Smyrna times., 1892-09-28
An Exploding Boiler.
TWO MEN FATALLY INJURED.

TWO MEN FATALLY INJURED.
No event for some time has so star.
tied the community as the boiler ex-
plosion at 7.30 Thursday morning in
the canning factory of J. w. Carson, at
Clayton.
The boiler was a small upright one,
and the force of the explosion was an.
parently downward, Indicating that
the end of the boiler Immediately over
the fire was blown out. The unner
section of the boiler was blown straight
up through the roof of the building
and was thrown to a considerable
height and fell in the road on one end.
and bounding like rubber ball, made
another spring, jumping clear over the
fence in the field, some so feet from
the factory. The roof of the building
was badly wrecked
There were about fifty people at
work in the building when the explo
sion occurred, the most of whom were
women and children engaged in peel
ing tomatoes. Some of these people
were very close to the boiler. but
escaped unhurt. This could hardly
have occurred if the boiler had not
gone straight up through the roof.
Fred Lang, brother of Mrs. Behm.
Ter, Of the bakery, who had been serv.
ing customers at Clayton, happened to
be passing the factory at the time, the
boiler dropping only about ten feet
behind him on the ground he had lust
passed over, bit of thedying material
striking his carriage. The noise that
came like the crack of doom, very nat
urally frightened his horse, and gave
him for few moments all he could do
to manage it.
A special train was Immediately dis
patched to this town and in an incredi-
bly, short time had five of our practic-
ing physicians, Drs. McCausland.
Dwight, Clifton, Ashcraft, and Walls
who, in connection with DR.. Harmon
son, of Clayton administered to the
necessities of the injured ones. ONLY
two were seriously hurt, and their
agOnies were terrible.
Oliver Brown, engineer, of Havre.de.
Grace, who in addition to being
scalded was internally hurt. The
other, Jacob Keathley, was also of Har.
ford Co. Md. He, besides being scalded.
had both legs and left hip broken. Be.
sides these J. &. Garner, Levi Ransom.
Mrs. Thos. Timms, Mrs. J.W Ennis. Miss
Clark and j. w. Carson were slightly
scalded or rather burnt by Cinders
Mrs. Henry Collins, who was standing
within two feet of the boiler. escaned
unhurt. The two injured men were
put on a tram and conveyed to Will
mlngton to be placed in the hospital.
but Brown died at the station while
keathly was being conveyed to the
hospital, the latter dying at G o'clock
the next morning.
That evening Coroner Sparks held an
inquest over the body of Brown. The
hrst witness called was John w. Car.
son, the owner of the factory. He
SAID II was in the factory when the
explosion occurred. It was about ? an
O'Clock and was shortly after Brown
had gotten steam up. l have no idea
what caused the explosion. | do not
know whether Brown was a licensed
engineer, but | employed him on a
recommendation from a man for whom
he formerly worked. We have had
the boiler for about four wears and IL
was tested last year by a man who
came to fix the place uD before yo
started business and do not know
whether he was licensed inspector or
not. | do not believe there was over
sixty"hve pounds of steam on Mt the
time. Brown was at the pumD Mt the
time the explosion occurred. -
Lewis Wilson and James Poplar also
testified to being there at the time of
the explosion and the first was thrown
ABOUT sixteen feet by the force.
Alter hearing the evidence the iurv
returned the following verdict
ResOtUed That Oliver Brown cama
10 his death by the explosion of a
Doiler In the canning factory Of Jobn
wv, w. carson q Co., at Clayton Del. on
thursday, September %, 1892. and
rom the evidence this jury censures
ene hrm for not employing a practical
Inspector to inspect the boiler. .
Inc explosion is supposed to have
resulted from sudden generation of
steam from cold water turned into a
superheated boiler. It is probable
Inat the water had become too low
anu the boiler as a consequence very
not. Under such circumstances the
nrst spray of water would cause an
explosion in any ordinary boiler.
brown's body was taken to his late
nome in Aberdeen, Md, and Keithley's
eody to his late home at Church Hill,
md. One son and two daughters sur