Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-19
MACON FATALLY SHAKEN.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
SPREAD BY A BOILER.

The Bibb Manufacturing COmpany's
Engineer Horribly y N MaDgled--rwO Fire
men Blown Many Feet. but Escaped
with MiraculOusiy Slight Injuries
Criminal Neglect CharE ed-SlO o 900 in
Damage.
MACON, GA, May 1S.--People living in
the northern part of the city were
awakened this morning by loud report
which resembled the sound of an earth
quake, the cOncussion rafting windows
doors and causing the earth to tremble.
The cause OF the conclusion was the
bursting of a boiler at mill No. / of the
Bibb Manufacturing Company. AS was
his usual custom, Austin Gibson, the en-
gineer, Wesley Johnson ard VIM. Lester,
the firemen, all cOlored, started the fire
under the immense boilers in the early
hours of the morning. At $3.50 o'clock
the bell tapped for the operatives to com
mence work. Steam was turned on and
the ponderous machinery Of the concern
began its revolutions.
MOMENT OF ALARM.
Before the echo of the bell died out, aud
before the operatives had touched their
machines, without a note of warning, a
loud report startled the operatives and
shook the building from one end to tire
other, causing the widest confusion
among them. One of the boilers had eX-
ploded, carrying death and destruction in
It's path. Five immense boilers, about the
size Of locomotive, furnish steam for
the machinery. They sit in a row and
are covered over with brick. AS the
steam was turned on, the boiler in the
centre exploded, the front end parting
and shooting up in the air, tearing the
roof off and going over the three-stOry
building, landing twenty-five yards
away in the street in front of the struc-
ture.
WEIGHT OF THE MISSILE.
The piece weighed about 900 pounds.
The rest OF the boiler, which would weigh
about $500 pounds, made a straight shoot
as il from cannon, going 10
yards through two 1S-inch brick
walls, scaling the other boilers
upon their sides and making a wreck
of the engine and boiler rooms. Austin
Gibson, the engineer, was found in the
ruins lying in one corner of the engine
room under the debris of the brick and
the engine room door.
FATE OF THE FIREMEN.
Wesley johnson and William Lester,
the firemen, were standing talking in the
back door Of the engine room leading into
the yard. Lester was hurled against a
pile of coal 20 yards away and was not
severely hurt other than having dislo-
Gated shoulder.
Johnson was blown about the same dis
tance, but crawled in the cotton room,
where he was found not seriously injured.
Gibson, the dead engineer, presented a
mangled appearance. Something had
been blown through his head, and his
arms and breast seemed as if one clot of
blood. AS to the cause of the explosion
many theories were advanced.
CRIMINAL CARELEssNEss.
The most reliable and probable Of these
was that it was caused from a defective
boiler, some parts of which were as thin
as piece OF common paper, which, Of
course, could not withstand such a pres
sure of steam. 1t seems hardly possible
that men in the enlightened nineteenth
century would allow such pieces of ma
chinery to expose to almost certain de-
struction tEeir valuable property and the
precious lives Of their employees. The
boilers at present used were tested year
ago by the boiler maker at FindaY's fouh-
dry, and the one which exploded to-day
was condemned. The main building es-
capped injury. The damage to the machin-
cry and engine house is estimated at
$4,000. One hundred and fifty persons
are thrown out Of employment.