The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-08-02
CRUSHED TO DEATH.
Terrible Accident in q Blast Furnace
Near Syracuse, n. Y.
Eight Men Buried Under 4 Hundred
Tons OF Brick and Mortar.
fpi.natch from syracuse. n. Yl

dispatch from Syracuse, N. "
A terrible accident occurred ct the Onon-
daga Iron Company's blast furnace mile
west OF this city, In Geddes For several
weeks the furnace has been unused, It being
out Of repair. Joseph Dawson, with gang
Of men, has been engaged for several days
in removing the inner and fire bricks from
the arch, leaving only the outer course
standing. The foreman considered this
course entirely secure. Without the slight
ct earning the arch caved in, burying the
woikmcn beneath 1t in mass Of bricks,
mortar, SCOT and asheR An alarm
at tho mill set Mt work with will
to remove the victims Unless than an hour
eight bodies were taken from the ruins.
Several hundred people were ut the scene.
Sons, daughters, and wives wept frantically
Us the bodies were removed People gath
cred In knots in the village Of Geddes or
hurried to the scene Of the casualty. Bust
ness was almost entirely suspended IN the
village, and the place looked as II stricken
by panic. 1t was fully five minutes after
the collapse before the dust cleared away
efficiently. 80 that the debris could be
viewed The weight OF the falling bricks
was 70 great that they were forced out Of
The openings In the furnace and crowded
several feet into the space around 1t.
The gang of eight men were lining the in
side Of the furnace. which is sixteen feet in
diameter and sixty feet high A small scat
fold was across the furnace ut hight Of
eight feet from the ground. 1t was said by
MI. Gtre, manager of the company, that It
was known that the lining of the upper part
was In dangerous condition. and that he
warned the men before they went in The
fellow workmen OF tho dead men said that
~sync ,nfE nn hat I1a 1iS,iu ~, q
dangerous STATE. Without warning the lin
ing OF tie upper part gave way, and sixty
tons of brick fell upon the men, Thesound
of the failing mass WAS muffied by the iron
walls and there was no crash. great cloud
Of dust blew out from the doors Of the fur
mace, filling the factory.
Men knew their fellows were inside that
iron tomb, but their eyes were blinded by
the clouds of dust land IL was several min
utes before they could grope their way in
side the furnace. With hoes and shoyels
they began work. and after digging near
bricks about four feet deep, they found the
lodies They wce crushed and broken
Their faces were covered with dust, which
had settled into the cuts and wounds made
by the falling bricks. and their hair and
boards were filled with the yellow powder.
While the men We're busy throwing out tho
debris they were frequently importuned
by their friends to leave the p ace ut once,
as they were working in imminent danger
every minute. They paid no heed, but
worked on with a will. More bricks were
liable to fall at any moment The fall Of
one brick from such height would kill q
man outright
The news of the tragedy spread from the
blast furnace to the homes of the men who
were killed Women and children wailing
and crying fastened 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 filed the air rs,
like 50 many sacks. the bodies were lifted
into WAGONS and driven through the village
At the little cottages women stood with
aprons to their e,es, and even the little
children stopped rla,ing. The excitement
among the employees aud many outside L.
boring men was intense The loudest and
most open threats were heard to shoot both
Manager Gere and the general foreman, who
were both present The impression pre-.
vailed among these excited men that they
were criminallv negligent In allowing the
men to go into the furnace to work in the
condition in which 1t was The police were
called in to qnell any disturbance.