The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-03
SEVENTEEN SCALDED.
DREADFUL DISASTER AT A PiTTseURo
IRON MANuFAcToRY.
Explosion Of the Mad Drum Of the BOileSs
Kesuits In Horrible Caiamity-Pit-
eous Scenes in and About the
Wreck-The victiIns-

PITTsHURG, Pa, Oct 8 Shortly after
o'clo,'k Friday morning a battery OF boilers
a; the Solar iron works OF Clarke & Co, on
ihirty. Sixth street, exploded with dhas-
trou effect The night turn had just bsen
relievei by the day force, whom a loud ex-
l,lA.i n startled the workmel, aud that por-
Lion OF the works in the vicinity OF the
b.iiers was filed with a cloud of steam
Through the dense mists came shrieks an ]
grnmn4, which notified the employees ley ond
i,arnl', reach that frightfuI calamity had
overt ken q portion of their fellow work.
men.
As soon as the steam settle down a rush
WAS made for the spot whera the expulsion
occurred, when il was ascertained that tho
mud drum OF the boilers had exploded aud
tn It the escaping steam had scalded seven
teen men. Closer investigation showed that
of thi, number fourtsen were badly burned
and three fatally sc-idsi.
Tho names OF the injured are: Frank
Martin. badly scalded about the face aud
arm: will not live James Cattoe. fatally
SCALED; The top OF his head WAS almost sew
erred ly piece of flying iron. Frank MUIR
ray. boy. terribly burned injurie, fatal
Thomas Stein. boy, badly scalded. Will
lam Daniels, a boy. scaldsd and injured by
flying debris. David Richards, a boy,
scaded and an arm broken William
Orth, roller, badly soalied. Frank
aoud, a boy, badly cut on the head
Patrick HENDERSON. shearsluan, .eriou ly
scadel and injured by flying debris. David
Smith, siisarsuian badly SCALED. Joseph
Geiz', boy, scaliel, but not seriously.
w iliiam Simpson, hoy. stahiel AMI in
jured by debri. Charles Haywood, IA
pu!dlor, serinusIy hurt by flying debri,.
10 eph Steiner, as istant engineer, baily
I;,.L& u, N..fp
boy, badly scaLiei. Frank Neff, a boy,
badly scalied Bart Henderson. a gaugsr,
terribly burned: will probably not recover
Scarcely had the hills beetiing the Al
legheny ceased to rever berats tbs echoes OF
the explosion WHOM ths frensisd, frightened
wives mothers, and chilfren began to rush
upon the scene and peer anxiousty into the
faces Of the injured men. Women half
dressed, Others utt,ng IN their clothng rs
they ran chill lreh almost nude and SCREAM
ing at the top OF their voices, crowded
and j stled each other in the mad
rush for the mill. Arriving there
there was silonco fr moment, and
then woman's wall was heard and
another and another until there was moth
ing but a chorus Of cries Of anguish. The
ply sicians who arrived confessed themselves
almost unnervei at the sight The injured
were found lying in all POSITIONS. Some of
them wore so Tar away from tho battery
that it seemed imp spihls they could have
been in ured by tho explosion. The large
number Of boys hurt ID accounted for by the
fact that they were employed to handle
the hoop-iron which was rolled OH the mill
nearest the boiler.
1t was FULLY twenty minutes after the ex-
plosion before the boy, Frank Murray, wa
taken cut from under the truck where he
WAS thrown. In addition to being scaldsd
he was terribly crushed BY the weight OF
iron piled on him James CRttoe and Frank
Martin suff sred the most from the escaping
steam. but no hopes are entsrtt.k,el for the
recovery of tn, three named The otasrs
are expected to recover, but the maj ,rity
will carry marks to remind Thorn of their
experience a. long AZ they live Those most
seriously injured we're taken to the West
Penn hospital. while the others were re-
moved to their home.
LATER Thomas Cattoe'And John Muir
ray, two Of the victims Of the boiler expio-
sion, dol at tho West Penn hos
pital Friday afternoon Three or four
others are not OK pactel Ia recover.
The explosion wa. eau Nea by 5ne mud eat
ing through the co ting OK the mn l-drun
Pieces of the drum pI'ksi up were not
more than II thirty second part OF an inch
IN tni,kne-s