Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-09-24
EXOITl MENT IN A DENTISTS OFFICE
A Vulc snizer ExpIodes, Damaging
Prope rty and lnjuring n Patient.

Fleetwood avenue. went TO Segers
dental rooms, No. 932 Arch street. to
have something done to one of her
teeth, says The Philadelphia Times.
| She was hardly seated in the dentist S
chair when there came terrific ex-
plosion. which badly bruised the patient
and ruined her clothing. frightened the
dentist nearly out of his wits, and made
a wreck out of the room. When the
doctor and his patient had recovered
from the shock it was discovered that
machine in the room called vul-
canizer had exploded. The report was
! like the bursting of n cannon and the
havoc nearly a. great.
at was the most frightful experience
! ever had, Mrs. Wca&lcy said ycster-
day. land my shoulders are black and
blue from the bru ses received.
shall enter suit against the party or
parties TO blame, unless PREPARATION is
made to-day for my injuries and the
loss of my clothing, which was entirely
Iilllfd. III WIS mn iC9f llsli 4 " 40 LOb
killed.
"As soon as | recovered from the
shock l discovered that / had been
struck in several places with flying
missiles and was literally covered with
ink a large bottle o. which had been
scattered in the wreck. At the time Of
the explosion was in the operating
chair and Mr.. Segcrs not three feet
from me- AS soon as was sufficiently
composed he called coupe ana was
driven to my home" Mrs. ealley.
so, with fine physique, had not fully
recovered from her nervous shock pro-
duced by the explosion and said, laugh
ingly, she didn't think she ever would.
An hour later a reporter called at No.
93l Arch street, and on enquirng for
Mr.. SegerS' dental rooms was shown to
the back rooms of the second story.
Mrs Weakley was in tho operating
room with the doctor talking over the
startling episode.
As the reporter entered both direct
cd his attention to the sears on the
wall, ceiling, doors, and furriture that
told Of the explosions work. A panel
OF one door was driven completely out,
and in another an articulator with a
cast of a set OF teeth was indentcd so
deep that it stuck fast The mirror OF
n large dressing case WAS smashed to
atoms and the hcadboard OF a bed split
and otherwise d.sGgured. On the wall,
Immediately alongside Of the bed, was
an abrasion several inches long and
half an inch deep, made by piece Of
overhead hole two inches in diameter
jammed in ~ ii huge weight had
descended, was cut clear through. One
of the heavy window sils Was torn up
us though lifted out of place with a
crowbar, and the lid of 4 large trunk
was upon it. Ink was spattercd in
every direction, and the fixture, Of the
room were all more or les, dcfaced.
The windows were up ut the tim OF
the explosion and much of It's force
was spent on the walls of the building
to the rear. These walls show dozen
indcntations that indicate the violence
with which they were struck. Bricks
are torn out in several places twenty
feet distant from the room where the
accident occurred. and in other cases
there are deep gashes in the walls made
by the flying debris, Mrs. Weakley
repeatedly romarked 1T was MI
raculous that Mr.. Segers and myself
escaped with our lives. as we were in
the very midst of it.
The dentist who still acted and talk
cd neryously, was asked to explain the
occurrence. He said: "a few min
utes before l began work on Mrs
Weakley's tooth | touched a match TO
the gas-stove under the vulcanizer,
which sat in the open window a few
feet from the operating-chair. This
heats the water in the cylinder that gen
u sNNt1 Allc ST an lOl use III dHOlltT
connecting one of equal size. These
cylinders are Of brass, about six inches
in diameter and nine inches high. We
vulcanize at about l20 pounds of steam
pressure, or 345 degrees Fahrenheit.
Noticing while at work on Mrs. Weak
ley tooth that the pressure bad reach.
cd 100 pounds, turned the gas down
very low. but nevertheless in a few
minutes heard the fearful explosion
and was stunned by the violent concus
sion. The only explanation of the ex'
plosion that can offer is that these
yulcanizers generate steam very fast
and having no safety valve are liable
. such accidents rs this"
The reporter was then shown pieces
# the wrecked machine. The gas
tovc attachment was of cast IRON ant
| ie cylinders of brass about Il sixth OF
In inch thick. 1t was pieces of the ex'
ptodcd cylinders that were driven will
| al. 1 . 4. q