Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-02-15
a Boiler Explosion.

About O'Clock on the morning of the 9th
inst, the boiler in Benjamin j. Grier's large
saw mill at Charlotte burst, instantly killing
Mr.. Grier, the proprietor, and William Gordon,
the engineer This mill is situated near the
Chicago & Grand Trunk railroad and not far
from the center of the city. The first thing
heard was a sharp report and the air was in
stantly filled with missiles of every description.
The shock Jared the buildings all over Char
lotte, and broke lights of glass In some that
were blocks away. The mill is q total wreck,
and the building was torn To kinding wood.
The boiler, which was of the heaviest kind of
iron, and built in the strongest possible man
ner, was torn completely in two by the explo-
sion and rolled out perfectly fiat. The engi-
neer's head was blown off. Thomas Sadler, an
employe, was in the mill at the time but escap-
cd without a scratch. Mr.. Gricr was the most
popular and active business man in Charlotte.
At the inquest held the following day con-
corning the death of Benjamin Grier and Wn.
Gordon Thomas Sader, the man who escaped
unhurt, gives the following facts concerning
the disaster: At one minute to o'clock he
came TO the mill and Mr.. Grier and Gordon
stood talking together. As Sadler passed up
the stairs MIR Grier stood by the boiler with his
watch in one hand and the whistle cord in the
other, ready To blow the whistle as he often
did. AS Sadler stepped back from the stairs
about ten feet from him he heard Il sound and
dust was thrown upon him; timbers began to
fall, and realizing that an explosion had occur
red he stopped down. Timbers fell on every
side of him, and machinery weighing about a
ton fell fro::; above, just touching his clothes.
He then called To Mr. Grier, but receiving no
answer, crawled out OF the ruins. The spot
where Sadler stood is the only one in the build
ing where he would not have been instantly
killed. Mr.. Grier was blown ten feet through
a partition among timbers, and was pinned To
the ground by the large saw frame from above.
His neck was broken, also his legs aud arms,
He received several other wounds and his
skull was crushed. 1t was nearly an hour after
help arrived before he could be eXtricated.
VIM. Gordon, the engineer, had his head
blown entirely of and was found twenty feet
from where he stood when the explosion oc-
cured. He had worked in this mill and an
other one, which burned, over twenty years.
Grier's mills seemed fated az two others stand
ing on that spot had burned. The other men
who worked in the mill were all providentially
late this morning, and this alone saved them.
strange incident occurred the night
before the terrible accident, Mr.. Grer
slept with his oldest boy, lad of nine
years, and before be felt asleep told him he felt
that he should not live long but wished him TO
be good and take care of his mother At the
inquest 10 cause for the explosion was found.
Sadlcr thought the boiler had plenty of water,
but that they had nearly twice the usual
amount of steam On for starting. Nothing
further will probably ever be known. MIR.
Grier had lived here for score of years and
was loved by all. Mr.. Grier leaves n family Of
five small children and an aged mother