stove foundry. The brush factory occupied about
three-fourths of the west building.
THE ENGINE,
which furnished power to all four establishments 10
located about the centre, and over It the combin1
room where assembled about thirty men,
all cOnvicts, ready for their daily task. Z. B.
Slaughter, guard, occupying o raised seat In one
corner; T. q. Platt guard In the adjoining room,
and 0. B. McAdams guard in the room below, were
the only persons about the premises, except the
convlcts, of whom there were in all nearly one hun
dred In the room described and immediate vicinity.
THE EXPLOSION.
The prisoners had been engaged in the customary
interval OF worship by which each days labor Is
preceded, when, without warning, the guard
Slaughter found he had been blown, with stun
ming force, distance ten feet from his seat, and
partially recovering was struck by descending
missile, and, though not seriously disabled, was
momentarlly stunned The guard Platt, In an ad.
joining room warned by some appearance OF steam
from the boiler escaped by window, without
serious injury. McAdams appears to have been out
OF reach OF danger.
The shock was terrific, and yet no person was
killed outright. Several men were blown out the
windows, and fell with the debris from the fourth
story of the building
THE WRECK OF THE MIDDLE SECTION
OF the brush factory for forty feetin length was
complete in an instant The boiler itself was torn
into shapeless mass, and many Of the riven plates
scattered wide over the prison grounds
The scene OF the explosion Is desOlate enough.
Great piles of brick, stone, timber and machinery
are scattered here and there, while the manufac-
tured articles and raw material are strewn over the
number of the men who were huddled in the
end Of the combing room, directly over the en-
went down deep into the mass or debris,
b broken timber, bricks and mortar, some
fast in piles of rubbish yet all were extrcated
alive. Some were fearfully bruised but owing to
lack Of water In the boiler when II exploded there
were few scalds. large mass OF blocks and other
material stored In the garnet loft went down, In
creaslng the pile Of rubbish. The rapid rescue Of
accomplished by convicts summoned by the guard
from nelghboring shop. where they were
caused panic, and there were few groans or
cries of any sort Some OF the most seriously
Moneypenny One man was struck down just as
ne was stepping out OF Gilfs factory door; another
was struck ST OK By falling missile In distant
hurt. Twenty-eight persons were conveyed to the
prison hospital with wounds requiring dressing, and
flying pieces of boiler plate did serious damage to
the machinery In Gil's and Miller Hess establish
ments. No one was killed outright, but the
prisoners Myers and Johnson are terribly in
jured, and will probably die. The explosion is
attributable to the use OF an old boiler, which had
once before exploded in construction and In care
lessness in feeding with water. The pecuniary loss
falls mainly upon the State, which owns the building.
The brush company claim loss Of $1,000. All four
companies suffer serious loss from interruption to
business.
PIECE OF THE EXPLODED BOILER
weighing 800 pounds was thrown over the shops
south and landed In yard in the Of the prison
800 feet distant The iron door plate to the fur
same distance. The balls on the valves were sent
hurting in the same direction, aud fell near the
walk leading from the prison to the shops. Pieces
OF timber and scraps OF iron were scattered
prOmiscu0usly over the yard and among shops. Mr..
Dean, the acting warden, was in the back yard at
the time OF the explosion, looking up SacO bricks,
and iron dying through the air. He succeeded In
getting behind a tree in time to save himself from
the missiles An old man named Ragle, at work in
the loft of the factory fell to the ground with
the RUNS and was buried beneath them. HIS
Injuries hlm IS not snch to induce
just reached his machine and had SUFFICIENT
presence of mind to spring under its frame, and
slightly injured. John Ryan, Of Piqua, at work In
the combing room, was
BLOWN OUT OF THE WINDOW
in the second story and covered up In ruins,
where he remained some fifteen minutes before
he aS a NJ ,ss na
was caught above the hips between two
tmbers as they fell and sustained severe
bodily injury. Timothy Newcomb, who was In the
second story OF that portion of the building which
did not fall, became very excited and attempted to
prevented by Others, but finally made the pinnge,
alighting on his head, and sustained severe inlu.
res The conduct OF the prisoners through the trying
AFFAIR and all day has been quiet and praiseworthy
In the hospital the wounded are as well cared for
as they could be anywhere, and scarce moan ie
heard.
The following is a complete list Of
THE PERSONS Now HOSPITAL
who injured by the explosion, and IL ig
thought that all but half q dozen will recover: =
Harry Johnson, of Hamilton county, fracture of
the left arm, wound on the head and leg; Timothy
Newcomb OF Hardin county, badly injured Samuel
Cook, of Hamilton county, confused wounds in
the legs and chest; Thomas $. Canton OF Clarke
county, confused wounds on the arms and
back; Elijah Burton. OF Guernsey county,
lacerated scalp wound and fractured shout
der blade; Charles II. Myers, OF Hamilton
county, confused scalp wound, broken ribs, frac-
tured breast bone and bruised chest; Harry Mar
shall, OF Hamilton county, confused wounds on
the arms, neck, head aud shoulders; Jones, of
Toledo, wounds and burns on the body and limbs;
Francis Lang, q prisoner sent from the Northern
district, wounds OF the same nature as those OF
Jones; Elliot Il. Perkins, Morrow county, confused
wounds on the arms and legs and badly burned;
James Dempsey, United States prisoner
from the Northern district, wounded slightly;
william TRUSTEE OF Prebie county, wounded In the
arm and back; Harrison smith, of Miami county,
lacerated scalp wound; Lester Cooley OF Frank
lin county, badly scalded face; Thomas Null
haul OF Cleveland, larcerated back; John Ryan,
Miami county, burns on the arms and back and
hnn mil Gaca.