St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-03

oAOu CrSOhS AHJ urcus dOfS0s
Killed and Property Damaged
Engineer Armstrong Was
Not Licensed to Run a Lowe
Patent Boiler, and the Blow
Up Was Caused by Overpres-
sure.
NEW YORK, Nov. 2.-Six men killed.
others supposed to be dead under the
ruins, dozen persons injured, several
horses dead and property damaged to
the extent of about $4,000 is the sum
total of the havoc wrought by the eX-
plosion of a boiler this afternoon. 1t
was in the stables of the Dry Dock and
Battery street railroad on East Twenty
fourth street between Avenues A and b.
Following is the list of the dead, so
far as known: John Armstrong, en-
gineer; Thomas Hasson, laborer; Samuel
Mullen, driver; John Royal, lampman;
Joseph II. Quinn, laborer; Charles
Breslin, laborer.
Of the injured this is but partial
list, as many who were hurt disappeared
from the scene:
Michael Mcdonald, aged twenty-eight,
at Bellevue hospital, both legs tract
ured below knees; Patrick Mcdonnell,
aged twenty-eight, both thigh bones
fractured and bruised about the body;
Mrs. Jacob Soldinger, cut by flying
glass; Annie Gallagher, badly bruised
by flying debris; John Peters, cut by
flying glass; j Ohm Ruhl, struck by fall
ing timbers, injuries not serious; Myrtle
Gallagher, cut by flying glass; John
Rhelnfrank, cut by glass.
The explosion occurred about l
O'Clock, and those employed in the
stables who lived near by had just re-
turned from lunch. In that portion of
the stables to which the explosion was
confined about fifteen men were at
work, mostly on the ground f1oor-the
building is three stories and of brick
banking up corn and grain.
Without warning terrible crash was
heard and the air for 100 yards in every
direction was filled with bricks, ,timbers,
iron and debris of every description.
a great volume Of escaping steam
roared and hlssed above the tumult. In
a short time, however, it had exhausted
itself, and through the dust could be
seen the picture of the wreck and de-
struction. The entire front of the two
stable buildings. Nos. 535 and 537, had
been blown into the street. The second
floor. on which was banked hundreds of
tons OF fodder, fell, going through into
the cellar. Next the roof. The destruc-
ton or the building was complete
and terrible. The building opposite, a
fiye-story brick tenement with two
stores and eight dwelling apartments,
occupied, presented a strange appear
ance. Directly in front of the window
of a saloon kept by John Ruhl, lay the
boiler. 1t was of Lowe patent make,
manufactured at Bridgeport, Conn.,.
4 feet inches in diameter by 122 feet in
| length.
| There was scarcely bulge in its
side. About the bottom it showed thai
4 the immense cylinder had been tori
| out at the roots.
Sergeant Washington Mullen, of the
boiler inspecting bureau, says the eX
plosion was caused by an over-pressure
Engineer Armstrong, it is said, was no
licensed TO run boiler of the patterr
| that exploded. 1t was a Lowe paten
boiler, and he was only permitted by
| law to run a tubular horizontal boiler
Armstrong was employed in the Cor
| lears street stable of the railway, anC
had only com up for the day.
Far into the night gang of laborer!
were at work cleariag the wreck away
| The bodies of d dozen horses were
dragged out.