The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-10-18

ELOTHES-CARELESSN THE CAUSE OF
TIE cALAMrTY-soME ACCOUNT OF THE
MEN WHO WERE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
About 5 o'clock yesterday morning nest
Of boilers at the Edge Hill shaft, Carbon
Hill mines, exploded, killing George Smoot
and Isaac Howell, and fatally injuring Ben.
Ford-all employees Of the mining company.
from Richmond, and are situated between
the River road and the canal. The coal
raised is conveyed to the canal by cars, and
thence boated to this city. When the acci-
dent occurred there were about twenty-five
persons in the pit and five above ground
around the boilers. A reporter of this pa
per who visited the scene yesterday after
noon found all the signs Of a terrific explo-
sion. The shed which was over the boilers, q
substantial structure about forty by eighty
feet, was blown to pieces, and the fragments
scattered around for o great distance. So
violent was the explosive force it was
scarcely possible to find two shingles Joined
together. There had been under this shed
thirteen large boilers OF capacity OF three
hundred horse power. They were used in
affording steam to pump the water out Of
the pit and hauling cars out OF the pit mp
an inclined plane. Eleven Of these boilers
were in use, and four or five OF them were
utterly wrecked. They were hurled about
rs easily as the wlnd would toss feather.
Some OF them were found piled upon others,
and one or two were torn to pieces.
The violence Of the explosion threw sec
ton of one Of the boilers weighing about |, 900
twenty-five yards, and other portions shorter
Of or h,,,.J
ed around in all directions. The smoke
rested were thrown down, and the piles Of
coal and the roadways and vacant spaces
in the vicinity were covered with
cinders, ashes, and dust. II there had been
no boiler-iron poking out from under piles Of
bricks and masses of timber the uninformed
traveller by that road might well have sup
posed that there had been some volcanic
eruption, so unnatural did the face Of the
earth thereabouts appear. The engine and
pumps were Just outside Of the. .soiler-shed,
and were but little injured.
The two colored firemen on duty at the
time-William Brown and Spencer Lock
ett-escaped unhurt, though the sad accident
was undoubtedly occasioned by their care
lessness or rsleepy-headcdness Ben. Ford, tie
night-foreman, who was experimenting the
hands at work in the pit, finding that there
was not steam enough furnished to run the
pumps, walked out Of the pit up the incline
to the boilers. When he got there the wa
ter was found to be low in one nest Of four
boilers, and Immediately on turning it on
they exploded. Brown and Spencer were
at the pumps and not under the she'd, and
SO saved their lives, though Brown was
thrown twenty feet by the shock. The two
miners who were killed George Smoot,
white, and Isaac Howell, colored) were
drying their clothes ut the boilers after I'm
ishing some work in the mines.
Smoot was only about twenty-one years
old. He was unmarried, and lived in the
neiehborhood. His body was found about
one hundred yards from the boilers, with
his skull and neck broken. Death must
have been instantaneous. His friends and
relatives took possession OF the corpse.
Howell lived at Dover Mills, was thirty
wears OF age, and left wife. He was found
in the debris of the boiler-house, and was
terribly scalded. He lived several hours
after being taken out.
Ford is colored man Of iorty-fye. His
injuries are of such o nature as to leave no
hone of his recovery. He is very badly
burnt about the breast and legs, and is also
severely cut on the head.
The boilers blown up were IN good con-
dition-had indeed but recently undergone
thorough overhauling and repairing. An
experienced boiler-maker is kept on the
ground. From examination made yester-
day it is believed that when the boilers ex-
ploded the iron must have been red-hot.
There was about forty pounds OF steam on,
though it is said they could have easily car
ried one hundred. The pumps were
ranged to run at very low pressure. The
explosion was heard five miles away.
There were three boilers near the mouth
OF the shaft and about fifty yards from the
other boilers. They were not hurt at oil,
and will afford enough power to keep down
the water in the pits until better arrange
ments can be made.
Mr.. Tonkin, the lessee Of the mines: who
is himself an experienced machinist, states
that he believes the explosion was wholly
the result OF carelessness OF the tremen IN
not keeping them supplied with water.
Mr.. Tonkin expects to be shipping coke
to market again within week.
METEOROLOGICAL friend has furnish
ed us the following dates OF cold weather