Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-09
Boiler Explosion.
A Horrible Accident in a Pitts
burg Mill Kills Many
WOrkmen.
Others Severity Burned With
Steam, Mud, and Boil
ing Water.

Not since the terrible natural gas
explosion near Pittsburg, has there
been such excitement in that city as
was witnessed last Friday morning.
1t was another explosion. though not
gas, asd, unlike the other was attend
ed by fatal results.
At five minutes past 8 o'clock, the
mudsdrum in a battery of boilers at
tie Solar iron works of William Clark
& Co, located at the corner of Thirty
fourth and Smallman streets, exploded
with terrific force. Seventeen men
and boys were more or less ipjared-
two OF them dying almost instantly
and three others will in ell probability
die.
The explosion occurred just when
the night turn was going Off The
:nen on the day turn had not all taken
their places at the rolls and about the
shears. Assistant Engineer Steiner
was at the engines. As the change in
the turn was about to be made, he had
stopped all the engines but one. The
steam gauge showed a pressure of 100
pounds, the amount the engineer had
been accustomed to carry. Suddenly
there was
A DEEP. SwIsHING SOUND
of escaping steam, only so much loud
er that the men outside the mill rushed
in. Clouds of dust and steam filled
the mill. To their ears came the
shrieks of men and boys who had
been caught in the terrible discharge
from the mud>drum. Confusion in-
describable resulted. Messengers were
dispatched for physicians, for the men
who had escaped unhurt knew that
they would be needed, even while
they were not yet able to see who was
caught in the discharge of brick, steam
water, ana scalding mud that covered
everything in ine a hundred feet
from the drum head. Then the crowd
of people living near the mill came to
the scene. Now and then some poor,
scalded iron worker, or little boy
helper staggered out from thc wreck
ard ruin which lay in among the
steam clouds. With cries of pain and
fright they staggered out and fell,
burned with the steam and hurt by
flying bricks. Some of them were
pitiable sights.
The search began amid the ruins for
those unfortunates who had been
caught and held fast under load of
tlmbers or those who were so badly
scalded that they could not help them
selves.
NAMES OF THE INJURED.
Frank Martin, badly scalded about the face
and arms; wtlrc. live
Thomas Cs ., sealded The top of his head
was almost severed by piece of flying iron.
Dead
Frank Murry, boy; terribly burned Dead)
Thomas Stein, boy badly scalded.
VIM, Daniels, boy; scalded and injured by
flying debris.
David Richards, a boy; sca,ded aud an arm
broken.
VIM Orth, roller; badly scalded
Frank Good, boy; BADLY cut on the head.
Patrick Henderson, shearsman; seriously scald
ed and injured by flying debris
David Smith, shearsman; badly scalded
Joseph Getze, boy; sealded, but not seri-
ousy.
Three or four of the victims are not expected
to recover.
VIM. Simpson, boy; scalded and injured by
debris.
Charles Haywood, puddler; seriously hurt by
flying debris.
Joseph Steiner, assistant engineer; badly bruis-
ed and slightly cut.
Joseph Neff, a boy; badly scalded
Frank Netf, boy; badly scalded. IA
Bart Henderson, a gauger; terribly burned,
probably not recover.
THE LARGE NUMBER OF BOYS
hunt is accounted for by the fact that
they were employed to handle the
hoop iron, which was rolled on the
mill nearest the boilers 1t wGs fully
twenty minutes after the explosion
before the boy Frank Murray was
taken out from under the truck where
he was thrown In addition to being
scalded, he was terribly crushed Dy the
weight of iron piled on top of him.
Those most seriously injured were
taken to the West Pennsylvania Hos
pital, while the others were taken to
their homes. The interior of the fin
ishing mlll presented
A TERRIBLE SIGHT
of desolatlon after the accident.
Things were badly wrecked. The
boilers, SIX in number, form battery
which sits in the extreme southwest
corner of the mill The mud drum
runs lengthwlse under all six boilers.
1t was the end of this which blew out
With such fearful force did this ex-
plode as to scatter destruction on all
sides. All the boilers were usseated,
two of them tilted back, some on their
ends. In the rear the whole wall of
masonry was moved outward. A
very remarkable feature was the jam
ming of the mud>drum's head against
enc of the engines This engine was
sitting a few yards north of the boil
ers. The burst iron was blown direct
ly against the cylinder head of the en-
gine, smashing it to pieces and blow
ing the whole head inward. From
this, steam rushed out with loud
kissing sound. Large stacks of hoop
iron were blown all over tho mill.
Machines were upset, and rolls rolled
all over the floor. The iron machines
and benches were all thrown togeth>
er in inextricable massas of debris,
under which several of the men were
buried.
MR. POWERS, THE CHIEF ENGINEER
of the mill, says the boilers and mud
drum were inspected by the Hartford
Boiler Insurance Company two
months ago. and were then pronounc-
ed safe, He was certain they were
all right when he left last evening, and
could only account for the explosion
on the ground that the iron in the
pressure to which it was subjected.
Twice before have accidents of this
nature taken place In this mill. The
first one occurred five years ago, and
was unproductive o. death. The sec
ond one transpired only eighteen
months ago, and, although several
were scalded, no one was fatally hurt
On the first occasion two men were
arrested for tampering with the boil
ers, but failed of conviction because of
lack of proof of the crime
The explosion was caused by the
mud eating through the coating Of
the nud-drum. Pieces OF the drum
picked up were not more than =
thirty second part of an inch in thick
ness.
rhe word Limited" used in coz
Hection with q corporation, indicates
that it is organized under SPECIAL
l. IoA EynSf 4Io lie hslsS~ n