Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-10-08

Scenes Of Anguish In n Pi1sbur6
FfnfhhSng-miIh.

y
Finish5ng-miIl.
PITIsDURa, Oct. 2.-Shortly after 8
O'Clock this morning a battery Of boilers
at the Solar iron-works of Clarke d Co..
on Thirty-sixth street, exploded with dis
astrous effect. The night mep had just
been relieved by the day force when the
explosion occurred, and that portion Of
the works in the vicinity OF the boilers
was filled with cloud of steam. Through
the dense mist came shrieks and groans
which told the employees beyond the reach
of danger that frightful calamity had
overtalten some Of their fellow workmen.
As soon as the steam cleared away a
| rush was made for the spot where the ex-
plosion occurred, when il was learned
that the mud drum of the boilers had ex-
ploded and thnt the escaping steam had
scalded II men. Closer investigation
showed TINT of this number Ia wers badly
burned and that three were fatally
injured.
Scarcely had the hills along the Allie
Qheny ceased to reverbernte the tones of
| the explosion when frenzied, frightened
wives, mothers and children began to
rush upon the scene and peer apxiously
into the facesof the gasping dying men
seeking to identify their loved ones, or in
quiting in agonized tones if they had
escaped. Women half dressed, Others put
| ting on their clothing as they ran,
children almost nude and screaming
at the top of their voices, crowded and
jostled each other in the mad rush for the
mill. Arriving there there was silence
for q moment and then woman's wall
was heard and another and another, until
there was nothing but n discordant chorus
of feminine shrieks and means
and cries of anguish. The cries and
groans of the parboiled men would oeca-
sionnlly rise above the women's voices.
II was an awful scene, and the physicians
who arrived at this time said they were
almost unnerved at the sight, and 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 i'm
possible that they could have been in
jured by the explosion. The large num-
Der of boys hurt is accounted for by the
fact that they were employed to handle
the hoop iron which was rolled in the
mill nearest the boilers. II was
fully 20 minutes after the explo-
sion before TIE boy Frank Murray
was taken out from under the track where
he was thrown. In addition to being
scnlded he was terribly crushed by the
weight of iron that was piled on top of
him. james Cattoe and Frank Martin
suffered the most from the escaping
steam. No hopes are entertained OF
the recovery of any one of the three
nn.,a,l fIla g,tlsarc AoI a.
cover, 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 hospital while
the others were removed to their homes.
The interior of the finishing mill pre-
sented terrible sight of desolation after
the accident. Things were badly wrecked.
The boilers,s six in number. form n battery,
which is located in the extreme southwest
corner of the mills. The mud drum runs
lengthwise under all six boilers. 1t
WIS the end of this which
blew out. With such fearful
force did ii explode as to scatter destruc-
ton on all sides. All the boilers were
unssated. Two OF them were tilted back
aud some of them are on ends. In the
rear, the whole wall of masonry was
moved outward. A very remarkable
feature was the jamming of the mud
drums head against one of tho
engines. This engine was few yards
north of the boilers. The iron was blown
directly against the cylinder-hend of the
engine, mashing it to pieces, and blowing
the whole head inward. From this the
steam rushed out with u loud, hiss
ing sound. Large stacks of hoop
iron were blown all over the
mill, machines were upset, rolls turned
over, and in one instance wheelbarrow
was trundled through door. The iron
machines and benches were all thrown
together in inextricaLlc masses, under
which several of the men were buried.
Mr.. Powers, the chief engineer, says
the boilers and mud drums were inspected
by the Hartford Boiler Insurance Com.
pany two months ago and were then pro.
nounced safe. He is certain they were
all right when he left last night, and car
only account for the explosion on the
| ground that the iron in the mud drum
WIS too weak to stand the pressure tc
which it was subjected. Twice before
accidents of this nature have oc
Cured at the mill. The first one
took place five years ago but
no one was killed. The second
one was only Is months ago and, although
several persons were scalded, no one was
fatally hurt. On the Inst occasion two
men were arrested for tampering with the
boilers, but there was no proof on which
to convict them. .-....s.
TWO VICTIMS DEAD.
Two of the victims, Cattoe and Murray
died at the West Pennsylvania Hospital
this morning. Three or four Others
are not expected to live. Tn,
| explosion was caused by the
mud eating through the coating o.
the mud drum. Some pieces of the drum
that were picked up were not more thar
one thirty-second part of an inch il
| thickness.