St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-03
INJURED FOR LIFE.
A Terrific Boiler Explosion in the Solar
Iron Works, Pittsburg, Proves
Very Disastrous.
Seventeen Persons Badly scalded-Two
Die and Five Others Cannot
Survive.
a Young Philadeiphian Resorts to
Burglary to supply his Fam
lily With Food.
Dissolute Young Brown of Boston
Commits Suicide in the Wi1ds
of Wyoming.
Terrific Boiler Explosion.


PETTsBURG, Oct. 2.-Shortly after 8
O'clock this morning battery of boilers at
the Solar iron works Of Clark S5 Co., on
Twenty-siXth street. exploded with disaS-
trOuS effect. The night turn had just been
relieved by the day force when loud ex-
plosiOn startled the workman, and that por-
tiCn OF the works in the vicinity of the
boilers was filled with a cloud of death
dealing steam. Through the dense mist
came shrieks and groans, which notified the
employees beyond harms reach that fright
full calamity mad overtaken a portion of
their fellowmen. As soon as the steam set
tied down rush was made for the spot
where the explosion occurred, when it was
aScertained that the mud drum of the boilers
had exploded, and that the escaping steam
had scalded seventeen men. Closer inyesti-
CATION showed that of this number fourteen
We're badly burned and three fatally scalded.
The names of the injured were:
FRANK MARTIN, badly scalded about the
face and arms; will not live.
JAMES COTrOE. fatally scalded; the top
Of his head was almost severed by a piece OF
flying iron.
FRANK MURRAY, a boy, terribly burned;
injuries fatal.
THOMAS STEIN. a boy, badly scalded.
WILLIAM DANIELS, boy, scalded and
injured by flying debris.
DAVID RICHARDS. boy, scalded and an
arm broken.
WILLIAM OSBREMER, badly scalded.
FRANK GOOD, a boy, badly cut on the
head.
PATRICK HENDERSON, shearman, seri-
ously scaided and injured by flying debris.
DAVID SMITH, shearman, badly scalded.
JOSEPH GETZ, a boy, scalded, but not Sc
riously.
WILLIAM sAUPsON, a boy, scalded and
injured By debris.
CHARLES HEYWCOD, a puddIer, seri-
ously hurt by flying debris.
JOSEPH STEINER, assistant engineer,
badly bruised and slightly cut.
JOSEPH NEFF, boy, badly scalded.
FRANK NEFF. a boy, badly scalded.
BART HENDERSON, a gauger, terribly
burned; probably will not recover.
Scarcely had the hills beetling the Ale
ghany ceased TO reverberate the tones of
the explosion when the frenzied, frightened
wives, mothers and children began to rush
upon the scene and peer anXiOuSly into the
faces of the gasping, dying men, seeking
for their loved ones, or inquiring in agOniZed
tones if they had escaped. Women
half dressed or putting on their clothes as
they ran, children half nude and screaming
at the top OF their voices, crowded and
jostIed each other in the mad rush for the
mill. Arriving there, there was silence for
a moment. and then q woman's wall was
heard, and another and another, until there
was nothing but discOrdant chorus of
feminine shriekS and means and cries of
anguish. The cries and groans of the par
boiled men would occasionally rise above
the ShriekS Of the women. It was an awful
scene and the physicians who arrived said
they were almost unneTved at the sightand
in the presence of SO much human suffering.
physical and mental. The injured were
found lying in all positions. Some of them
were so far away from the battery that it
seemed impossible that they could have
been injured by the explosion. The
LARGE NUMBER OF BOYS HURT
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 was fully twenty minutes after the ex-
plOsion before the boy Frank Murray was
taken out from under the track where he
was thrown. In addition to being scalded
he was terribly crushed by the weight of
iron piled on top Of him. James COttoe
and Frank Martin suffered the most from
the escaping steam. The two former have
since died. Several are not expected to
recover, but the majority will carry marks
to remind them Of their experience as long
as they live. Those most seriously injured
were taken to the West Pennsylvania hos
pital while the others were removed to
their homes. The interior Of the Gensing
mill presented terrible sight of desolation
after the accident. Things were badly
wrecked. The boilers, six in number, form
a battery. which sits in the southwest cor
ner Of the mill. The mud drum runs
lengthwise under all six boilers. It was
the end Of this which blew out. With such
fearful force did it explode as to scatter
destruction on all sides. All the boilers
were unseated. Two of them were tilted
back, some on their ends. In the rear the
whole wall OF masonry was moved out
ward. A
VERY REMARKABLE FEATURE
was the jamming Of the mud drums head
against one of the engines. This engine
was sitting few yards north of the boilers.
The burst iron was blown directly against
the cylinder head of the engine smashing
it to pieces and blowing the whole head in-
wards. From this the steam rushed out
with loud, kissing sound. The large
stocks Of hoop iron were blown all over the
mill. Machines were upset, rollers rolled
all over the floor and in one instance a
wheelbarrOw was trundled through the
door. The iron machines and benches were
all thrown together in inextricable masses
OF debris under which several of the men
We're buried. Mr. Powers. the chief en-
gineer Of the mill, says the boilers and drum
were inspected by the Hartford Boiler In
surance company two months ago and were
then pronounced safe. The explosion was
caused by the mud eating through the coat
ing Of the mud drum, parts which picked
up were not more than the thirty-secondth
part of an inch in thickness. Twice before
have accidents of this kind happened in
this mill. The first one occurred five years
ago and was unprOductive of death. The
second one transpired only eighteen months
ago, and although several were scaIded. no
one was fatally hurt. On the last occasion
two men were arrested for tampering with
the boilers, but failed of conviction because
OF iactof proof OF the crime
Aildnight-No more deaths have resulted
from the boiler explosion this morning.
Five of the victims. however, are pro-
nounced fatally injured by the attending
physician, and their deaths are momentarily
expected. Their names are: Charles Har-
wood, joseph GetZe, Patrick Henderson.
Thomas Stein and William Daniels. The
others are resting easy and will no doubt re-
cover. The coroner adjourned his investi-
cation until tomorrow.
Burglarized for His Wife,s Sake.
Special to the Globe.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 2.-Arthur Nc