The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-01-15
Terrible BOiIer Explosion nj the
Af,cmtovpn Railing NItIi.

Allentown ROhliHrH Will.
The following particulars Of the terrible
boiler explosion at the Allentown Rolling
Mill, on Thursday evening, 9Th inst, we
take from the columns Of the Allentowa
Democrat, of the 18th;
On Thursday evening last, at near o.
clock ,one Of those terrible occurrences which
cause tremor in every sensitive heart-a
boiler explosion-occurred in the big pud-
die mill of the Allentown Rolling Mill, sit
uate in the Sixth Ward. By It the works
in the immediate vicinity Of the exploded
boiler were shattered to pieces, one man
killed instantly, and large number wound
ed and scalded, some fatally so. The pud-
ding mill is located on the east side Of the
Lehigh Valley railroad track. 1t is a very
large structure, being nearly $50 feet square,
and employs large number Of hands
about seventy-five being on duty when the
explosion occurred. There are seven over
top boilers on the west side Of the mill,with
furnaces below, and each boiler unites It's
steam with the others, the combined steam
running the machinery of the pudding
works. The whole is under one roof, which
rises in the centre, forming what is called q
steamboat roof. The boiler which explod-
ed, No. Is, was located in the middle Of the
west row of boilers. The other boilers are
arranged at intervals of about twenty feet.
They are cylinder boilers, about 2S feet long
and 81 feet in diameter, are walled in with
heavy brick and solidly made. The smoke
stack are brick lined. The boilers were all
set to blow offat sixty pounds pressure. The
engineer r charge at night was Richard
Roger, Henry Snyder being the day engi-
ncer. As is customary, the boilers were
blown off Thursday morning and examined.
Nothing wrong was noticed, and report was
so made. At about nine o'clock mill time
thalf hour faster than town time,) a puddler
noticed steam coming from q asupposed leak,
and SO reported to engineer Royer, who was
in the engine room. The steam at the time
indicated 6tty-fve pounds. AS soon as pos
sible the engine was stopped and the boiler
examined, and not FIVE minutes from the
time the steam was noticed the explosion
occurred. At this time there were four men
at each of the sixteen furnaces, together with
dozen or more men employed as rollers,
catchers, &c. 1t would be extremely diff
cult to describe the scenes which followed
the explosion. No pen can fittingly portray
the awful effect, the sickcnng spectacle, the
dreadful carnage. The ill. lated workmen,
sweating with toll, heard the frightful crash, i,
and the next instant saw dmly through the
clouds Of dust, smoke and steam scores Of
men falling in all directions, bricks and
machinery flying through the air, while
shrieks and groans from wounded, dying
men penetrated their ears while yet the de-
brs was falling. 1t must have been a ter
rible moment. There was bright flash, a
crash, rumbling sound of falling debris,
screams and shouts, and then dead, pene-
trating silence. Men in the vicinity were
struck dumb, were petri6ed with consterna-
ton but soon the silence, more awful on
account of the tremendous report, was brok-
en- by groans.which reused all to activity
and hundreds OF willing and anxious hands
rushed To the rescue. Men and boys lay
thick strewn upon the ground in every di-
rection; the escaping steam assembled in
clouds through the holes made in the ROO
by the boiler pieces; quantities Of bricks
which had effected the fatal injuries, were
scattered about in every corner of the mill
Strange as it may seem, little or no damage
was done to the heavy machinery, and the
glass windows about the engine room were
left unbroken.
The furnace and boiler of No. Is. how.
ever, was complete wreck, the parts being
scattered far and wide. The brick work
surrounding the boiler, together with iron
beams, girders and massive wooden post
supporting the works, were broken and tori
from their positions and scattered in every
direction. The boiler was made of wrought
iron 5;l6 Of an inch thick. 1t weighed
about 1900 pounds, and burst nearly in til,
centre. 1t lay east and west, and the cas-
portion Of the boiler, containing the dome
was thrown directly out into the air, passing
up through the mill and outside the roof
just missing stack. The dome struck th,
outer edge of the lower roofand made hol
in it. This end of the boiler made a com
plete turn in Its flight, and landed $50 fee
from its original position, with the broker
, | aA fntu ha ~.
boiler was thrown out through the air
knocking away the foundation of the smoke
stack, which fell, and was landed 800 fee
away ON the hillside with its broken ent
east, showing that it did not revolve in 1t
fight. The break is straight around, cut
ting the boiler parallel with its head.
experience probably was the most wonderful
+ of any in the mill when the boiler exploded
He IS thiriy-one years old, aud had been i
D.. charge of the boiler for some years. He wa
frst notified of the supposed danger by Nj
I chael Boyle, puddler, who had been ser
to him by the engineer He looked at tn
water-guages and saw there were two guage
+ of water in the boiler, with the pump worh
r ing. He stopped of the water,gave order
> to draw the fires, and taking ladder locke
: into the fue chamber at the front of III
b'iler, He was unable to discover any
thing, and then told the night boss, job
! Sehenk, that he would look in at the bacl
= lie placed the ladder in position, nscende
3 it, and asked the helper, whom he did NJ
know-he being new man-to hold LAM
e This was done and he discovered a crack
hole extending fully two feet around Il
n under side of the boiler. He told the help,
50, and that person replied, "All right
'' The next moment the explosion occurre
e Saul was thrown backward with the ladde
5 and falling little to the side jus. escape
being crushed by the crumbling chime
D The force Of the explosion lifted the boil,
II over his head, missing him by son
d three inches, it is estimated. He was seal,
ed on the neck and head, and hurt on Il
:. left side, but is able 10 be around.-Hug
"A Gallagher was the helper, and was kille