, 1880-03-12
Explosion OF u Boiler in Flax
Mill at Frankfort, Ind.
Ton Of tho Employees in tho I2n-
Eine-1s0Onn ut the Time,
All Of Whom Wcro Killed, and Their
Bodies Terribly Mutilated.
Ono Of tho Victims Thrown Distance
Of OYor n Hundred Ynrds.
Lesser Mishnps Going to Make Up
the Record Of Yesterday.

TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Special nhpateA to TAs Chicago Tribune.
1xn1ANAr,1rs,; lr.l,, March 1l,-'rho ex-
plosion uf tho bnter In 14el,nlnt,, liosenthal
& Co.'s tlax mil ut Frankfort, forty 1nfcs
northwest OF tlIls city, ranks all similar o.
cnrrchccs I'll tlis part Of tho State. The men,
tcil In number, hatl Just left their ho,lles
prepared f,r tue t1ay's work, md wllfte wnlt-
fnE for tho llour uf & Ind seated themselves
lit tho b0iler-r0oM to keep warm. Suddenly
there cntne n terrific explosion, tearng tile
mill Into atoms, shaking the houses through
nut tho town, mil tfolslng people for miles
nr0nnd. When tho astoliis[lctl villagers Ind
arrived upon the sccnr, tho remnants Of the
mill wcre burning, and the n,nnEled corpses
were lying scattered over tllo surrounding
territory, somo distance of 150 yartts from
tho boller-rnom. s. IL. 1}osart, n travelling
man OF this city, who prsscd through Frank
fort little willie after tho explosion, snys
tfe spectacle was olte calculated tn nplAl tic
stontest heart On every stde It wns ruin,
dcso)at!on, and misery. rhu destruction WINS
complete. Not piccc Ut tiie boiler cxcectt-
Ing 800 pounds Iii weight could be found
anywhere. The brick foundation In
which tho boiler stootl was scattered
80 thae achfcciy ono bflck lay
upon mother. Mangled anu distorted human
boales iay about tne ilel'ls twenty or Thirty
feet fro'n tho boiler-llonse, ono body bcIng
thrown distance IT 1so yards.
Ite people were beslto themselves. Men
"ete running anont apparently nnahlo 10
tnnKo up tlcIr minds what should be done,
'wSii wi'Ie women were Wild with excitement.
Ille wife OF onc OF the employees reported
killed "as thrown Into paroxssn Of grief,
all" for q time 1t WIS feared slle would be-
comc insane.
IL special to t}1e Sentinel OF this city says
inc sccno beggars MI description. The
Doalcs "cfc 1"ht'latea almost beyond recog-
milton, and were thrown from fifty TO 1ti5
Yards. Their clothes were torn Into sllretls,
TWO OF them being entirely stripped. The
lseatl OF ono was blown entirely away, md
no restigd OF 1t c6t'stI DO fo'lilti. Another
had llts heaa all Torn to pieces. Of tile
ten bodies only two were buried In the rub"
nlsll, tho rest being blown entirely out OF tile
building.
1t IL supposed that tho men, rs wns their
custom, Ind gathered III front Of tho boiler
~ ~ WITH '.,iu @ ga' "',' aa w's.ie olc' Jul
ulo ,t"an VI 1'.'s can never po Known, 1of no
oa'c Is lott 10 teI! the a'ory' The theory Is
tl!nt tlle explosion occurred when thu pllgie
~" ,,,'n.' .I1,., ~, ,.''',,',s "' ~ W!
.as ..'o '.s.s. i!u ensn"c ""'"u ,nlie'.,eo
.tm .ha. na'hu'eS u u "n'e" s'fe''sl'ens Ills
sIG"is. S,'i
~ uoi'cf MMs ,'}heh 41ollt lho hll!l LINZ
mnl , pveI l'!r.la1ls ptfAea' M'a WIS plopaoly
"oteet'se' 4ho e!s?leeE u fepuEteu u hnse
s.AlGe 'o oie or IVY persons tl'at tiie engine
was III such q bud pS that he could not tell
certainly how 1n,.tlr steam he Ind OH, nor
how much water %Ns in the boiler. The
hnnLtnnnnr nv. tT,+ t1,, on,ri,,no- 1,n'1
y. pa'su - a'o out'.u i-s' : "o EnAeo h.s
Nv ~ a1lA luz osuW-oA W AVV, Ihe hoaIer
Was euasel " lou poul't1s' 1hey were ac7
custo"le'1 10 curry sl*tS Or seventy p"l'aus,
ult1oush u Only 9ea.'lfea LOFTY pounds To 10
Tue rena1lea WORK. Ihe wafer passed
thr0!iRll heater 1c1oro reactIlae the bolser+
william I9lelley, formerly engineer, thought