The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-17

An experiment with an explosive engine
in second story room over the machine
shop of Sutherland & Carr, 1902 D Street
of Louis Campbell Maltby, forty-four
years old. a matchmaker, and his six
teen-year-old son, Herbert Louis Maltby,
at lilo o'clock yesterday morning.
Father and sen were at work perfectinS
| a model for an engine invented by Capt.
/. n. Lewis of the Bureau or Ordnance,
when an iron boiler containing a mixture
| of gasoline gas and compressed air was
| destroyed, it is said because OF excessive
| pressure. Louis Maltby was the more
seriously injured Both arms were
bruised and lacerated and his right leg
cut. Herbert Maltby suffered bruises of
| the right arm and body. Both victims of
the explosion were badly injured about
the eyes. and 1t is feared their sight may
be impaired. The elder Maltby may have
sustained internal injuries. Father and
| son were removed 10 the Emergency Hos
pital after the accident. The Maltbys
live at 1915 Ninth Street northwest.
The tank which exploded was like an
ordinary galvanized iron water boiler,
such as is attached to kitchen range.
Its capacity was but six cubic feet, and
the degree of pressure on at the time of
the explosion, according to the Maitbys,
was thirty-fve pounds. The tank sup
piled the power for the engine on which
the ia her and son were at work
The explosion came without warning, and
its force was sufficient to hurl the occu-
pants of the shop many feet. The concus-
sion rent great hole in the ceiling of the
shop and stripped every belt from the va
rious pulleys of lathes and other machine
cry. Louis Maltby was lifted in the air
and over a lathe and dropped into mass
of debris and machinery several feet dis
tant- Herbert Maltby was thrown ten feet
against the door leading into the chop.
Herbert Msitby was the first to recover,
and, openingth door of the room to admit
air, he went-to the assistance Of his more
seriously injured father. Louis Maltby was
scarcely able to walk, but with the assist
ance of his son he managed to get to the
stairway leading to the Office of Suther-
land & Carr. Little time was then lost
in getting the Maltbys TO the hospital.
An examination of the room in which the
explosion occurred disclosed that the dam
age was comparatively slight considering
the force Of the explosion. The noise had
attracted large crowd and created the i'm
preston that a great loss of life had en-
sued. The police of the First precinct dis
persed the crowd and dissipated the false
impression. a glance at the experimental
| shop showed that little damage had re-
suited there. The machinery was practi-
cally undistuTbed and, aside from the pile
| of plaster which had fallen from the cell
ing, the appearance of the room indicated
nothing more than the ordinary disorder
| of machine shop.
| Mr.. Sutherland stated that he had rented
| the shop to Captain Lewis about one month
ago. He knew nothing of the methods
! employed in the shop or the nature Of the
! experiments in progress. Persons about
the building understood that mechanics
were perfecting an engine TO be used for
locomobiles. Louis Maltby would not state
| to what use the engine was to be put. He
said that he had been employed by Captain
Lewis for about, a year and had built the
engine on which he was experimenting
yesterday when the explosion occurred
He said that the engine had not accom-
plished all that was expected of 1t and that
| he had recently been engaged in an effort
| to perfect it and increase its efficiency.