West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-05-01
CRUSHED BY A WALL.
Fatal Fire In u SILK Mill at
Catasauqua, Penn.
An Explosion Kills a Number Of
Volunteer Firemen.

AZ q o'clock In tito morning fire was dis
covered IN the large now building nc CataS,u-
qua. Penn, owned and occupied by tho Unit
corn Siih Manufacturing Company. " New
York, With offices at 33 and 3S Greene street.
An alarm was quickly sounded, hut owing To
the hour, tho iirc companies, which are com
posed OF volunteers, n,ainly workmcn ON
ploycd In tho different fGr,ucos, factories
aud mills, were under tho suppression that
tho whistles were, ~ usual Calling thom 20
their days work, aud did not rcspoSd until
the fro had been burning about twenty mtn'
utcs
Upon their arrival mt tho sc,s,c OF the cou-
nagration considerable difficulty was ex-
lDcricnced i'm securing water for tho fire on.
gincs rs tho mill was built ON bluff ovar
looking the Lchigh Coal aud Navigation
Company's canal aud tho I.ehigh River, hale
amile from tho town They ran their engines
down hill on the othor side To the canal.
and soon had two streams OF wHtcr on tho
building, which was 10y this time mass OF
flames
The mill employed $50 hands, mostly fe-
males They were Co have commenced work
at 0l8O. While they were assembling short
ly before TINT hour fire was discovered I'm
the dycing-room The place was without
sufficient fire, protection and the
ploye. rushed panic stricken from the mill
and all got out safely. When a. was seen
that the mill was doomed the hremcn and
others devoted themselves toward saving
goods while another force got ON top ot n
one story addition and on tho roof.
Suddenly there was terrific noise amid
tho flames nnd 10 was nc once known that
steam Pipe had exploded. The report caused
tho great crowd to retreat. but they had only
gone few steps whom n section OF the sonth
wall of tho mil nearly forty feet long aud
about four feet wide fell with crash and
landed on tho roof of tho new addition thirty
feet below. Tho fall OF tho wall Is
supposed to have been caused by tho concus-
sion of tho explosion A moment later tho
mir was filed with smoke and steam and
cry of horror arose when it WIS discovered
that thirty men had been buried In the ruins.
The work OF digging them out was nt once
commenced, and after hours OF hard work
the bodies were all taken out.
The killed were as follows:
Ulysses Everett, aged twenty Scalp cut,
both hands and arms burned and internally
injured Died at 81. Lakes Hospital shortly
after being taken there.
Charles a. Frick, founder, nged twenty
five years, aud having wife and three chill
dren, burned and crushed. Died three hours
after being recovered.
John Good, member OF Phmnix Fire Com
pany, hond crushed. aged twenty years,
has wife and child
John Lottejennni boss dyer, aged forty,
has wife and child. Instantly killed under
falling walls
Three other men were fatally wounded
and about thirty were badly injured.
The fire is supposed 10 have been caused by
spontaneous combustion In one of the pack
ing rooms. AT II o'clock the flames were
under control. The loss on building is $50
900, ON machinery S35, 900, and ON stock t25,
200. Tho loss is partially covered 10y in
suraucc.
Cntasauqua In q centre Of large mining I'm.
forests. A fow years ago the authorities cast
about for some industry that would afford
employment for tho large female popu.
opened negotiations with the proprietors
of the present Unicorn silk Manu-
featuring Company. which ended in the Cat
nsauqua Improvement Company building "a
Mill for the silk company, the latter 90 pay
the interest on the investment aud TO buy the
building at stipulated price II IL should .
any time wish 20.