St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-07
Two Men Meet a Horribli
Death in the Galaxy Mill.
Minneapolis.
The Victims Frank Evans and
JoseIA Evans, Employees
Of the Mill.
Exactly How the Awful Acct.
dent Occurred Is Still ?
Coroner Towers Takes Charge
OF the Bodies Of the
Dead Men.

loiiioio dccluenI happened al
about II O'Clock last night at the GALAXY
mill. situated on the river bank ON
FIRST street sOdth, Minneapolis. How
the accident occurred or what the Gauss
was IS. and will remain,a mystery until
thorough investigation is made, The
accident happened in the boiler room.
which is situated down in the southeast
corner of the mill, and twenty-five feet
below the surface of the mill platform.
There were no eyewitnesses to the affair.
and the only two persons who could
explain are dead. The first intimatiop
that anything unusual had occurred
was quick, kissing noise and rush OF
escaping steam into room above the
boiler room. which is connected by a
window that looks down into it.
The only persons in this
room were M, A. Bowe and J. Gleason.
The room where they were immediately
filled with steam and smoke, and they
were forced to retreat to escape suffo.
cation.
THE RUSH OF STEAM
continued for some time, and it was
considered unsafe to venture in. When
1t had somewhat subsidized. Gleason and
his companion went down into the en-
glne room and found the door
leading into the boiler room closed.
They then tried to open it, but
could not. After shouting to
those inside, and receiving no response
Gleason burst the door open. The first
sight that met his gaze was the form Of
Frank Banks, the assistant engineer.
He was still alive, moaning piteously.
The two men removed him
into the engine room, where he
expired moment or two later.
He spoke only once after being re-
moved, muttering: ''Oh, God" The
room was still full Of steam, caused by
a constant flow of hot water from a
large pipe near the ceiling. As the two
men
COULD SEE NOTHING
of Joseph Evans, the fireman, they
went up stairs into the mill and re-
ported what had happened. Coroner
Towers was at once telephoned for, and
also the central station patrol wagon.
When the coroner arrived he proceeded
to the scene of the accident. The narrow
passage-way down to the boiler room
runs among numberless beams and pill
lars down narrow, steep stairs, and un-
der flying wheels until a doorway is
reached which leads into the engine
room. Just outside the boiler room door
lay the body of the dead engineer, his
face blaekened and swollen. Inside the
boiler room everything was confusion.
The floor was covered with hot water.
coal and ashes, and the steam was still
so dense that it was almost impossible
to distinguish objects in the room. The
body of the fireman, Joseph Evans. was
still missing. and it was not until aftera
long search that he was found doubled
up behind one of the four huge up
right boilers. A ladder lying crosswiso
along the floor was
THE ONLY CLUE
as to how the accident occurred. It Is
evident that Evans was on top Of
one of the boilers, and that Banks, the
engineer, was standing on the ladder,
presumably in the act of repairing
something, when the explosion, or
burst, of the connection occurred. The
bodies of both men were removed and
taken to Gleason & Byorum's morgue.
where an inquest will be held to-day.
Employees at the mill state that there
was very small head of steam on at
the time Of the accident, as the mill was
running by water power. The boilers
are comparatively new. having been put
in only about year ago. There were
no marks or bruises OH either Of the
bodies. and death is supposed to have
occurred by suffocati0n. Frank Banks,
the assistant engineer, was young man
only twenty-four years of age, and has
wife, having been married last summer.
He had been in the employ of the mill
company ever since the boilers were put
in, and was looked upon as faithful
and trustworthy man. His residence is
on Fourteenth avenue south, near Fifth
street. Joseph Evans, the fireman, was
thirty-twO years of age, and leaves
wife and child. He lives on Twentieth
avenue south.