The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-01

/ bis shoes when he met his death, for
he had on only one old shoe and its mate
was found in the ruins intact Hopkins
was. probably, sent flying through the
room, as be landed about twenty feet away
from the building. White was outside pre-
pairing kindlinR wood TO start a FIRE in the
master mechanics office. He was hurled
about the same distance and II is a wonder
he wasn't killed outright,
THE EXPLODED BOILER.
The boilers were of the Kensington make.
IS feet In length and AZ feet in diamstee,
They had been ia use about six years and
were looked upon as in good esnd.sion.
About fourteen months ago new tubes we're
put in.
The explosion occurred at $40 o'clock and
was heard all over the city. Houses shook,
windows ratified and people started out OF
their sleep feeling that Savannah had again
been visited by an earthquake. They
Jumped from their beds and looked out,
wondering II any more shocks would follow.
Those living near the railway yards saw a
cloud OF dust go up from the vicinity of the
shops and knew that an explosion bad oc-
CURED. and those who had.time hurried
over to find the cause.
WRECK OF THE BUILDINGS.
The wreck Of the machinery building was
complete, hardly one brick being left upon
fifty feet square, and was directly between
the machine shop and planning mill. The
upper floor was occupied as a pattern shop
and downstairs, next to the boiler room,
were the offices OF Master Mechanic Riley
and the foreman OF the blacksmith shop
The exploded boiler seemed to
move with greater force north
east and southeast although many
bricks. pieces OF iron and lumber were
driven with terrible velocity directly north
and south. The planning mill, just south OF
the boiler house, looked as IL q cyclone had
struck il.
CARRIED HALF A MILE.
The side platform was completely torn
away, the roof turned up nearly half way.
the windows blown out and things inside
generally turned upside down. The ma
chine shop. immediately north. had its end
crushed and the roof stove in in half dozen
places.
The door of tho carpenter shop, 500 feet
away, was smashed Co spIinters
by piece OF flying iron. and the
roof Of small section house fifty
feet farther east was broken through
for about ten sqnare feet. and two box cars,
which were standing on a nearby track
were broken to such on extent that they
looked as If they bad been In q frst-cIass
collision.
where the boiler house stood, looked as IL q
small battery had been turned loose upon it,
The lying bricks and pieces Of boiler per-
forated the boards and tin roof as if they
were paper. There was hardly window
pane left in the building. 1t put people in
mind of house which had stood upon a
battle field during anlengsgsment, and had
been picked out as a target
TIE AIR FILLED WITH DEBRIS.
The wreckage was carried half mile
away from the scene of the explosion. The
bricks we're scattered on all the shop
buildings In the railroad ward
and fell on East Broad street. Some OF
them were driven through st. Benediot's
church windows, an eighth of a mile away.
A piece Of the boiler was found lying near
the toll gate OF the Thunderbolt road. fully
q half mile off. The largest portion of the
iron fell on the platform of the paint shop.
about 400 feet from the boiler house. Rem
nants of patterns we're picked up all
through the yard and adjoining fields,
within a radius Of 1000 feet.
THE DIsPATCHERs FRIGHTENED.
There were very few people in the neigh
borhood of the explosion when it occurred,
outside of the unfortunates. The train dis.
patchers in the telegraph office, only short
distance away, are not likely to forget their
experience for some time to come.
Train Dispatcher Mobley had just finished
'sendtnR train" and marked the dispatch
5:45 a. m., trailroad time) when the explo-
sion occurred. His first thought
was that a train OF cars had
broken the car block on the
track below and dashed into the building.
He ran to the window, and seeing that was
not the case concluded at once that an earth
quake was shaking the building to pieces.
The dispatchers' office is in an old frame
building, formerly the passenger depot, and
1t seemed as il the shock would bring 1t
down upon the heads of the occupants, SO
great was the shock. Mr.. Mobley dashed
down the stairs in time TO see the air filled
with dust and falling bricks aud debris.
None OF the missiles came iu the direction
OF the dtspatchers' office, however.
SURE 1T WAS A QUAKE.
The other dispatcher was stretched out on
some chairs asleep. He was awakened by
the shock and made down the steps CON
WINGED that an earthquake was on. The
Dispatcher office is fully 100 yards from
the engine house.
Sergt. Leonard of the Savannah, Florida
and Western railway police force was
probably the first person to arrive on the
scene after the explosion. He was nearby
and. like every one else, thoughtful was an
earthquake, but seeing the cloud Of dust
rise in the air he OWNED the cause at once
and ran in the direction of the engine house.
He ran as close to the scene
as he dared aud watched the eruption sub
side from a safe point of view. Showers OF
brick, pieces of iron and patterns fell for
several minutes. "A rat could not have
lived In that place while those bricks were
falling" declared Sergt. Leonard.
The shock was felt severely at the Electric
Railway Companys power house, three
quarters of Il mile to the east, and the win
dows Of the De Soto, nearly half mile to
the west, ratified loudly.
FORTUNATE IN ONE WAY.
terrible enough, It is fortunate that it hap
pened as it did. Had it occurred twenty
minutes later the loss OF life would probably
have run up In the neighborhood of 100, as
by that time the employees of the machine
shops. round house, planning mill and other
departments would have been gathering 20
begin their days labor.
General superintendent Fleming was at
the yards In less than half an hour after the
explosion, and personally directed the work
of removing the debris. He put the car
penters to work repairing the machine shop,
planning mill and supply house,
and by this afternoon or to-
morrow these buildings will be in pre-
sentablso shape.
Il nc NO CAUSE KNOWN.
1.-THE cause of the explosion" said Capt.
Fleming" is a mystery. 1t has always been
the custom to blow out the boilers Saturday
nights and wash aud fill them SUNDAYS to
he ready for firing nm Monday morning