The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-08
BOILER EXPLOSION.
ELEVEN PERSONS BADLY BURN.
ED, SIX FATALLY.
Terrible Scenes witnessed After the
ExplOsiOn-Iist Of Victims.
A Daring stags Robbery IN Texas
Yesterday.

49, AANA@ Il
PTrTsBURG, Pa, Oct. 2.-Shortly after
8 O'Clock thiss morning tbs. battery OF
boilers at the Solar Iron works of Clark
s. Co, on Third street. exploded with
disastrous effect. The night Iturn had
lust been released by the day force when |
asIoud explosion startled the workmen,
and that portion Of the works in the
vicinity of the boilers was filled with
cloud of death-deaIing steam. Through
the dense mist came shrieks and groans
which notified tthe employees aDeyond
harms reach that frighttul calamity
had overtAken q portion Of their fellow
workmen. As soon as the steam set
tied down g rush was made for the spot
where the explosion occurred, when II
WAS ascertained that the mud drum OF
the boilers had exploded and the escap- |
ing steam had scalded seventeen men |
Closer investigation showed that OF this |
number fourteen were badly burned and |
three fatally. The names Of The injured
were: Frank Martin, badly scalded about
the face and arms and Will not live.
James Cattoe was fatally scalded and
had the top of his head almost severed
by a piece of flying IRON. Frank Muir
raw, q boy, was terribly burned and his
| injuries are fatal. Thomas Stein, q boy,
was badly scalded. William Daniels, 9
| boy, was scalded and injured ny living
debris. David Richards, q boy, was
| scaIded and had an arm broken. VIM.
Orth, roller, was badly scalded. Frank
Good, q boy, badly cut on the head
4 Patrick Henderson, q shearsmans eerl-
| ously scalded and injured by flying de
/ - TNarvsA badly
scalded. Joseph Gesso, boy, scalded.
| but not seriously. VIM. Simpson, boy,
scalded and injured by debris. Charles
Haywood. a puddler, seriously hurt by
flying debris. Joseph Steiner, assistant
engineer, badly bruised and slightly
cut. Joseph Neff. boy, badly scalded.
Bart Henderson, gusgers terribly
burned and probably will not recover
Scarcely had the hills ceased to reveT-
berate the tones of the explosion when
the frenzied and frightened wives,
mothers and children began to rush
upon the scene and peer anxiOusly into
the faces OF gasping, dying men. SEEKING
to identity their loved ones, or lnqu1riDg
In agonized tones If they had escaped.
The injured were found lying in all po-
sitions, some were 50 far away from the
boilers that il seemed impossible that
they could have been injured by the ex
ploslon, and ihe large number Of boys
hurt is accounted for by the tact that
they were employed to handle hoop iron,
| which was rolled in the mill nearest the
boilers. II ives fully twenty minutes
after the explosion before Frank Murray
was taken from under the truck where
he was thrown, in addition to being
scalded. He was terribly crushed by
the weight of iron piled onto him. Jas.
Cattoe and Frank Martin suffered
most from escaping steam, but no
hopes are entertained for the recovery OF
either of the three named. The Others
are expected TO recover, but the major
ity will carry marks to remind them OF
their experience as long as they i've
Those most seriously hurt were taken 10
the West Pennsylvania hospital, while
the others were removed TO their homes
The boilers, six in number, form G
battery. which is in the extreme south.
west corner of the mill. The mud drum
runs lengthwlse under all the six boilers
and it was the end of this that blew Out
with such fearful force as to scatter de-
struction on all sfdes. All the boilers
were unsested, two OF them tilted back
: some on their ends. In the rear the
, whole wall of masonry was moved out
| ward. Large stacks of hoop iron were
5 blown all ever the mill. Machines were
upset. rolls rolled all over the uoOr anO
: the iron machines and benches were al
thrown together In lnextrica6le masses
, OF debris, under which several of the
men were buried. MIR. Powers, chic
engineer of the mill. saye the boilers anC
, the mud drum were inspected by the
Hartford Boiler Insurance company two
months ago and were then pronounced
, safe. He was certain that they were al
right when he left last evening, and
/ could only account for the explosion OF
3 the ground that The iron in the mud
drum was too weak 70 stand the pres
, sure to which it was subjected.
t Thos. Cattoe and Jno. Murray died q
I West Pennsylvania hospital this morn
l ing. Three or four others are not ex-
{ pected to recover. The explosion wa
. caused by mud eating through the cast
ing of the mud drum. Pieces OF thu
: drum were picked up not more than 1
/ thirtieth part Of an inch in thickness.