The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-03-26
Fearful Explosion in the South Caro-:
lima Peuitentiary.

Fearful Explosion In the South Caro-
lima Penitentiary.
About 9:25 O'Clock a. m. yesterday The
boiler which furnished the steam 10 run
the machinery in the shoe factory of MIR
A. C. Dbert and in the hose factory ol
the Muulton Hosiery Company exploded
killing two men, colored cnnvicts, knock
ing down about seventy five feet of the
penitentiary wall and tearing out the
gable end of the three. story factory
building.
The boiler was blown into three or
four strips, one piece bei"g blown through
the penitentiary wall, another to the rear
of the engine house. third to the front,
a distance of about sixty feet, and a
fourth powpd through the surface of the
granite which Hanks the exit from the
ward to the canal. The fues were tossed
through the break in the wall, with the
exception of few which fell where the
| boiler had stood.
The boiler was not in the least defect.
i've. The iron was fairly torn from end
to end, while the riveta ffmly held their
places. 1t was purchased from Mr.. Pol.
lard of Augusta.
The engine house was completely de-
molished. Part of the Tin roofing was
blown up on the roof Of ehree:story fac.
tory building and another portion hurled
some distance down the canal. Bricks
from the engine house were hurled in
every direction, and it Was. wonderful
that they did no injury to any one.
The engine and boiler house was loca'
ted in the Southwestern corner of the
yard, and to the North of it stands the
blacksmith shop. Bricks we're blown
into the door and window Of the latter
shop, where Mr.. Miller and force of
convicts were at work, but they escaped
any hurt.
The steam gauge of the boiler Was
found ffty feet away and the door of the
furnace about 100. Sticks of wood were
hurled seventy FIVE feet.
The wall of the penitentiary yard,
which is about eighteen inches thick,
WAS blown out to the canal bank.
The gable end Of the factory building
was almost completely wrecked, and that
portion which was not hurled to the
ground by the force of the explosion is
in such dangerous condition that it
must be pulled down as speedily as pos
sible. The remaining portious of the
walls are cracked and hanging by the
slightest hold.
iae outer edge of the shingle roof of
the factory building was torn off and the
stairs leading from the second to the
third story OF the shoe factory completely
wrecked. Bricks fell from the wall into
the factory.
When the explosion occurred the con-
yicts in the hose and shoe factories be
came panic stricken and rushed for the
doors, where they were stopped, except
few who jumped from the windows at
the west end. They were panic stricken
on previous occasion, when tornado
struck the building. and made rush for
the door.
The portions of the wall and of the
building which were demolished yester-
day were wrecked by lightning last Sum
mer. /,
Henry Knight, the engineer, who was
killed, was light mulatto, a painter by
trade, and aged 26. He was sent to the
penitentiary in November, 1879, from
Marion County, for lifetime, on couvic
tion of burglary. Knight had been at
tending to the boiler aud engine for more
than two years, and was considered per-
fectly reliable in the discharge of bis
duties. A convict who passed the boiler
room a few moments before the explo.
sion stated that he saw Knight trying to
bold down the safety valve. His body
was hurled distance of seventy five feet
or more, against pile of lumber, and
with it tin can of food. The back of
bis head was crushed in and his back
nangled. From there circumstances it
is believed that knight found the steam
beyond his control and was in the act of
running out, with his food in his hand
and his back to the furnace, when the
explosion took place. 1t is also stated
that Knight had been in the penitentiary
before as Nancy Lowry, one of The noted
Lowry gang, but had made his escape.
He is registered az native of North
Carolina.
The other convict who was killed was
named William Crate. He was black
man, and crippled in the right leg. He
was. registered as tent from Georgetown,
on March 1S. 1884, for two years, on con
viction of grand larceny, aged %. Crate
was not able to perform hard labor, and
therefore he was put in charge OF the
closets in rear of the boiler house aud as
helper to Knight. His body was found
among the ruins of the boiler building,
with the entire left side of his head and
face crushed.
The bodies were placed in two cells in
the new wing of the penitentiary, where
Coroner Civil held inquests yesterday af.
lernoon. The jury rendered verdicts in
accordance with the abuve circumstances.
a large force of convicls we're at once
put /. removing che debris, and in two
hours time they were at work rebuilding
the wall.
Mr.. R. w. johnson, the contractor,
will at once commence the repairs of the
building.
The glass in nearly every window on
the North side of the building was shat
tered and scattered among the workmen.
No injury was done to the factory ma
chinery, but operations will be suspended
for few days. until another boiler il put