The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-18
ONE MIRACLE WAS WORKED
A BOILER ExPLODBS AND NOT A
PERSON SERIOUSLY INJURED.

Large Piec of Debris Thrown Around for
Many Yards but They Did Not Hit n
Human Mark-The Cause of the Blow
Up win Remain Mystery.
Worcester, March 1.-THE residents
of this town WERE startled at noon to-
day by terrific explosion in the South
Village mill of the Slater Woolen COM
pany. A sixty-horse power Allen boiler
burst, causing the loud noise and wreck
ing many thousand dollars worth of
property near it, If miracles are ever
worked in these matter-of-fact days.
one was certainly worked to-day, for
no one was killed or even seriously in-
jured.
The cause Of the accident will proba-
bly, always remain a mystery. though
it is believed that there was no waten
in the boiler. Joseph Chminski, a Poles
who lives on Bartlett street. had charge
of the boiler room to-day. He was ems
gagged about two weeks ago. 1t is said
that he was at home eating his dinner
dl the LlIIle Oh Tie SAplOSlOA.
The boiler which caused the trouble
is one of a set of twelve Allen boilers
all Of sixty-horse power, located in the
south end of the mill yard, near the
corner of Main and Peter streets. This
boiler was driven out of its buildings
which stands ten feet or more below
Main street, through the basement and
the parlor upstairs Of the corporation
tenement occupied by the Donli family
across Main street, striking the stone
foundation Of the old tavern where id
lodged. Rosa Domi was sitting in the
parlor at the time and she was precipi-
tated into the basement, but was not
injured beyond a severe shaking up-
Mrs. Domi was in the kitchen adjoining
the parlor. She was knocked down.
Large pieces of debris were thrown
around for many rods, but fortunately
they hit no human mark. The boiler
weighed about thirty tons. It struck
the old tavern with force enough to
bore large hole in the stone underpin-
ming and then turned Itself completely
around at a distance Of about forty feet
from its bed The shock was felt all
over town and at first caused much cons
sternation, as it was believed half Of
the Domi family must have been fatally
injured
A young man named Stratton was
also thought to be injured. He was
on the sidewalk and the boiler passed
within few feet Of him. Had the ex-
plosion occurred on a week day with
the mill in operation the loss Of life
would have been great. The engine
house and the drying-room, two large
one-story buildings Of brick are conn
pletely ruined The wool in the latter
building took fire, but the fire alarm
could not be pulled in as the large
gong Of the system was on the engine
house and was destroyed. The FIRE
was soon under control and did not
spread to other structures. In the
wool drying room were about 200 bales
of wool valued at about $1.500. This
wool is all practically ruined. In the
engine house were the sixty-two Allen
boilers valued at $4,000, a Corliss en-
gine 200 horse power, valued at $5,00Os
a Greene engine 150 horse power, wall
ued at $4,000, and the apparatus for
lighting the factory by electricity. With
the damage to the buildings the loss
will easily reach $750O0. The boilers
engines, dynamos and the mill build-
ings are insured, but for what amount
cannot be ascertained. The tenement
houses damaged have no insurance on
them.
The mill is so crippled that operations
cannot be resumed in a month at least
1t is a mill of forty setas, manufacIur-
ing only the finest grades of woolenss
Two years ago at about this time the
factory was visited by fire which
caused damage Of about $4,000 and
a partial shutdown Of the works.
H. N. Slater, the proprietor, is In
Boston. News of the accident was
telegraphed to him this afternoon.