The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-04
Fire ENVBLOPED Them!
Workmen Killed by an Explosion in q
Steel Works.
CAUSED BY CARELESSNESSl

Furnace at the Thompson Works In
Braddock, PENN, Was Choked anu
Sixteen Men Were Engulfed in Flames
ofExplodins Casa Volcanic Erupnon
ofLiquid Metal. ...'. -.-.
The fall Of chang" in the top OF furnace
q Of the Edgar Thompson Steel WORKS az
Braddock, Penn, caused an explosion wnion
resulted in the death Of eight men. Eignt
other men received burns. and some OF them
were fatally injured. The killed are: Jonn
Grengo, Joseph Luckai. foty-ave years Old
married; John Prokopovic, twenty-seyen'
married; Stephen Havila, thirty-two; John
Mika, twenty eight, married; Joseph Csop,
thirty-one; Andrew Drobuah, thirty-hye,
married; Mike Kafnos, twenty-six, married
The last two men died after being taken to
the hospital. The explosion occurred at
o'clock a. m, when preparations were being
made for the morning melt. The force OF
the rush Of expanding gas was terrific, ana
frightened the entire town OF Braddock.
Hundreds of half-clad men, women ano
children focked to the mill to inquire the
cause Of the noise and the result. The ma
jor1ty were Hungarian and Polish women
who live near the mill, and had husbands
and brothers working at the furnaces. They
crowded into the yards over railroad tracks
which form q network about the row OF
furnaces and could not be forced BACK:
They swarmed through the stock sheds, and
soon the air was filed with cries and groans
as the bodies were picked up and recognlzeo.
The carelessness or ignorance OF one OF the
top filters, all Of whom are Hungarianss
caused the accident. The refuse lmater1at
which forms chang" had been allowed to
accumulate until its size obstructed the free
passage Of the gases generated In the melting
Of ore. One OF the top fllers dumped par.
row full OF stock into the furnace w1thous
raisinethe bell, and this obstructed the open
Ing still more. The top Of the furnace was
practically closed. and force OF men was
sent there at once to remove the mafer1aI
which closed up the top.
While the men were trying to accomplish
this, working directly over the top OF the
molten metal at the bottom Of the furnace.
At the same instant the gases, which could
not escape because OF the obstruction at tha
top, took fire and exploded with deafening
roar; the sheet of fame belched out the top
of the furnace, striking the men who were
scattered all about it, blowing them In
various directions. The materials loosened
at the sides of the furnace by the far OF the
chang" and the explosion followed the rush
Of fame. =
The debris dropped back upon the men,
already frightfully burned by the gas. One
man was blown over one OF the elevators
and dropped down through 1t. Hts body
struck car standing at the bottom and was
cut In two. Other meu were burned beyond
recognition, and were identified by clothing
or physical peculiarities:
Only one man was killed instantly, but the
others In the list Of dead died while being
taken to the shed. The position Of the men
while working at the top Of the furnace was
such that they had no chance to escape. The
iron covering at the extreme top checked tne
flames enough to drive them back down,
thus enveloping the men completeiy. Anei
the first rush the flames poured out OF the
opening steadily, and 1t was a hazardous
task for the rescuers to so up and bring the
bodies down. All the injured. except James
Harrison, the foreman, were Hungarians.