Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-10-26
A DEAnIY EXPLOSION.

lax VA &hA Z" 90
sBRrgh, Pa ,Nail-Mi1I-FOurteen Killed
anHa Many wounded.
IAscial Dispatch to the Chicago Tribune.l
RPETrsBURGH, Oct. PA repetition,
1 OF. tie terrible explosion of February
1872, occurred here to-day, only with
1 more fearfu1force and harrowi1g loss
Nof life. TIE explosion oflfourl years
ago was in Jones &Laughlinss nail, in
Rrownstown, when seven men were
Ispddenly ushered into eternity and
many wounded. At that time a battery
1s6f four out of six boilers exploded.
The accident to-day was more horrible
and heartrending innits nature. The,
explosion occurred about $3.50 o'clock
this morning, in Kug q Co.'S mills,
corner of Etna and Thirseenth Streets.'
This concern5isAone of the largest in
Western Pennsylvania, its works run
ming from the Allegheny Valley Rail-
road to the Allegheny RIVER. 1t is in
the heart of the city, IN the Ninth
Ward, and but a little distance from
Penn Avenue, one of the most fire.
quented thoreughfares n the CITY.
The firm haTe reeenty passed
1 throughs athea bankrpptaaeourt, and
only started up again about four weeks
ago. The rolling-mill, in which the
explosion took place, is located imme-
diately adjoining the. nailmin, on Thir7
tenth Street. The latter is. a large
blick structure, in which9are located
some seventy-fve machines. Opposite
to it is the warehouse. The rolling
mill is a mere shed, running almoaS a
block in length, to the river. The
boiler battery was located near the nail
mill. The firm manufacture vafious
Akinds of iron, including inails, fner-
Chants bar md boiler plates. It's a
notorious fact that there has been a
dread here for several years past that
at some time these boilers would ex-
plode. They may have been in.geod
condition, but lit Alphabetically doubt
full. Some two years g there was a
frezin this rolling-rlill, slight in its
mature, yet the firemen were expecting
the boilers to succumb.~
The boilers wereCsupposeds to have
been inspected jhst previous to Starting
the mills again. 1t is a fact, however,
that boiler-inspections in this city are a
farce. The inspectors are either Grim
inally careless or fearfully Incompetent.
Another thing, most of the roIling-mills
are not over-particular as to the capa-
bilities of their engineers, though the
one who had charge of these boilers
was believed to have been thoroughly
competent. The boilers in Zug d
Co.'s mills were old and patched, and
as to their safety there seems TO have
| been a doubt in the minds Of many
/ persons.
The explosion took place at a time
when the mills were running to the full
that is, at a time when all day en-
ployees were at work. There was no
warming. The crash came in a mo-
ment. The four boilers parted stimuli
taneously. There was a cloud of steam
and smoke. A debris of falling build
ing and the remains of dead and mutt
lated. The shrieks and groans of the
wounded. Horror of horrors seemed
the scene, for Immediately after the
ruins took fire. There lay the dead,
and hear them lay the wounded,
terrible to look upon. The walls of the
office had partly fallen. The rolling
mill, in giving way, had fortunately
rested upon the rolls and rail-mills.
The flames cracked, and through them
arose the piercing crys for succor and
rescue. Some crawled out from under
the ruins, the burned and torn flesh
dropping. Others lay senseless and
helpless in despair. The alarm-bells
rang. Mayor Mccarthy and Maj. Hart
zell, Chief of Police, were soon upon
the ground with the Police and Fire
Departments. With the aid of citizens
they fell to work at once to e~xtinguish
the flames and to bring from out the
ruins the living and the dead.
Mothers, fathers, sons, sisters, and
brothers came to call for loved ones.
The mill, when running full, employs
about 600 hands. At the time of the
explosion there were at work in the nail
sand rollinS-mills about $50 men. The
scene presented was one of agony and
despair. The vicinity vas transformed
nto a hospital observation-disclosures,
where charred and mutilated remains
were brought. The shrieks of some of
the wounded were fearful. Fourteen
were killed almost instantly, and some
forty others wounded seriously. Men
were taken from the ruins MANNED and
bleeding, only to die in delirious agony.
Relatives and friends begged, threaten
ed, and coaxed to be admitted within
the lines, but most all were refused,
because there was q dread that there
Woulu DC TOO many OF the curious let
in, who would only be in the way.
Physicians soon came to assist to dress
wounds and allay the sufferings of the
wounded. The excitement throughout
the City was most intense. The killed
were Thomas Murphy, fireman; Andrew
Sullivan, fireman Frank Cripps, Peter
Kendrick, John and Joseph Anderson,
feeders; two brothers named McCaffer-
ty; an unknown man, head blown off;
Frank MARCUS, Andrew Marquis, Louis
Schrank, Pat Griffin, John Higgins,
and James Lopez.
Wounded-Reilzell, arm broken; NJ.
Everhart, badly scalded; Barney Kelly,
head and arm injured; Marcellus Sny-
der, boy, head crushed seriously; John
Snyder, leg and back severely injured;
Elmer McGool, badly cut about the
head; James Boy, arms fractured; Fred
] Recher. John Rrnsev John Martin