Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-10-03
A SCENE OF HORROR.
A Boiler Explosion In Pittsburg Creates
Dire Calamity Among the En-
plOyes.
worlemen scaided 10 Death by Escaping
steam List Of the Killed aud
Injured.

pfTTsBURG, PA, oct. 2.--Shortly after
O'Clock this morning the battery boilers
at the Solar iron-works of Clark & Co..
on Thirty-sixth street, exploded, with
disastrous effect. The night hands had
Just been relieved by the day force, when
the explosion startled the workmen, and
that portion of the works In the vicinity
of the boilers was filled with a cloud of
dcath-deallng steam. Through a dense
mist came shrieks and groans, which no.
titled the employees who were beyond
! harms reach that frightfu calamity
had oyertaken their fellow-workmen As
I soon as the steam had settled down a
I rush was made for the shop where the
explosion occurred, when il was ascer-
tanned that the mud-drum of the boilers
had exploded, aud the escaping steam
had scaldcd seventeen men. A closer
Investigation showed that of this number
/ fourteen were badly burned and three
I fatally.
The names OF the injured were; Frank
Martin, badly scalded about the face and
arms, will not live; Jas. Cattoc, fatally
scaldcd, top of his head almost severed
by piece Of iron; Frank Murray, boy,
terribly burned, injuries fatal; Thomas
Stein, boy, badly scalded; William
Daniels, boy scaldcd and injured by
/ dying debris; Dave Richards, boy,
scalded and arm broken; win 0rth,
roller, badly scaldcd; Frank Good, badly
cut on head Pat Henderson, shearsnan,
seriously scalded and injured by flying
debris; David Smith, badly scalded; JOS.
} Gctz, Il boy, scalded, but not seriously;
/ William Simpson, a boy, scaldcd and in
jured by debris; Chas. Sherwood,
seriously hurt by flying debris; James
Steiner, assistant engineer, badly bruised
aud slightly cut; James Nef, boy, badly
scald7d Frank Nef, boy, badly
scalded; Bart Henderson, terribly burned,
viii probably not recover.
Scarcely had the hills ceased TO reycr-
bcrate the tones of the explosion, when
frensied and frightened wives, mothers
and children began to rush upon, the
scene, and peer anxiously into the faces
OF the gasping, dying men, seeking to
identify loved ones, or inquiring in
agonized tones if they had escaped. The
injured were found lying in all positions
Some Of them were so far away
from the battery 1t seemed
impossible they could have been injured
by the explosion, The large number of
boys hurt is explained 10y the fact that
they were employed to handle hoop-iron
which was rolled into the mill nearest the
boilers. 1t was fully twenty minutes
after the explosion before the boy Murray
was taken out from under the truck where
he was thrown. In addition to being
Scaldcd, he was terribly crashed by the
weight of iron piled upon him. james
Cattoe and Frank Martin suffered most
from escaping steam, but no hopes are en-
tertaincd for the recovery of either of the
three named. The others are expected to
recover. The most seriously hurt were
taken to the West Pennsylvania hospital,
while the others were removed TO their
homes.
The interior of the finishing mill pre-
scented terrible sight of desolation after
the accident. Things were badly wrecked.
The boilers, six in number, form bat
tory which sits in the extreme southwest
I corner of the mill. The mud-drum runs
Z lengthwise under all six boilers. 1t was
the end of this which blow out with such
fearful force as TO scatter destruction
on all sides. All the boilers were un-
seated, two OF them were tilted back,
sonc on their ends in the rear. Tho
( whole wall of the foundry was
/ moved outward. Large stacks o.
hoop-iron were blown all over the mill
( Machines were upset. The iron machine,
and benches were all thrown together il
| meXtricable masses of debris, under
which some of the men were buried. Mr.
Powers, the chief engineer of the mill
says the boilers and mud-drum were in
/ Spected by the Hartford Boiler Insuranc,
company two months ago, and were pro
| nounced safe, He was certain they wer,
all right when he left last evening, anC
could only account for the explosion OF
the ground that the iron in the mud-drun
was too weak TO stand the pressure t,
which it was subjected. Twice befor,
have accidents of this nature taken plac,
in this mill.