The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-01-31
AWFUL BOILER EXPLOSION
Three Persons Killed and Twenty
Four Wounded.
TRAGEDY IN A ROLLING MILL
A Thirty Foot Cylinder Boiler That Had
Been Recently Tested ExplOdcs
with Terrible Rcsults-List
OF Dead and Injured.

Philadelphia, Jan. Ca special to
the Record from Hollidaysburg says:
The most disastrous affair that has
happened in this section for years oc-
Cured here this morning. when n boil
er exploded in the large rolling mills OF
the Hollldaysburg Iron and Nail Com
pany. Three persons We're killed, four
more may die and twenty others are
more or less injured. The dead are:
George Lane. age 80. married, brick
layer, found crushed to death under the
debris; Merrill n. Reese, aged Is, top
or skull torn OF, and died in about
half an hour: Cornelius Evans, aged
l6, skull crushed in and ribs broken
died shortly after he was found.
The most seriously injured are: Sam
uel kephart, aged SO. married, skull
fractured and injured internally, will
die; Frank Cramer, aged So, married
superintendent of mill, skull fractured
and four ribs broken; may not recover
Samuel Marks, aged SO years. skull
fractured, jaw bone broken and badly
burned, In n critical condition; Robert
Marks, aged %, puddler, cut above head
and wrists and leg broken; Finley Fur
geson, aged 3S, married, puddler, cut
burned and scalded, in u dangerous
condition; John Wasmer, aged 49, mar
ried. puddler, skull fractured and in
ternally injured. not expected to recov-
er; Robert Murray, aged 49, unmarried,
puddler, skull fractured and in a criti-
cal condition.
The others We're not critically hurt.
One Hundred Men ut Work.
When the accident occurred this
morning at 7.15 o'clock, about q hun
dred men We're at work at the mills. A
thirty-foot cylinder boiler exploded
without any warning, spreading death
and ruin in its course. The report of
the explosion was heard all over the
town, and several blocks away houses
We're shaken and dishes were 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
injuries. In q short time u large crowd
of people were collected. The cause of
the explosion is q mystery. Engineer
Lloyd Cramer was standing by his en-
gine at the time of the accident. He
says the boiler had 100 pounds of steam
on. He was not hurt. The boilers had
been repaired and tested about sixty
days ago. 1t is thought there was no
water in the boiler. The boilers We're
placed over pudding furnaces and
heated from the fires. When it explod-
ed it blew open and went through the
roof, tearing out the entire end of the
4 ,I.
feet. 1t crushed through the mill roof,
throwing the beams and iron In all di-
rections completely wrecking that part
of the plant. AS the steam escaped
with the explosion the furnaces were
demolished and stacks We're thrown
down.
PuddIcrs Buried in Ruins.
A number of pudders were buried in
the ruins. The end of the boiler was
found 800 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 bricklay-
er, was the first man found. He was
discovered lying under the bricks and
near the uneXploded boiler. crushed to
death. He had been working at a
furnace near the boiler at the time Of
the accident. Cornelius Evans was
found lying near the shears with near
ly the whole top Of his head torn off.
l is supposed he had gone to the shears
just as the explosion occurred for ma
terial for stocking the furnace, and
was struck by u dying piece of iron
roofing.
Merrill Treese was found near the
furnace with his skull fractured and
burnt in horrible manner. Samuel
Kephart, Samuel Marks, Robert Marks,
Finley Ferguson and John Woomer
We're found in front Of their furnaces
covered with debris where they had
been struck down. The other injured
ones were able to go out of the mill
unaided.
Just before the explosion a tramp
was seen cooking IA piece of meat in
front Of one of the furnaces and 1t is
supposed that he was killed and buried
under the ruins for he has not been
seen since the accident. The loss to
the company is about $1,000 partly COW
cred by insurance. Superintendent
Cramer was standing by the rolls,
when the accident occurred, and he
was struck by flying pieces of iron and
brick.