Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-12-19
A BOILER EXPLOSION
At Reishard & Co.'s Oil Refinery
al Pittsburgh.
Two Men are Fatally and Four Others
Dangerously Wounded-The Explo-
sion Caused By Low Water
In the Boilers.

PITTsBURC, December lS-At i've min
utes of twelve o'clock to-day, while gang
of men in the employ of the Empire Oh
Works were eating their dinner in the
boiler shed, a battery OF two boilers ex
plo3ed with terrific force, wrecking the
sheds, scattering bricks, pieces Of ma
chinery, fragments OF the boilers and
were very badly injured. The works are
located on the south side Of the Allegheny
Valley railroad, between the road and But
Ter street and about five hundred yards
from the railroad station at the end OF the
Sharpsburg bridge. They are owned by
y. p. Reighard X 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 90 pounds of steam, but at
the time oil the explosion were carrying be-
tween 90 and 20 pounds. They were in
charge OF John Lee, the fireman, who was
Regarded ~ n Careful Man
and one who had had considerable expert
ence in that line Of business. At the time
-of the explosion Wesley Roup, gas filter,
his son JOhuny, a boy fourteen years old,
and Samuel Henderson, a boiler maker,
we're sitting with theil backs to one OF the
batteries. Tie shed is small and built of
rough boards. and is located at the edge Of
a steep hank leading to the liver, while in
front Of il is a deep ditch between the shed
and the railroad track. f.. Schmidt, the
foreman OF the works, was standing on a
car platform across the track, while Fred
eriCS Fisher, a Western Dnion Telegraph
repairman, and a German named Joe
Schultz were standing 5y the boiler shed
door. All of these men were hurt. The
three nearest the boilers We're hurled out
with mass OF bricks, pIanks and frag-
msnts of iron, which partially covered
them. Fisher was
Struck with Flying Bricks and Hot
Ashes
as was also Schultz 4 lot OF the debris
which was thrown across the track struck
schmidt in the face. \ huge smoke stack
fell across the rails two ieet 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 - was i'm
mediately sounded, and the engines were
soon on the ground, They were not much
needed, but the firemen at once went to
work 10 aid in taxing the wounded men
from the ruins. Carriages were promptly
sent for in Sharpsburg, and ROup, Lee,
Johnny Roup and Henderson were taken
70 the hospital. ROup was terribly burned
about the face and upper part Of the body.
aud had large cash cut in the left side Of
his face. 1t is thought
He viii Not Recover.
lie lives near Ha;ghts Run, in the Nine
teeth ward. and has 8 large family.
JoN MY Ruup waS also burned in the face
snd neck and cut in several places by fly
ing bricks, one cash in the side of the head.
Fisher was fatally hurt. He was cut in
the forehead and in the head in several
places. besides being severely burned. He
complains OF an intense pain in his side.
Henderson was hit with q brick in the
back OF the bead and cut badly. Lee, the
fireman, was burned seriously; was struck
with a piece of iron. and says he has fear
ful pain in mis- side. Shultz was burned
and cut, but was not much hurt Schmidt,
the foreman. had his nose crushed and his
cheek cut, tut was able to assist those wlO
fsred worse than he dit.
Ii seems c. rtain that
The Explosion was Cau>ed by Low
Water,
as the boilers show evidence OF being
burned. Lee was too baiiy hurt TO talk,
and the others knew nothing about how
the wster stood, The works, OF course. are
stopped by the accident. The damage will
smOunt 10 $EnnO or $1,000. IL is probable
that the second OF battery boilers would
hsve exploded Il a workman named Cuap
usu had not climbed over the hot RUNS
and raised the safety valve.