The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-21
4 TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
i Roller at Mathews Saw Mill Bursts and
Kills Four Men Outyisht-Two Terli-
bly, nded-One More Death
Makes the Fifth Victim.

On Thursday, 14th instant, about &c
a. H., L terrible boiler explosion &C.
Cured at the saw mill Of +. p. Mathews,
about twelve miles from Newberry, on
DR.. W. NJ. Dorroh's place. -Four men
were instantly killed and two men
terribly nlutilated and scaldcd, and :,
colored boy slightly scalded.
! Pickens p. Mathews, young man
about u years old, and the son Of the
owner OF the saw mill, met with Il most
awful fate. His limbs were blown
from his body, and his hands and feet
from his limbs, and scattered around
in different directions at distances
: ranging from fifty to seventy-tive yards.
, The force of the explosion carried his
body twenty-five feet in the air, lodg-
ing some portions of it in the trees. All
portions of his body were found.
lump Ellison, colorcd, acting us
engineer, was killed instantly, being
terribly mutilated and blown 4 dis
tance of fifty yards. Two other colored
men, HILLARY Chalmers and Carey
Davis, were killed outright, the skull
of one of them being crushed and the
bodies mutilated.
Milton Abb, colored, was badly mu-
tilated. When he recovered somewhat
from the shock, he got his leg from
around a tree where it was wrapped by
the terrible force, and crawled a few
feet. A piece Of iron had been driven
through his thigh. He could not stand
amputation of his leg and died Thurs
day night.
Martin Davis, colored, was severely
scalded on his arms and chest. He is
reported as improving.
Young Butler, the tifteen-year-old
negro boy, is the only person out Of
seven who We're running the saw mill
that can tell anything about the eXplo-
sion. He was thrown into Il brush
heap and badly shaken up. The negro
boy says the pump had gotten out Of
fix, and the engine had been stopped
in order to get the pump in order. Elli-
son, the colored engineer, with two Of
the colored men, were around the fur
mace and Pickens Mathews was kneel
ing down at work on the pump, with
another of the colored men near him.
The pump was in front Of the engine,
and near the saw, being supplied with
water from 4 small stream alongside OF
which the engine was placed.
1t is supposed that ut this moment
the water had gotten very low in the
boiler and the crown.sheet was very
hot, and that when the pumps began
to work and cold water to flow into the
boiler the explosion occurred.
Both shoes of Pickens Mathews were
found where he was kueeling, beside
the stream, blown from MS feet and a
sole ripped Oft one of the shoes by the
terrible force of the explosion.
The engine was fifteen horse power
and in tirst-class condition. The front
part Of the boiler with the fiues were
thrown distance of ninety yards, and
the heater $50 yards, cutting the tops
of pine trees in their path. The bal
ance of the engine and boiler was scat
tered to the four winds The ground
was swept as clean as floor, and the
skids upon which the engine was
mounted carried away.
The explosion was distinctly heard
in Newberry by several persons. In
the neighborhood Of the explosion
houses were shaken as if by an earth
quake.
Mr.. Z. P. Mathews and Mr.. J. H.
Dorroh were on their way to the saw
mill and within three-quarters Of u
mile of it when the boiler exploded.
They would have been perhaps in L
dangerous nearness but they Were walk
ing slowly.
Coroner Buist held inquests on the
four men on Thursday and the fifth Oh
Friday. The jury rendered a verdict
that their death was caused by the ac-
cidental explosion of the boiler of
steam engine.
The body of Pickens Mathews was
buried in Rosemont Cemetery, in New
berry, on Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock.
No accident 50 terrible has ever hap
pened in Newberry County. 1t has
cast gloom of sadness over the COM
munity in which it occurred, and every
heart deeply sympathizes with the
family of which young Mathews was
4 devoted member.
fyou are in need ola pair of Spec
tacles or Eye Glasses go to John +.
Speck's. Is.