Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-06-15
FOUR LIVES LOST.
Most Terrible Disaster at Fall
River, Mass, for Years.
An Exploding Boiler Causes Fire in
Langley Loom Harness Factory.
Many Of the Employees Injured and Others
Have Narrow Escape.

trophe that has visited this city since the
Granite Mill fire, occurred, this morn
ing, at the Langley loom harness shop OH
County street. A new boiler of the Ken
dali make exploded In the basement of the
two story wooden building. blowing out
the entire end of the building, knocking
the supports from the side and causing the
| floors to settle into mass of ruins. There
We're II persons at work in the shop.
The flames communicated with the
ruins and they began to burn briskly.
Firemen rushed to the scene and made
heroic efforts to rescue the imprisoned
| work people.
| Shrieks from the girls in the ruins were
| mingled with the agonized cries of their
friends who had hurried to the scene when
the first news of the catastrophe spread
Ambulance calls were sent out hur-
riedly and every physician who could be
reached was sent at once to the scene
At noon 1t was found that four persons
had been killed, three more were missing,
and four had been seriously injured. The
killed were Leila Horton, Jenicks street !;
aged II; Adele DUDE, Avon street. aged
lS; Robert Murray, Weybosset street,
aged 81; Adolph Bcllefeuille, aged 80.
Missing: Angelina Mccoy August
SENEGAL, Philip Smith. Injured: Thomas
Bury, aged Isl Hortens, badly burned
about the face and crushed about the
body; Matte Desroches, Plain street, badly
shocked and required medical attendance;
Joseph INITIAL, scratched on left arm; ;
Annie Hurst, struck behind the car by
flying debris; Mary Partridge, cut on
head
State Inspector Hawley ID. J. Hayes,
Boiler Inspector J. d. Dumond and an
expert boiler inspector employed by the
Hartford Insurance Co, were in the city,
this afternoon, investigating the cause of
today's boiler explosion. 1t has been
definitely determined that the engineer
told the truth when he said there was
plenty of water in the boiler. and the ex-
perts found the safety fusible plug in ex-
cellent condition. The experts said the
boiler was in very good condition, today,
so far as scaling was concerned. There
were suspicious patches on the middle
plate, more particularly where it broke
away from the double row of rivets. 1t
may have been caused by burning or other
causes. A piece of the plating, 90 by
) inches, was cut out by order of the state
Inspector and will BIO taken to Boston for
further examination. The safety valve at
tached to the boiler had not been found
up to 6 o'clock.
A second. after the explosion occurred,
pandemonium reigned In the building
adjoining. The windows were shattered
by the flying debris and dust, and steam
oiled the room. In the second floor of the
weave room, Joseph INITIAL was struck
on the left arm, and Annie Hurst was cut
back of the ear.
A girl named Partridge worked in the
,lley on the west side of the mill, far re-
moved from the explosion. A piece of
lying brick struck her near the eye and
she tainted and bled freely. The operatives
made for the nearest exits. They rushed
pell nell down the stairs and into the
street. Flying brick and mortar crashed
through the windows and smashed the
warps, tore the cloth, ripped the rowing
)ut of the creels and made q general mess
of things.
The mill engine ran some four or five
minutes. Then the operatives began to
collect their wits. Many of them i'm
mediately started to put out the fire in the
Langley building, and the mill hose was
run out and good work was done. 1t is
believed that about $1,000 worth of dam
age was done to the mill property.
The police report of the explosion given
out, tonight, shows that there were II
people in the building. OF this number
four were burned to death, seven were
moro or less injured and others escaped
with little more than severe shock.
One Lapage made some statements to
the police, tonight He said he worked
as engineer and fireman at the Langley
works about two years ago. When one of
the boiler inspectors looked over the plant
before insuring it, he was warned never
to allow the steam pressure to go over so
pounds.
Some time after the inspection, Lapage
told the police he was ordered to increase |
the pressure to 90 pounds, and told the
superintendent that he would not do It, |
When heavy pressure was put on the
boiler, he said he could sec it give way |
under the strain He was not at all sur |
prised that it was blown into the air.
When asked why he left Langley's en-
ploy, he said he was discharged, because
he would not work around the place in
addition to looking after and being re-
sponsible for the engine and boiler.
Napoleon Iapage, the present engineer,
is no relative of his. The police held him
under close surveillance, all day, but re-
leased him, tonight.
The safety valve belonging to the boiler
has been found, but there was nothing
about 1t to excite suspicion that the boiler
were not All right.