The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-11
Seven Men Killed and About Twenty
Five Others More or Less Injured.
Some of the Bodies Burned to Ashes in the
Ruins-Tremendou Force of the Ex-
plOsiOn-List of Dead and Wounded.
SEVEN MEN KILLED.
Terrible Results of Boiler Explosion in q
Brazil Rolling Mill.

degrees below zero, and there was blowing a
Dakota blizzard, the town Of Brazil, twenty
miles east of here and in the center of the
Indiana coal region, was shaken as by an earth
quake, by terrific explosion. One of the boil
ers of the Central Iron and Steel Company's
rollingmill had exploded while between fifty
and seventy-fiv men were in its immediate
vicinity. The wreckage of the surrounding
structure was piled twenty feet high. Men ran
out of the spacious buildings of the mill,
some bearing marks of wounds, and all so fright
ened that they were for few minutes as so
many crazy people. The awful roar of escaping
steam that followed the first report of the explo
sion terrified many inhabitants of the place, who
had been reused from their sleep by the noise.
After the binding steam and dust had passed
away from the scene of the accident, and it was
considered safe to explore the ruins willing
hands began the work of digging in the debris
to learn how fatal the explosion had been.
The change from the night to the day turn
was being made when the boiler exploded.
Some of those who were quitting work joined
those who were about to begin their days labor,
and all were about the pudding furnaces that
were attached to the boiler those leaving to get
thoroughly warmed before starting home in tie
cold morning, and those who had come to work
to warm themselves after their walk in the frigid
atmosphere Of the morning Those who escaped
were aware that all these men had been congre-
gated about the boiler and that fifteen or twenty
tramps had spent the night crouched against the
battery of four boilers, of which the one that ex
ploded was a member In the excitement when
49,, ro1J.
aloud and no responses being heard, and the
heap of ruins indicated the Imprisonment of dy-
ing and dead, it was at first thought that there
had been at least twenty-five persons killed.
The removal of the debris was not task of ar
hour or two hours accomplishment. The build
ing covered surface of 75x50 feet, and was ~,
ing in ruins. The other boilers and their brick
foundations were heaped in the mass. and on
top of all had fallen the immense brick smoke
stack.
AS the men dug into the debris the means of
their felow-workmen could be heard above the
roaring of the gale. Here and there was seen the
form of a man, and as one was removed another
was found. A halfd wounded were taken
out of the splintered timbers of the fallen
building, carried to neighboring houses and to
the hotel in the town. Under the mass of
boilers and brick was discovered four roasted
and scalded bodies of men whose death,
judging from the positions in which
the bodies were found and their condition, must
have been instantaneous. One was that of
puddler who had just gone to work. In trying
to take him up the flesh, with the clothing, fell
away from the bones and all semblance of
human form was lost. and the little heap fell
from the hands of the workmen The remains
were gathered into box and carried away.
Another body was roasted almost beyond
recognition. The other two were recognizable,
one as that of a workman and another as that
of tramp. Soon fifth was unearthed,
with signs of life in the scalding
and bleeding flesh. Tenderly and carefully this
man was carried to another part of the mill, but
he died within half hour.
The work of rescue went on, but was directed
to the outskirts of the ruins, where, if any one
was yet imprisoned, there would be chance of
saving life, while further digging in the pile of
brick, iron and mortar about the fallen smoke
stack could only result in the recovery of the
bodies of the dead. By o'clock this evening
fully twenty-five men were reported confined
TO LHelF ueuS ny tncI Injuries, Iour
>f whom were reported in dying condition.
Three of these are tramps, whose identity is not
known.
The boiler was eighteen feet long, was less
than year old, and was of the best make 1t
burst at one end, and its course together with
the marvellous power exhibited, caused the most
remarkable feature of the accident Ten feet
from it was new brick smoke-stack sixty feet
high and on line with the boiler. The walls
of the stack were two feet thick The
explosion drove the boiler as the exploding
power speeds the sky-rocket, and the stack was
the first obstacle. The massive iron rocket went
through the stack as if toe latter had been so
much pasteboard; and the shapely tower fell in
the wake of the flying engine of destruction.
Twenty feet further on in the direct line of the
boiler as it lay in its proper position, was pre-
sented the middle of box freight car, filled
with brick; through this the boiler cut its way
without removing the wheels from the
track This car was alongside a frame
carpenter shop. The boiler still following
its straight course, tore sufficient hole in the
wall, went across the shop forty feet more, and
neatly Iaade a passage out at the other side
ACAc ~ Si uOn {" A1o Oolt anu, dibcr AuOckluR III
from the track, stopped in its fight, landing in
position that only slightly swerved from a bee
line from that which it received before it start
ed on its trip. There are, of course, many ex-
plantations of the cause of the explosion vary
ing from direct charge of negligence to a state
ment that it was owing to that mys-
ferrous power of steam to which
SO many boiler explosions are attrib-