St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-13

the little repair shop back of NJ A. Bigford's
safe establishment, No. $50 jackson street,
which will probably result in the destruction of
the eye sight of one man.
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
Mr.. Bigford is the agent OF the Hall Safe and
Lock company. Back of his store he has cheap
frame building in which he repairs safes that
have been injured in fires. Yesterday the two
men who are engaged doing the repairing
named J. E. Strauss and Andreas Plump,
were at work restoring safe that had
been scorched. The safe itself was about six
feet in height, and the men were engaged
strengthening out the plates or sides of the safe
that had deem warped by the heat. This is done
by means of what is called blower, from which
q blaze OF extreme heat is forced against the
plates, which renders it easy to straighten them.
This blower is about eighteen inches in length
and about two and one-half inches in
diameter and is made of wrought iron. This
blower is partly filed with gasoline and then
heated, which forms a gas inside. From one
end Of the blower, through perferation, the gas
escapes, which on being lighted burns making q
great heat. The blower which exploded yester-
day morning made by Straus himself
who has made and used great number of them
before, and who never before had any difficulty
with them, and never had the least idea that it
was possible to explode one of them. This one,
like the others that he has made, was con-
structed of piece of gas pipe, an burst right in
the seam, where the iron was welded together
Yesterday morning he put the gasoline into it,
as he had done Kindred times before, and
placed it upon the FIRE in the forge for the pur-
pose of heating it. The forge was not more
than ten feet from the safe. and was small
light one, with sheet iron
apron over it. Plump worked
the bellows. When they thought it was hot
enough Strauss started to take it off the Goals
| when it burst. The explosion broke out several
/ of the windows, shattered the sky light and
| deluged the whole shop with Goals and cinders,
| filing the faces OF the men with hot Goals and
| cinders. OF course. the men were blinded. and
unable to do anything for themselves. The
| sound of the explosion brought good many
people to the scene, who Immediately took the
| two unfortunate men to the drug store on the
| corner OF Fourth and Jackson streets, where
| everything was done for them that could
be, and Dr. Quinn attended TO their
| injuries as well as the nature OF the
case would permit. On examining the injuries
received by the two men it was discovered that
Strauss was not seriously injured he having been
burned on the hands and face. Mr.. Plump was
| treated much worse. 1t seems that a mass of
| cinders and live Goals were blown right into his
face, and he suffered very severe pain all the
| time. Both men were taken TO the Office of DR..
Fulton, the occulist, and apparently well ground
| ed fears were entertained that Mr.. Plump
| would be deprived of the sight OF
both his eyes From DR.. Fulton 5
| office both men were removed to St. Joseph
| hospital where it thought they
/ could receive the best treatment Both
| men had their faces covered with cotton satur-
ated with some kind Of soothing liquid. On in
blower, or tie gas pipe Of which il was made,
was burst open and it is thought by the men
that there must have been defect in the seam
| and that the gas escaping had ignited, which
caused the explosion. Straus Is q single man and
| IL % years OF age Pump Is married but has nc
! children and IS Is years OF age. Both men ar
German and are held IN high esteem by aIl who
| know them