Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-03-31
STANDPIPE BREAKS.
A MASSIVE STRUCTURE At DEFIANCE, OHIO
TORN ASUNDER,
AM Buried IN Every Direiion-Ths Awful Fore'
Of the Waisg-Ihs Rsgineer's Residence
Crushed Like an Bggshsll BY the Tor
rent-Ssvsral Persons Injured.

pipe Of the Defiance Water Compan
collapsed about 1890 p. m. The pip
was l4O feet in height and "A feet il
diameter and stood on a foundation o
substantial masonry Massive irOl
brackets were bolted 10 the Standpip
and t0the foundation at intervals arOun,
the base. aud it was thought capab
withStanding a pressure far in exec
that to which its capacity Of waite
would subject it.
Tie Standpipe was located on the cliff
about 100 feet from the brink, and IN,
pump-house was located about halfway
down the bank between the Standpip,
aud the river, being west OF the stand
! pipe. Northwest OF the Standpipe, and
about 100 feet distant, stood the resi-
dence OF the engineer, a neat SubStan
tiai two-story frame house. Northeast
of the standpipe. about the same dis
tance, stood one-Story frame house
which was vacant.
/ The awful power shown when the
Icaptive water broke loose was some
thing terrific The lower tfty-hve feet
OF the standpipe was literally torn into
fragments and hurled in every direc-
tiOn. One massive fragment was shear
ed of al the base, carrying with it one
OF the bracket braces, the whole weigh
ing several tons, and hurled 1t over the
bluff against the pump house, crushing
in the whole side of the structure, and
followed by the flood OF waters, carrying
with 10 "a mass OF debris that almost
buried the immense pumping engines
aud boilers Another fragment was
hurled against the engineers residence,
driving il off its foundation and crush
ing 10 like an egg shell.
Engineer Kilion and his three-year-
old child, and his brother, aged about
eighteen, were in the pump-hOuSe when
the accident took place, the engineer
being ia the pump-rOom and the brother
and child being in the boiler-rOOm. Mr..
Guett was severely, though not dan
gerouSly, cut In the face by flying
brick. The brother, hearing the crash
OF the fragment striking the engine
room. Spraug 20 the door and saw the
flood OF water breaking over the crest
OF the bluff. With rare presence OF
mind he graSped the child, which was
standing by his side, and sprang behind
the massive brick Smoke-Stack just in
time To escape the torrent, which swept
with awful fury on each side OF him
into the river.
Two ladies were In the residence, and
both escaped with their lives, although
Mrs: killon was seriously injured by
being crushed in the wreck OF the
house. The other lady was Mrs. Ohliger,
the mother of Mrs. Killon, and her in
uries were less serious. Neither was
fatally injured
The force shown by the escaping
water was almost incredible. Where
the stand pipe started from the base
the water cut away the solid stone
masonry as though 10 were cheese, and
the massive plates Of hve-eighthS inch
steel were curled up like tissue paper.
Between the stand pipe and the vacant
house was piled quantity OF water
pipe OF various sizes, which were scat
tered helter Skelter I'm all directions.
One fourteen-inch pipe, sixteen feet
long. and weighing over a ton, was toss
ed against the house, making hole
large enough TO drive a team through.
Much speculation has been lndLlged
ip TO account for the disaster. The
theory usually accepted is that great
deal of Ice formed in the pipe during
the winter, and ia pumping water into
the stand pipe to-day, as the ice tioated
on the rising water il became wedged
in the stand pipe, and the powerful
pumps, acting as 4 hydraulic pres,
continued 10 force the water into the
space beneath the immoyable plug Of
/ ice until the pressure became irresiSt-
lible. and everything gave way. This
theory finds support in the fact that
every section OF the lower tifty-tve feet
was ripped aud torn to pieces, while not
fracture is to be found above that
point, aud iu the further fact that large
quantities of ice lie scattered around
the ruins of the foundation.
The water works system belongs TO
private company, most Of the stock
| holders being New York gentlemen.
The loss is roughly estimated to be from
| $50 600 % SOS, 900.