The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-24
A DEADLY RAIN OF FIRE
FEARFUL GEATH II slNE ath 1T 4
PsFTSBU.G BLa5IiSG Furnace.
AN EXPLOSION IN THE FURNACE

Causes an Eruption OF Molten Metal
and Burning Coke Which Envel-
opes the Men on Top of the Fur
nace-Their Frantic Efforts to Ec-
cape Witnessed by Many Spectators
About the Tall Smelling Shaft.
Some of the Men Blown From the
Fu~rnnccs's Top.
Pittsubrg, Pa. December by an
explosion of gas in the Soho furnace or
Jones & Laughlin, near Brady street.
this city, at $40 o'clock this morning.
nIne men were burned to death, three
injured SO badly that they are not ex-
pected to live. and the otheIs danger
ously hurt. The damage TO the plant
will amount to 5000
The explosion occurred In one OF tn"
big blast furnaces. Then men were at
work at the top of the furnace over 40
feet from the ground. Gas which had
accumulated in the ~furnace. exp.0ded
and tons of molten metal. cinders and
Stag were thrown over the unfortunate
men on the top OF the structure.
kn the men made a rush for the ele-
vatOr, but it had gone down n there
was no escape. The jump meant dCa.n
G4ld 10 remain on the platform was just
as certain doom. Tons of molten metal
= flames fell upon them and burned
nine men to death. Their bodies drop
FED to the roof of the mill e~igh1y-fVe
feet below. every bone broken and un-
recognizable mass OF human flesh
Ordinarily only three men work on
tOp OF the furnace. but this morning
about Sis o'clock one OF the heavy
irtn wagons used in taking up the ore
90 the top of the furnace got stuck on
the top of the structure and the three
men sent for assistance. A few men
vent up. but they could not move the
wagon and more went up.
1t was while they were trying to get
the wagon released that the fatal ex-
pIOsion took place. All the men at
work on top of the furnace were Slavs
and Poles.
Eye witnesses say that IT was the
most horrible sight they ever Witnessed.
They say nat when the explosion took
place there was one great nud report
and the murky heavens were illumi-
lated with n great sheet of flame,
showing the men on top OF the furnace
running about. gesticulating wildly.
the flames and hot metal looked like
e volcano in action. Five of the men
were blown off the top of the surface,
aid, strange as 1t may seem, these men
are the ones that still live. The others
hung on the railing. some On the out
side, others on the inside. until their
clothing was burned off. Two of the
victims hanging on the outside held OIL
and remained tenaCiously c1inging to
the railing until their fingers were
burned off. They then fell to the roof
CT the mill dead
Seven of the victims were found dead
on the platform of the cupola These
were completely denuded of clothes bv
the flames and their bodies were burn
ed almost to a crisp.
Hundreds of pedestrians on Second
emu narrowly escaped from deaf,
when the explosion occurred. Tons OF
ore. coke and hot cinders. some pieces
weighing almost three pounds, rained
down on Second avenue and many had
to run into houses and stores for pro-
lection. Can No. 369 of the Homestead
division was passing just at the time
the gas let GO. The coke and other ma
terial falling on the car, which had
twenty-five passengers aboard, caused
a panic n many jumped off and more
would have followed had not the cool
ness of the conductor saved them. None
Ol lIS passengers was III the least llJuI-
ed. but all were badly scared.
Over two tons of the debris fell on
Second avenue and a force of fifty mer
was put to work to clean it off the
tracks. Traffic was impaired, out with,
in half an hour after the accident all
the tracks were cleared
The people residing abou the furnace
and for blocks on either side were badly
scared. They rushed from their homes
and a few minutes after the repor had
sounded throughout Soho thousands OF
people gathered about the furnace
Two of the victims were found in the
stock yard OF the plant. $50 yards from
the furnace. They were horribly burn
ed, but had they not been they would
have been killed by such a force. Every
been broken.
General Manager j. B. Laughlin saiC
today that the accident was one of tn
most disastrous that had ever occurred
sip the history OF the company. He said
THE nature of the explosion is easil,
explained. Among furnace men i
is known as a slip. By his W,
mean that the gas became encased b!
the cinders and coke becoming gummed
forming n crust in the furnace Tn
gas accumulates and then the pressur
becomes so great that 1t forces itSel
through the crust. Usually il blows tn
hopper bolts off. The top filters knov
when this is expected. They are in
structed to take the elevator and 20 3
the ground.
The top filters heard the explosion
and told the men to come away. 1 sup
pose they had taken hold of the or
barrow and did not hear them. III,
blast of flame shot up and thew wer
killed and the others Became 30 con
fused by their burning clothes and IN
smoke hat they did not realize how t
save themselves. These men were neve
on the platform before"