The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-31
The Boiler In a Rolling Mill Bursts and Scat
tiers Death and Destruction Broadcast.
HURLED ONE HUNDRED FEET HIGH
Aad I'm FnllInE Crnslres the ELI
ROof-Thrcc Men Killed ana Twcn-
sy Woundcd-JIt Is Thought No
Wafer Wns in the Roilcr-yictilns
Of the Affair Horribly Burned.

'Aoti'boS obNi 81 az O"ii oO.--l Ile hibSl
disastrous affair that has happened III
this section for years occurred here
this morning, when Il, boiler exploded
In the large rolling mills of the Holli-
daysburg Iron and Nail Company.
Three persons We're killed. four more
may die and twenty others are more or
less injured. The dead are:
George Lane, aged So. married. brick
layer; found crushed to death.
Merrill Treese, aged 15: top of skull
torn off and died in about half an hour.
Cornelius Evans, aged 16: skull crush
ed IN and ribs broken; died shortly ar
ter he was found
The most seriously injured are:
Samuel keppart. aged sc, married: {:
Skull fractured and injured internally; ;
will die.
Frank Cramer. aged sc. married. SUI
perintendent of the mill: skull fractured
ana four ribs broken; may not recover.
Samuel Marks aged so years, skull
fractured, jnw-bone broken and badly
burned; In a critical condition.
Robert Marks, aged %. puddler: cut
about head and wrists and leg broken
finley Ferguson, aged IS, married
puddler; cut, burned and scaldcd; in n
dangerous condition.
John Woomer, aged 45. married. pud-
der: skull fncturcd and internally in
1ured; not expected to recover
Robert Murray. aged 40. unmarried
u, l.
cal condition.
The others were not critically hurt.
When the accident occurred this
morning at T:l5 o'clock. about IL hun
dred men were at work at the mills A
thirty-foot cylinder boiler exploded with
OUT any warming, spreading death and
ruin III Its course. The report of the
explosion WAS heard all over the town
and several blocks away houses were
shaken and dishes ratified on the
breakfast tables. AS soon as the noise
OF the explosion was heard, the men
made a wild dash for safety, and the
majority escaped with but slight nju-
ries. In short time n large crowd OF
people We're collected.
The cause of the explosion Is n mys-
terry. Engineer Lloyd Cramcr was
standing by his engine at the TING of
the accident. He says the boiler had
100 pounds of steam on. He was not
hurt. The boiler had been repaired and
tested about sixty days ago. IT is
thought there was no water in the boil
cr The boilers were placed over pud-
ding furnaces and heated from their
fires.
The boiler that exploded blew omen
and went through the roof. tearing out
the entire end of the mill. and was then
hurled about 100 feet. 1t crushed the
mill roof, throwing the iron in all di-
rections completely wrccking that part
OF the plant. As the steam cscapcd
with the explosion the furnaces were
demolished and the stacks were thrown
down. number of puddlers were
buried in the ruins. The end of the
boiler was found 500 yards from the
mill. As soon as the steam and smoke
cleared away the search for the victims
beneath the ruins was begun. Lane
the bricklayer was the first man found
He was discovered lying under the
bricks and near the uneXploded boiler.
crushed to death. He had been work
ing at furnace near the boiler nj the
time of the accident Cornelius Evans
was found lying near the shears with
nearly the whole top of his head torn
or. 1T is supposed he had gone to the
SheafS Just as the explosion occurred
Tor material for stoking the furnace
ana was struck by Il flying piece of
iron roofing. Merrill Trcrse was found
near the furnace with his skull frac-
tured and burned in n horrible manner.
Samuel Keppart. Samuel Marks, Rob
ert Marks, Finley Ferguson and John
Woomer were found in front OF their
furnaces covered with debris where
they had been struck down The other
injured ones were able to get out of
the mill until aided
Just before the explosion n tramp
was seen cooking n piece of meat In
front Of one OF the furnaces ana it is
supposed that he was killed and buried
under the ruins, as he has not been
seen since the accident. The loss to the
company is about $4,000; partly covered
by insurance. Superintendent Crlmcr
was standing by the rolls when the ac-
cident occurred and he was struck by
flying pieces of iron and brick
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The Color Line In the Fast.