Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-01-19
Two Women Lose Their Lives
By Falling Into Vat of
Boiling Water.
ONE DIED FOR THE OTHER
CoRoNER's JURY LAST NIGHT
CENSURED WALTER THOMAS
AND WILLIAM BELL, NIGHT
wATcHMAN AT THE MILL. WHO
WE'RE THEIR COMPANIONS.

A special from Chester today is as
follows: The tragedy in the dye room
OF the South Chester Manufacturing
Company's mill Wednesday night,
which resulted in the death of Miss Ida
Sible and Mrs. Mary Blizzard, was in
vestigated by the coroner last night.
The only living witness to the tragedy,
Walter Thomas, aged 25 years, testi-
fed that Ida fell backwards in the
vat of scalding water, and that Mrs.
Blizzard, who attempted to catch her
companion, also went into the water.
Thomas said that while sitting on q
cellar door at Second and Church
streets Wednesday Mary Blizzard call
ed him into her house, where he found
Ida Sible. He said the woman had
been drinking, and she asked him to
have drink. In the course Of the af-
ternoon whiskey and beer were pro-
cured, and they sat drinking until Will
Am Bell, the night watchman at the
mill, came along. Bell invited the party
to call at the mill that night
The invitation was accepted, and be-
tween and 8 o'clock Thomas and the
women went to the mill and were ad-
mitted by Bell. BELL gave me some
money TO get a pint OF. whiskey," said
Thomas, 'and he went into the engine
room. He then took us to the dye
room, and, placing his lantern on the
floor after he had weighed the women
went after a second lantern, as he In.
tended to show us through the mill
The women were fOoling, and I was
looking for Bell to come back. / saw
Ida grab for Mary. Ida was falling
"a ri rrru u1sdo ff.fn fI,C nd
grabbed at her she fell in. | saw the
steam go up as the women fell in.
grabbed them both and pulled Ida anC
Mary out"
Bell testified that after he left the
dye room he heard the women scream
but paid no attention to It, as he
thought they were skylarking. He re
turned just as Thomas was pulling tn,
women out of the vat. Mary begged
him to tear her clothes off. 'I an
burning up, she cried. The clothinl
OF both women were removed. and Bel
and Thomas rubbed them with linseeG
oil. Mrs. Blizzard refused to be takeI
home, and went to Bells house, whiI
Ida was removed to the hospital. Id
died about o'clock, and at first state,
that Mary had showed her into the vat
then said it was an accident. Mrs. Biz
zard died at Bells home shortly befor
o'clock last night. She also said /
was an accident.
Both Bell and Thomas were ques
toned closely by Coroner Fry. Thoma
said he had been drinking all after
noon and evening, but was not drunk
The women, he said, were drum
enough to stagger. "They fell severa
times coming up the railroad to tn
mill The vat, which is about eigh
feet In diameter, is in a corner Of th
mill, and TO reach it the women ha
TO pass around material piled up in tn
dye room. The lantern Bell left on tn
floor was near the centre of the room
thus leaving the vat in the darkness.
The jury censured Bell for admittin
intoxicated persons into the mill, an
also censured Thomas and himself fo
neglecting to promptly notify the al
thorities, SO that the burned wome
should receive immediate attention
Mrs. Blizzard was the mother OF 81
children, and has a hard working hu.
band. Bell and Thomas, who wei
taken into custody by the police an
locked up, pending the coroner's il
quest, were released with a reprimar
by the coroner. Thomas mother sal
that her son was addicted to drink, an
charged his ruin to woman.