The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-01
TWOHURLED TODEATH
Frightful Explosion of a
Boiler in the Savannah,
Florida and West
ern Shops.
THREE BUILDINGS WRECKED
Engineer Murphy and
Fireman Hopkins In
Stantly Killed.
MANGLED BEYOND RECOGNITION.
A Colored Porter Fatally
Injured-The City Shaken AS
by an Earthquake.
THR EXPLOSION A MYSTERY
MANGLED BEYOND RECOGNITION.
THE EXPLOSION A MYSTERY.
Boiler Experts to Submit d
Report.
THE coRoNERs INVESTIGATION.

Two men horribly mangled and dead
another crushed and dying In the Georgia
inf1rmary and the destruction Of over S1O,-
600 Of property is the story in brief of the
explosion of a boiler in the Savannah,
Florida and Western machinery headQusr-
tiers yesterday morning.
Engineer John G. Murphy and Colored
Fireman Zeb Hopkins were killed instantly.
and Ossie White. the colored porter for
Master Mechanic Riley, was probably
fatally injured.
Just bow the explosion occurred is o
mystery. Carolina Lloyd, the night fire.
man, fred up the furnaces at O'Clock, and
had three guaaes Of water in the boilers at
the time. He examined the fires City min
utes later, and everything was moving
smoothly and the boilers had begun to
make steam. At 4:30 o'clock Zeb Hopkins
put wood in the furnace.
THE ENGINEER ON DUTY.
About 6 o'clock Engineer Murphy ar
rived and took charge. He oiled the en-
gine. and Lloyd asked him IL things
were all right, meaning whether
be could go. The engineer re-
piled 10 the affirmative and Lloyd
went into the fire room aud examined the
water. He said there was still three guages
10 the boilers when he started for the round
house. He left Hopkins sitting Ia front Of
the fire and Engineer Murphy in the engine
room. Lloyd had just got into the round
house when be heard terrific noise behind
him. Turning quickly, be saw a mass of
brick and lumber flying through the air.
There was no necessity to give an alarm,
as the explosion bad done that. SerRt.
Leonard and bis police rushed TO
the scene at once with other employees of the
road. The wreck which met their gaze was
fearful. Bricks. mortar and lumber were
piled together in almost indescribable oon-
fusion for City yards in places several feet
deep.
DIGGING FOR THE WOUNDED.
Groans were heard coming from the mass.
and knowing that it was time for the en-
gineer and his assistant TO have been at the
boiler house force of nearly hundred me-
groes was put to work to rescue If possible
those underneath the wreck.
Work was directed first to the point
where the groans were heard. After dig
ging for few minutes among the bricks
and splintered timbers White was found.
he was bleeding in many places. He was
hurriedly taken to the carpenter shops and
medical aid was summoned.
FINDING OF THE BODIES.
A few minutes later Engineer Murphy,s
body was found. IL was lying just outside
Of what had been the door Of the engine
house, under about four feet Of bricks. The
left side Of bis face was scalded, his neck
and one arm were broken. his breast crushed
and the ribs protruding through the Hesh.
and one leg and foot broken.
Hopkins body was found next. 1t was
mangled in a frightful manner and was
almost unrecognizable. showing that he had
got the fun force Of the explosion. The
head was completely scooped out, leaving
nothing but portion OF the face. The
body had been pierced through aud the
limbs were crushed to a pulp.
Both bodies were taken to the carpenter
shops and the work of removing the debris
was continued. as it was feared others
might be buried under It, but fortunately
only the three men happened Co be In the
place at the time the explosion occurred.
THE YARDS THRoNGED WITH PEOPLE.
In an hour the railway yards were
crowded with excited people. Among the
first on the scene, after the accident. was
the son Of the dead engineer. He took
charge of his fathers body after Coroner
Dixon held the inquest, and turned 1t over
tp Undertaken Goette, who conveyed it to
his rooms and prepared 1t for burial.
Hopkins body was not taken away until
the afternoon.
White was taken in the police ambulance
to the Georgia infirmsry, where be was in
an unconscious condition at l o'clock this
morning. His head and breast are badly
crushed and one leg is broken in two places
above the knee. His recovery is hardly
probable.
At the inquest Lloyd and Master
Mechanic Riley we're examined. Lloyd
said the boiler was hard to make steam on
Monday because it is generally cold from
disuse, but there was no difference yester-
day froE any other Monday. When be
left the building the boiler had three
kudSeS Oh water anu tuere was between
fifty and sixty pounds of pressure on.
THE coRoNER's VERDICT,
The verdict of the coroner's jury was
that Engineer Murphy aud Fireman
HOPKINS came to their death from wounds
sustained by a boiler explosion resulting
from causes unknown to the jurors.
The jury was composed of the following:
George w. Drummond, G. V. Robinson, j,
ID. Wassser, J. J. Morris. Jr., T. Sullivan,
j. H. Mcrse. J. l.. Glass, 7. @. Brown and
James NJ. Fleming.
AN sorts OF theories are advanced to &C
count for the explosion, but Il is a question
which may never be settled. According to
Lloyds statement there was ne lack OF wa
ter in the boiler, but the force Of the explo-
sion, according TO the opinion OF experts,
would indicate that there must have been
pressure OF at least $50 or 400 pounds TO
cause the great destruction.
From the position 10 which Engineer
Aurphy's body was found he was