Daily Republican., 1883-01-23
TnIKLKTON RXPLOSIOH.
A BollsS IL the Logger Paper Mills
Expledes and kllis 'ws Men asd
~n-uA. R.~s,a AsAA~n

A BollsS IL the Logger Paper Mills
Explsdes and Kilis I'VE Non a.
wounds Sight Oshors.
The following 10 tho Philadelphia
Ledger report of the explosion At its
paper mills, near Elkton, yesterday:
"Ths Ledger Paper Mills. situated
on Little Elk oreeK, about four miles
north OF nlkton, we're the, scene OF a
sad disaster yesterday morning Ths
mills are occupied exclusively in the
msn afacture of paper upon which to
print the Public Ledger, the materials
used being principally straw, with An
admixture Of waste paper, and are IN
der the direction Of Mr.. Henry l.. Car.
ter.
At seven o'clock, about the time work
was commencing At the mills, a tre-
meudous explosion was heard, and IL
stsntly large transept of the mill,
with heavy stone foundations and tim
Der uperstrncture, In which were To-
Gated the "straW boilers" was in
ruins two work men had met their
deaths and eight others were more or
less badly injured. 1t was soon found
that ooe Of the these boilers had OK,
Eloied with immense force.
There was q pair of the straw boilers
In that portion Of the mill. They are
6 feet in diameter by 20 feet long, and
weigh IL, 900 pounds each. They ara
subjected toa pressure OF about 100
pounds to the square inch in the pro-
cess of man ufscture Of paper. The short
cut straw Is packed In them, the prop
or chemical liquors added, they are
then sealed up and steam turned on to
reduce the straw to pulp, the boilers
then revolve rapidly to keep the mass
agitated. The one that exploded lhad
been thoroughly overhauled within the
last two weeks and new steel head,
weighing over 5000 pounds, put In, in
place of the old cast-iron one.
The explosion entirely demolished
the transept in which 1t occurred. The
head of the boiler was carried q dis
tanco Of at least $50 feet, and fell in the
mud In q deld above the mill. The
shell OF the exploded boiler was blown
by the cscoil back through the other
wall OF the mill and landed com pleteiy
outside, demolishing the wall. The
twin boiler to the one that exploded
was not yet In operation, but q man
named James Beebe, was inside Of il,
packing the straw, preparatory to
making up the paper mixture. BY the
force of the explosion this boiler was
thro WI distance Of twenty or thirty
feet, directly iutO the mill-race, where
it struck with the man-nole upward,
and Beebe came out uninjured. After
ward he displayed great herosim and
presence of mind in caring for the
wounded and searching for the dead.
The saddest part of the story mains
to be told. Patrick Mccormick, 4s
years old, vino has been employed at
the mills since 1857, and WHO, at the
time OF the expl os!on, was the upper
story throwing straw down TO fill the
second boiler, was ins antly killed, his
body being thrown 100 feet through
the air. He leaves d wife and eight
children.
John Garrett, SO years old, who was
in the same part of the mill, was kill
ed, and his body found In the debris
after six hours search. He leaves a
wife and two children, both grown
up.
The wounded are John Dinsmore,
fireman, head painfully cut injuries
painful, but not dangerous.
Charles Kelly, works in the straw
house scalded and cut in the head.
Edward Knight, boy, cut and bruis.
ed.
Robert Diusmore, works in straw
i,t ha a I1,p
James Hartnet', bleach mixer; bad y
hurt II head and shoulder.
Henry Spence, bOsa o. tho straw
house, was thrown through the root a
distance of nearly 100 feet, and on y IT,
ceived sprain Of the wrist.
Joseph Yocum, the engineer, had his
head severely cut.
In the afternoon, Coroner Perry
Lizen berg, of Cecil county, held an in
quest on the remains o. the killed.
whom the following verdict va ron
dered
1--WE find that death was CIR sed BY
reason of an explosion of rCtar! oier
at the paper mill of George ". Child.
located In the Third District of Cecil
county, Md, on the 22h day of Janua-
ry, 1888, producing conclusion OF the
brain. death being instantaneous, and
that, after due examination ard DELHI
Grafton, we believe tho explosi on to
have been purely accidental, and not
the result of any carel essness on the
part Of the owner, superintendent OF
employees
As soon as news OF the disaster was
at the Ledger Office, IN Phila
delphia, Mr.. Childs AT once telegraphah
TO ElkJon 10 have surgeons aud all ne
cessaries supplied TO the wounded, aud
that their families aud those OF the two
dead men should be carefully provided