Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-11-28

Jacob Keobet.
| Wm Mann.
| Charles coifey
| christopher Waldman
| Robert Greer
| Edward Burch.
| John Schaibl-.
| Richard Ryan
Douglass Dickinson tboy)
Peter Doll.
rive unidentified dead bodies
Among those at the hospitals. the
more seriously injured are:
Samuel Riley. engineer condition
| critical. bad burns.
John HOffiein. badly burned
John klinowicz. very badly burned
will probably die.
Tony Walker, foreman Of the mold
ing department: badly burned
cover
VIM Ager, boy, several band burns
In addition 10 the q at the hospitals.
dozen or more Of the employees who
suffered comparatively slight injuries
aside from the shock We're taken di-
rectly TO their homes TWENTY-FIVE
men and boys have not as vet been
found either at their homes or at the
hospitals. The II unidentified bodies
| may account for IL oil these and the Of
hcerS OF the company say that they feel
positive that the major portion OF the
remaining II are at their homes
The Penberthy Injector Works plant
occupied half square at the corner
of Abbott street and Brooklyn avenue.
Ii was composed of two brick build
ings, separated by 4 l6-foot alley. The
rear building, i'll which the boiler was
located and which was completely de-
siroyed. wGs three stories in height
The boiler room Was at the northwest
corner Of the building on the first floor.
It was in this building that most OF
the manufacturing was done.
The first floor was utilized as the en-
gine ana boiler room and a room FOR
testing the output of the plant. The
finishing ana brass manufacturing del
partment was on The second floor and
the third floor was devoted 10 the
foundry. 1t is impossible to tell exactly
how many men were at work in the
various departments Of the rear build
ing when the explosion occurred but
the officers insist that the number was
not over s..
There We're four boilers in the plant
two horizontal ones which furnished
steam for the engines. aud two vertical
boilers, which Were used solely to test
inj"ctorS. 1t was the horizontal boiler
which was in use. Tuesday morning.
which exploded and caused the awful
loss of life.
The awful crash came without the
slightest warning. Those in the front
building said il seemed like the detona-
tion of an immense cannon. The floors
ana roof Of the rear building bulged
upward and then toppled down with
their heavy loads OF III achinery and
foundry apparatus.
Walls, roof and all dropped into a
shapeless mass of debris. Windows in
houses for blocks around We're broken
by the conclusion and flying bricks
filed the neighboring yards 4 dense
cloud OF dust arose and as it settled
and was succeeded by dense clouds of
smoke and steam. agOnized cries began
To- come from the heap of tangled
wood, metal ana bricks.
Those who We're only partly buried
franticaliy dug themselves out and
theE az encrgetically turned to digging
for their comrades who were buried
deeper. Flames broke out almost inn
nlediately and the horror of fire was
added to the suffering of the impris-
oned ones
A fire alarm was turned in and
quickly responded To. Calls were sent |
out for all the ambulances in the city |
and they We're hurried to the scene.
Pending their arrival neiphboring
hnI ftrr
hospitals. and those physicians who |
"er" IN the vicinity relieved the suf-
ferers as Well as they We're able. The |
first ambulances on the scene were to-
tally Inadequate to carry those who
hau already been eXtricated and ex-
press wagons and similar vehicles were
pressed into service.
As soon as the gravity of the accidartI
was realized calls for additional 6remenl
were sent in and the apparatus came fy-I
ing to the scene from all parts of the
city While part of the Nremen direct
ed their efforts at the fire which was
burning fiercely i'll the center of theI
wreck. the greater number of them seized
axes and crowbars and began prying outI
the victims who could be seen or whose
faint cries We're audible
The department OF public works was no.
tilted of the horror and Immediately sent
all of its available men and horses to
the scene. In a comparatively short time
all The laborers ,van.,;n who could work to ad-
vantage were throwing and pulling the
debris into Brooklyn avenue. where it
was loaded into wagons and carried on.
The floors and roof had fallen at an an
gle and formed sort of huge cover un
der which the nre burned fiercelv. Not
until the firemen had chopped through
this did their streams begin TO have an
appreciable erect on the flames. The
meath we're testified to later by theIrl
charred and blackened bodies.
Ensineer Riley was wa anao5g among the first to
be dug out from me ,r wreck His escapa
boiler exploded he was hurled to the floor
and one of the smaller testing boilers was