St. Landry democrat., 1883-12-29

Erightful Explosion III the
works at Pittsb,rsh-Six men ihj"'''
Three FatalIy-Cause of the ilsfs's'
PITTSBURGH, PA, Dec. Is.
Al II ~ o'clock to-day, while gang OF
men in the employ of the Empire Oli-"otHs
were eating their dinner in the boiier-shea'
a 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 ali difec'
,ions Six men were injured. Its thonghS1
two and nerhaps 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-hve-
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 wears: recovery doubtful.
The works are located on the south sloe-
of the Allegheny Valley Railroad, between
the road and Butter street, ana apou' o'o
wards from the railroad station at the emu
of the Sharpsburg bridge. They are o"nee
by D. Z. Reigha & CO., OF this city. Inc
| boilers. of which there were tour IN 'he
| shed, were said to be IN good condlIloIi'
/ strong and not very old. They were IL
| censed to carry ninety pounds of stean1,
/ hut at the time of the explosion were car
/ rying between sixty and seventy pounds.
| Tnev were in charge of John Lee, the fire.
man. who was regarded as a careful man
/ and one who had had considerable expert
ence in that line of business.
Al the time of the explosion Wesley
/ Pom. his son Johnny and Samuel Hender....
/ con we're sitting with their backs to one OF
/ the batteries. The shed is small and built,
/ Of rough boards, and is located at the cage
/ of a steep bank leading to the river, Wniles
in front of it is deep ditch net%een lne
/ the foreman of the works, was staAdlng on
/ a rar platform across the track, While w H.
/ Fisher and Lee were standing by the door;
/ one other man had just given nus seat
| against the boiler to Henderson ana lelo
| the shed. when the explosion occurred.
The three men nearest the boilers We're
burled out with mass of bricks, planks
and fragments of iron, which partlaliy
covered them. Fisher was struck with ny =
s ing bricks and hot ashes, as was also Lee.
a olot of the debris which was thrown
across the track struck Schmidt in the face
A bnue smokestack fell across the rails two.
feet on one side of him, while fragment
of the boiler six feet long fell not four iees,
away on the other side.
An alarm of fire from box 50 was lmne-r
diately sound ed and the engines we're soon
i on the ground. They We're not much need,
ed. and the fireman and the crowd that was
. attracted to the place set to work TO reileve;
, | the injured.
+ba fore and upper part of the body and
nod large cash cut in tn, left side OF his
fare. It is thought he will not recover. He
has large family.
Johnny Roup was burned IN the race ana
neck. and was cut in several places by fly
!, ing bricks. one gasn peihS III ene sito u e,ie
Fisher was cut in the forehead and in the
head in several places, beside being severe
: " burned. He complains OF an intense m
! ternal pain and is thought TO nave inhaAeu
: the escaping steam
Henderson was hit with brick in the
hack of the head and cut badly.
lee. the fireman, was burned seriously
, |. he was struck with piec OF iron, and Is
l also supposed to have inhaled steam.
Schmidt, the foreman, had his nose
: crushed and his cheek cut, but was able 70
assist hose who Jared worse than he did
There would doubtless have been an ex,
:. plosion of the second battery OF boilers anu
: more disastrous results had 1t not been 1oi
;, the presence of mind of an employee named
( chapman. AS SOou dS Guc SAE11ootoAi 49,
4 place, and while the fragments were yet in
the air, shooting in all directions, Chap
!. man jumped upon the adjoining battery O.
: boilers and relieved the safety-valve OF tbs
pressure upon it, otherwise tits not lmproh
i able that that battery also would have eS
, ploded.
> As usual there is difference of opinion
as to the cause of the explosion, but ex
!. perts generally agree that the boilers Wer'
> sound and that low water caused tn
! trouble. There is difference between Mr.
:. Reighard and Boiler Inspector Ford as to tn
:, time they were last inspected. The In
i spector's books contain no mention OF
!, later inspection than January 1881. MI
a Reighard asserts that the last inspection
Is was less than year ago. In support
20 the low-water theory, it is stated that Dor
u tions of the iron were burnt. John Lee, tn
- engineer and firement who would be re
"a sponsible i'll this event, is too badly injure.
is to make statement. The man who 1ef
id the shed before the explosion occurre
is states, however, that about fifteen minute
J before the disaster he saw Lee run waite
= into the boilers.
E Il i .