Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-01

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Gus boiler explosion. which wrecked q
portion OF the Acushnet cotton mill
plant, followed by fire. startled the city
Just before o'clock Saturday morning.
Two persons are known To- have been
killed, and many others are reported
missing, but 1t is thought they may have
escaped. Several persons were severely
injured.
The dead are:
Manuel Mendoza. foreman, employed
by the corporation.
Arthur Aspen. q workman in the har-
ness room.
(, The cause of the explosion is not
known. John Long, the CHEF engineer
at the Acushnet mills was standing by
the door Of the boiler house few min
utes before this incoming. The fireman.
Mendoza, was at W. rk in the rear OF the
boiler battery. Suddenly the boiler room
and portion of the harness shop and
cloth room adjoining were torn apart by
a. terrific explosion. and one or more OF
the 10 boilers Of the plant were blown
into the air.
The sound OF the explosion caused a
.,
:or the stairways. but fortunately no
,ne was seriously injured. In the midst
u the confusion flames burst forth from
he cotton room. and a double alarm Of
IRE was sounded. calling not only the
department., but multitudcs of citizens
to the scene
The flames blazed up furiously for a
short time. but were soon under control.
E,. that time it had been learned that
several employees We're missing. and a
search among the ruins was begun as
quickly as possible.
The headless body OF Mendoza. black
,ned by fire. was taken from the debris
II the wrecked boiler house. Not far
lway. beneath the wreckage in the har-
aess shop. the body OF Aspen. burned al
most beyond recognition, was taken out
Two other employees. George Haworth
and George Gatenby. are still missing.
)ut from the somewhat confused evil
lence at hand. it is thought they may
,ave escaped. Search is being made
however. and will not be abandoned until
he possibility that they may have es-
]aped is proved.
The Acushnet mills are situated at one
ide of square. there being other mills
m the other three sides. The boiler
house in which the explosion occurred
was at the back OF, the MILL and was
separated from the harness and cotton
rooms by only thin partitions The en-.
tire roof of the boiler house was blown
)ff. and the sides and adjoining portions
II the harness and cotton rooms fell
with a crash. A part of one of the boilers
was blown completely through the
picker room. at the other side of the mill
yard. shattering hole I'm the wall. 20
bys40 feet. The room was filed with
operatives. who Immediately STAN
oeded. The weave shop. which was
under the picker room. was also thrown
in confusion. az
The casing of a boiler weighing hum
dreds of pounds. was blown completely
over the mill. which is 10 feet in height
and it fell nearly q quarter of a mile to
the northward, striking the roof Of the
South End police station.
1t passed Through the building and
landed in the basement, leaving hc.s
90 or so feet In diameter in it's path. Nc
one was injured at the station. Other
fragments We're found at a distance
from the scene of the explosion. but they
did no particular damage.
The conclusion shattered nearly every
window in the buildings near the Acush-
net mills. and the excitement resulting
from the explosion spread to the opera
tives in the otherlnilI. but this was soon
Quoted when 1t appeared that the dan
ger had passed. The cause of the ex-
plosion is mystery. Engineer Long
says he can give no explanation He
could not tell what Mendoza was doing
not even surmise how 1t could have &C.
Cured. - as
Mr.. Long considers his escape miracul-
Gus. He was standing near the door of
the boiler room. and was blown out into|
the yard, but he escaped with slight
bruises. Those who have been reported
injured We're hurt by missiles from thc|
building.
The accident is considered particularly
in view of the fact that the
mills have been crowded with orders and
were running night and day
The corporation is one of the wealth.
lest of the kind In the state. its stock
being quoted at POS. and is very scarccI
even at that price. The accident &C.
ours at the worst season of the year. and
means a heavy business loss to the COR
poration. and loss to the operatives. as
1t will be month or two before the plant
can be put in working order throughout
The Weavers' union officials say that
their organization will begin to givel
stoppage pay to the members next week,
as it is well supplied with funds.
The foreman of the weave and picker
rooms say that a number of the en-
ployes there were severely cut andl
brushed by flying brick and glass.
Clouds of broken brick and other mis-
stiles were hurled through the windowsl
by the shock.
Immense crowds arrived on the scenel
Of the wreck. and the entire police forcel
was about the ruins. The accident isl
the second of the kind that has occurred
in this city within two years.
It is estimated that the financial loss
win reach 100000 This is fully covered
by Insurance in the New England Man
ufacturers' Mutual association