Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-24
LANCAsTER DAILY LIIGENCER TUESDAY july 24.
FALL OF A FURNACE.

FALL OF A FURNACE.
A rEknIBLE CALAMITY AT SYRACUSE.
hight Aen Killed. In m InsssDt-Crushed to
Death Uadsr . Asss Of Bsicks,
Mortar aud Ashes.
At the Onondaga iron company's blast
furnace, about half mile west of Syra-
cuse, N. Y, in Geddes, Joseph Dawson,
with gang of men, has been engaged for
several days in removing the inner or fire
bricks Of the arch, leaving only the outer
course standing. The foreman considered
this course entirely safe. Without the
slightest warning Monday afternoon the
arch caved in, burying the workmen
beneath it in the mass of bricks, mortar,
SCOT and ashes. An alarm was at once
given and the men at the mill set at work
with a will to remove the victims. In
less than an hour eight bodies were
taken from the rains. The scene at
the mill beggars description. Several
hundred people were at the place.
Sons, daughters and wives wept frantic
ally as the dead bodies were removed.
People gathered in knots in the vii
lage of Geddes or hurried to the scene
of the casualty. Business was almost en-
tirely suspended in the village and the
place looked as if stricken by panic. It
was fully five minutes after the calamity
before the dust cleared away, SO that the
debris could be viewed. The force of the
falling bricks was SO great that they were
forced out of the openings in the furnace
and crowded several feet into the space
about it. Patrick Cannon, an emplOye Of
the works, was the first to hear the crash.
He stood only few feet distant. He was
nearly blinded by the dust. Mr.. Cannon
rushedaround to the front of the building
and gave the alarm. my God, it was
awful" said Mr.. Cannon. 81 had just
left the vicinity of the furnace followed
by William White, who was helper and
| carrying bricks to the masOns. He barely
escaped being killed with the others. Joe
Dawson was the head mason. Jack Barry
been employed in tho works for some time
| in operation. The works were shut down
| started.'
A List of tho Killed.
The following is list of victims, all Of
whom were killed outright:
Barry, John, was married, but had no
children. He is the only one of the victims
who was heard to make any outcry.
Carroll, Michael, was married and the
father of two children.
Dawson, Joseph, the head mason, who
had formerly been employed at the rolling
mills. He leaves wife and ten chill
dren.
| Fogarty, John, who was single man
and tho support of an aged and widowed
| mother.
Hefty, Frank, German, who was mar
ried and had family.
| Lyden, Anthony, has been married three
years aud was the father of one child.
Regan, David, married aud leaves an
invalid wife and family.
Wendell, John, had been at work but a
short time and but little is known about
him. He had family.
Tho Place Known to be Dangerous.
The gang of eight men were lining the
inside of the furnace, which is sixteen
feet in diameter aud sixty feet high. A
small scaffOld was across the furnace at
the height of eight feet from the ground.
1t was said by Mr.. Gere, the manager OF
the company, that it was known that the
lining of the upper part was in danger
GUS condition and that he warned the men
before they went in. The hefellOw.wOrkmen
of the dead men said that it was not
known that the lining was in a dangerous
state. Without signal or warning the
lining Of the upper part gave way aud
sixty tons of brick fell upon the men. The
sound of the falling mass was muffled by
the iron walls and there was no crash. A
/ o1n,pA nf Anot hloD from, t1o
doors of the furnace, filling the factory.
Men knew that their fellows were inside OF
that iron tomb, but their eyes were blinded
by the clouds of dust and it Was several
minutes before they could grope their way
inside of the furnace. With hoes and
shovels men began to dig out the mass OF
bricks, pitching them on to the floor.
After digging nearly half an hour and
throwing out q mass of bricks about four
feet deep they found the bodies.
They were crushed and broken. Their
faces were covered with dust which had
settled into the cuts and wounds made by
falling bricks, and their hair aud boards
we're covel I'D with the yellow powder.
While the men were busy throwing out
the debris they were frequently impor
tuned by their friends to leave the place
at once. as they were working in immi-
nent danger every minute. They paid no
heed but worked on with will. The fall
of one brick from such height would kill
o man outright. The bricks are fire proof
and are about Is inches long ard 6 inches
square at the end. They weigh from 80
to 10 pounds each.
At this time it is impossible to give any
intelligent idea of the injuries tho men
sustained or whether death was the result
of suffocatiOn. They are all cut and
bruised and their bodies present ghastly
spectacle. The news of the tragedy spread
from tho blast furnace to the homes Of the
men who were killed. Women and chill
dren, wailing and crying, hastened to the
furnace. The limp, shattered bodies were
carried out by men whose faces were
stern and set and laid on the bare ground.
Sobs filled the air as, like SO many sacks,
the bodies were lifted into open wagons
and driven down through the village. At
| the little cottages women stood with
aprons to their eyes and even the children
stopped playing. The excitement among
the employees and many outside laboring
men was intense.
Tho Managers Threatened.
Open threats of violence were heard.
Excited men were heard to volunteer to
shoot both Manager Gore aud the general
foreman, who were both present. The i'm
preston prevailed among the excited peo-
pie that they were criminally negligent in
allowing the men to 20 into the furnace to