Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-12-27
FATEFUL BuRsT.
Works at Pistsbureh-Six Men Injured,
Three Eatal.y-Ceuse Of the Disaster.


Three Eatally-Ceuse OF the Disaster.
PITTsBUReH. Pa Dec. 10
t11:55 O'Clock to-day, while a gang Of
men in the employ of the Empire Oil-works>
were eating their dinner y 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 sInok-stacks in all direc--
tions. Six men were injured. tits thought
two and perhaps three will die. The names
of the injured are:
Samuel Henderson, boiler maker, agedz
twenty-eight years and married; viii re-
cover.
Wesley Roup, machinist, aged forty-fve-
years and married; probably fatal.
John Roup, boy; viii recover.
John Lee, engineer and fireman, aged1
forty years; probably fatal.
Emil Schmidt, foreman; will recover.
William Fisher. electrician, aged twensy.-
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 500
yards from the railroad station at the end
of the Sharpsburg bridge. They are ownedt
by D. T. Reighard & Co., of this city. The
boilers, of whiCb there were four in the
shed, were said to be in good condition,
strong and not very old. They were liz
censod to carry ninety pounds of steam,>
GIt at the time of the explosion were carr
rying between sixty and seventy pounds
They were in charge Of John Lee, the fire.
nan, who was regarded as a careful man>
and one who had had considerable experi--
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 builts
of rough boards, and is located at the edge.
of a steep bank leading to the river, while,
in front of it is a deep ditch between they
shed and the railroad track. E. Schmidt.
the foreman of the works, was standing on
a car platform across the track, while Wn1
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 partiallyS
covered them. Fisher was struck with fiy-
ing bricks and hot ashes, 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 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 sound ed and the'engines were soon
on the ground. They were not much need
attracted to the place set towork to relieves
the injured.
Wesley Roup was terribly burned about.
the face and upper part of the body. and
had a large cash cut in tn left side of his.
face. 1t is thought he will not recover. He.
has large family.
Johnny Roup was burned in the face and
neck. and was cut in 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
" burned. He complains of an intense in
ternal pain and is thought to have inhaled
the escaping steam.
Henderson was hit with a brick Gin the
back of the head and cut badly.
Lee, the fireman, was burned seriouslys.
he was struck with piec of iron, and is
also supposed to have inhaled steam.
Schmidt, the foreman, mad 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 employee 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 the safety-valve of the
pressure uponit, otherwise it is not improb--
able that that battery also would have ex--
ploded.
AS usual there is a difference of opinion.
rs " JIO cause OIL Inc eA ptOSIOAs Dub GA
perts generally agree that the boilers Were
sound and that low water caused the
trouble. There is 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 a
later inspection than January 1881 Mr..
Reighard asserts that the last inspection
was less than 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 firemen, who would be re-
sponsibIe in this event, is too badly injured
to make a statement. The man who left
the shed before the explosion occurred
states, however, that about fifteen minutes
before the disaster he saw Lee run water
into the boilers.