Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-03-10
From tho slsourney News.
FEARFUL BOILER ExPL 0Sl0N.
Four Men Killed Almost Instant
", an other Fatally Injured,
One Seriously Wounded and
Two Hurt but not Sc
riOusly.
Not One Present Mt the Disaster
Escaped Injury,

That community living In the vicin-
ity of Alex DeMarcc's ateam saw mill,
near the mouth Of Sugar Creek, in
Steady Run township, was startled by
report at somewhere near the hour
of9 A. NJ, Tuesday morning, and in a
few moments thereafter the fact was
revealed tina, terrible accident had
happened
1. mag be summed mp briefly as fol.
lows:
Alex DeMarce was the owner of
steam saw mill located as above dos.
cribed. At the hour mentioned his
saw mill started on journey and tho
boiler refused to maintain friendly re-
lations with that locality. The result
was indeed sad and death. unbidden,
visited the homes ofthose who had no
reason to anticipate the unwelcome
tread.
Steam had been shut of, and Alex
DeMarcc, proprietor of the mill, had
sat down to file the saw. Meanwhile
Andrew Binehart and Richard Selma
kenberg were engaged in puttidg alog
ON the logway. Hexekiah Utterback,
ST., his son Hezekiah, and his nephew
s.Pony" Utterback had just arrived at
the mill with log and were in front
Of the furnace warming when the ex-
plosion took place. The Engineer,
Hagan, and Merrineld, . SON of Jos.
Merriield. member Of the Board Of
Supervisors, were in the log yard
marking logs. These two last named
persons escaped with only severe brui
eos. Ono Of the Utterback's had his
head blown entirely away from q point
just above the eyes. The other young
Utterback was mangled in body and q
rivet, or bolt, from the boiler entered
his forehead and passed out at the back
part of his head. Both were blown
entirely out of their boots, one pair be-
ing found . distance ofl0O yards away
and the other had mot been found ct
last accounts. Utterback, ST., received
fractures of the skull, broken jaw,
and severe injury Of the thigh. His
death 10 reported ~ occurring the fol-
lowing morning. Binehart and Selma
kenbcrg, who were engaged Attic log.
way were both horribly mangled,
Binehart's head was 1almost entirely
blown Of, aad Schnakenberg's body
was nearly severed BY what was sup
posed to be . segment from the boiler.
DeMaroe, proprietor of tho mill, had
two ribs broken and leg hurt, but
not broken as at first reported. Six
horses hitchcd near by escaped injury,
but al went away on . lively run.
THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION
IL not definitely known and there are
various reports. Ono says that the
boiler showed signs Of giving away q
week previous, and that two hands
quit the mill At that time because Of
danger. On tho morning of the acci-
dent the pump appeared 10 work badly
and An attempt to repair 1t had been
made. Whether the boiler had gone
dry, or wAnai.sr IN ta,v ausencs Of tina
Engineer, steam be ing 'afut OF, too
much pressure accumulated, or wheth-
Q. the boiler was entirely unfit for use
are que lions about which different
opinions exist.
EDDYvILLE, Iowa, March s, 1875.
EDrToRs COURIER: On Yesterday
boy found secreted in or under an out
building, near where party moved
from . short time aince, under rather
snug u,a, .a.e~,---~-1 - go i, .o,,r-
terfeit national courfency. The bills
were all of the denomination Of IS, and
on the Traders Bank, Of Chicago.
They, however, were not signed. How
is that for town which has been the
headquarters of number of "de-
tectives" for several months past? I
send herewith sample.
GREEN BAx.