The record-union., 1899-08-28
Old ENGINES DANGEROUS.
AN EXPLOSION NEAR FOLSOM
LAST WEEK.
"A Burnt-Out Engine Used to Run
a Threshing Outfit Goes
to Pieces.

The Folsom Telegraph" of Saturday
gives the following account of the ex-
plosion of a threshing engine few
miles from there on Wednesday last:
While threshing grain on Mrs. Dor
mody's place Wednesday. Thomas Orr's
threshing engine blew UP about two
o'clock in the afternoon. injuring Fire
man Henry Erickson severely and
wrecking the engine beyond repair.
That no one was killed is very fortu-
nate as the explosion was terrific one.
At the moment of the explosion Fire
man Henry Erickson was in the act of
feeding some straw to the furnace. The
engine blew out at both ends, the great
er force being in the rear and directly
against the fireman. Erickson was
thrown fully forty feet backward, sus-
tanning a severe scalding, mostly on
the right side, and bruises about the
face.
He almost Immediately regained his
feet and ran to the cookhouse, about
200 yards distant. Companions imme-
diately applied lotions to his injuries
and a messenger was dispatched to
Shingle Springs for a doctor. That he
was not killed is a mystery as the rend-
ed iron flew all about him. Mr.. t'rick-
son is now at Shingle Springs, and at
last reports was mending rapidly.
The front end of the engine was
thrown over the stack. going Just over
the heads of the forkers. and ali8hting
about eighty-five yards distant and re-
bounded fifteen yards further. The
conclusion was so great that it knock
ed the hoe-downs from their positions
al the draper, but beyond a scare they
were uninjured.
Engineer A J. Smith was standing
within five feet of the engine at one
side talking to the water buck, John
Barton when the accident occurred,
but neither We're injured beyond a
shaking up.
There are all kinds of rumors a1oat
as to the cause of the accident, but the
most acceptable one is that the engine
long ago had seen its days of useful
ness and should have been in the scrap
pile. The engine is said to have been
condemned about eleven years ago, and
was then sold to Fong Lee Lung who
used it for pumping purposes on Sac
ramento Bar, and since then the old
machine has had several owners.
The old boiler had been carrying
steam at about 120 pounds pressure,
which started the tubes to leaking bade
ly, and Wednesday morning Engineer
Smith calked up six of them. He de-
tected a weakness in the pate While
calking and called Mr.. Orr's attention
to it. To insure against immediate
leakage Smith and Orr cut up several
potatoes and dropped them into the
boiler, the effect of which is to clog
open seams
After the fire was started in the fur
mace Smith cautioned the fireman not
TO carry over eighty pounds Of steam
as it would be unsafe to so beyond
that pressure, and as far as is known
the unfortunate fireman faithfully car
ried out the instructions.
A few moments before the explosion
Barton asked Engineer Smith if ne
would need any more water to complete
the stack they were threshing. The
water barrel was full and Smith went
up to the water cocks on the boiler
tried them, found plenty OF water in
the lower one and a little in the upper
one. He glanced at the steam gauge
and noted that it registered seventy
eight pounds. He then returned to
where Barton was, by the water cart
alongside of the engine, and was tell
ing him there was enough water when
the explosion took place. The force
was great enough to force the wheels
of theengine fully two feet into the
hard ground.
Examination showed that at the sup
posed point of fracture the boiler had
corroded until it was only one-quarter
of an inch thick, while other parts of
the boiler were half an inch thick. If
the explosion had occurred at any
other time several lives might have
been lost.
As soon as the threshing was over
with it was the intention TO bring the
engine down to the Blue Ravine mine
and use it as a relief engine.