The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-27
A FATEFUL BURST.
Frighfful Explosion in the Empire OIL
Works at Pittsburgh-Six Men Injured,
Three FataIly-Cause of the Disaster.

FrISnfIul Explosion IN the Empire Ou
Works at Pittsburgh-Six Men Injured,
Three FataIly-Cause of the Disaster.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Dec IS.
At 11:55 o'clock to-day, while a gang Of
men in the employ of the Empire OiI-works
! were eating their dinner in the boiler-shed,
battery of two boilers exploded with ter
rible force, wrecking the sheds, scattering
bricks, pieces of machinery, fragments OF
the boilers and smok-stacks in all direc-
tions. Six men were injured. 1t is thought
two and perhaps three will die. The names
of the injured are:
Samuel Henderson, boiler maker, aged
twenty-eight years and married; will re-
! cover.
Wesley Roup, machinist, aged forty-fve
years and married; probably fatal.
John Roup, a boy; will recover.
John Lee, engineer and fireman, aged
forty years; probably fatal.
Emil Schmidt, foreman; will recover.
William Fisher, electrician, aged twenty
eight years; recovery doubtful.
The works are located on the south side
of the Allegheny Valley Railroad, between
the road and Butter street, and about 800
yards from the railroad station at the end
of the Sharpsburg bridge. They are owned
by D. z. Reighard & Co., of this city. The
boilers, of which there were four in the
shed, were said to be in good condition,
strong and not very old. They were IL
censed to carry ninety pounds of steam,
but at the time of the explosion were car
rying between sixty and seventy pounds.
They were in charge of John Lee, the fire.
Ii ,f,,I,
and one who had had considerable expert.
ence in that line of business.
At the time of the explosion Wesley
Roup, his son Johnny and Samuel Hender-
son were sitting with their backs to one OF
the batteries. The shed is small and built
of rough boards, and is located at the edge
of a steep bank leading to the river, while
in front of it is deep ditch between the
shed and the railroad track. Z. Schmidt,
the foreman of the works, was standing on
a car platform across the track, while VIM.
Fisher and Lee were standing by the door;
one other man had just given his seat
against the boiler to Henderson and left
the shed, when the explosion occurred.
The three men nearest the boilers were
hurled out with mass of bricks, planks
and fragments of iron, which partially
covered them. Fisher was struck with fly
ing bricks and hot ashes, as was also Lee.
A lot of the debris which was thrown
across the track struck Schmidt in the face.
A huge smokeStack fell across the rails two
feet on one side of him, while a fragment
of the boiler six feet long fell not four feet
away on the other side.
An alarm of fire from box s. was imme-
diately sounded and the engines were soon
on the ground. They were not much need
ed. and the fireman and the crowd that was
attracted to the place set to work to relieve
the injured.
Wesley Roup was terribly burned about
the face and upper part of the body and
had large cash cut in tn left side of his
face. 1t is thought he will not recover. He
has a large family.
Johnny Roup was burned in the face and
neck. and was cut i'll several places by fly
ing bricks, one cash being in the side of the
head.
Fisher was cut in the forehead and in the
head in several places, beside being severe
ternal pain and is thought to have inhaled
the escaping steam.
Henderson was hit with brick in the
back of the head and cut badly.
Lee, the fireman, was burned seriously;
he was struck with piec of iron, and is
also supposed to have inhaled steam.
Schmid;, the foreman, had his nose
crushed and his cheek cut, but was able TO
assist hose who Jared worse than he did.
There would doubtless have been an ex-
plOsion of the second battery of boilers and
more disastrous results had it not been for
the presence of mind of an employe named
Chapman. As soon as the explosion took
place, and while the fragments were yet in
the air, shooting in all directions, Chap
man jumped upon the adjoining battery OF
boilers and relieved tie safety-valve of the
pressure upon ii, otherwise it is not improb-
able that that battery also would have ex-
ploded.
As usual there is difference of opinion
as to the cause of the explosion, but ex-
perts generally agree that the boilers were
sound and that low water caused the
trouble. There is a difference between Mr..
Reighard and Boiler Inspector Ford as to the
time they were last inspected. The In
spector's books contain no mention of
later inspection than January 1881. Mr..
Reighard asserts that the last inspection
was less than a year ago. In support of
the low-water theory, it is stated that por-
tiOns OF the iron were burnt. John Lee, the
engineer and tfremen, who would be re
sponsible in this event, is too badly injured
to make statement. The man who left
the shed before the explosion occurred
states, however, that about fifteen minutes
before the disaster lie saw Lee run water
into the boilers.