Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-12-26
PITTSBURG VISITED
By ANOTHER HORROR
-Four Boilers In a Bar Mill at the Black
Diamond Steel Works Exploded
Early Friday Morning.
TEN TO THIRTY KILLED
ACCORDING TO RUM0RS
So Far Six Found Dead and
Twelve Injured.
WREGKAGE IS 80 TO rs FEET HIGH

Pittsburg, Pa, Dec. 20. The Black
Diamond steel works Of Park Bros, on
Ihirtieth street, was the scene this
morning of an awful accident, in which
at least five workmen lost their lives
and IL were injured.
1t was Just A. 10 O'Clock. as the night
| crew was about to turn over the mill to
the day force, when four boilers in the
10-inch bar mill, No. 8, exploded with
terrific force, scattering death and
destruction in all directions. The mill
was completely wrecked, and the debris
is piled 80 to 70 feet high.
The boiler works Of James Mcneil,
adjoining the Black Diamond mill,
were also destroyed.
A force OF men went to work as
quickly as possible after the explosion
searching in the debris for bodies.
Five dead and IL injured have already
been removed, The dead have not been
identifit d, and the bodies are now at
the morgue. The injured were removed
to the West Fem Hospital.
INJURED.
Thomas Elliott. aged .23 years, lab
orer, three severe scalp wounds.
Albert Gesishic, furnace hand, two
fingers blown off and several scalp
wounds.
Alexander waszeloice, charger of the
furnace, left log broken and several
soap wounde.
Robert Street, colored, arms bruised.
Valentine Perniski, right leg broken
and scalp wounds.
Jacob Chesnolanes, aged 80 years,
two fingers blown of and burned about
face, head, hands and body.
Isaac Washington, aged 40 years.
heater, scalp wounds and left arm
bruised.
William steinbaugh. mill hand, chest
bruised and breastbone fractured.
Peter Mikoscki, helper, scalp wound
and back burned.
John McClusky, helper, face and
hands burned.
Munre Larkins, oolored, aged %
years, arms bruised and burned.
Joseph Zunio, badly cut about the
head.
The four boilers exploded at one
time, reducing the mill to heap OF
burned and charred embers and twisted
irun. There is not strai ght piece of
iron or steel left in the entire building.
Even the bolts in the beams and
stringers are twisted like screw nails.
The mill had 60 men on each turn,
and it ia thought that almost 100 men,
both crews, were in the plant at the
time OF the explosion, They were all nj
work or just about 10 begin work, and
all tine night men we're clad In their
scanty working attire.
VI When the boilers exploded panic
ensued, and the men fought their way
to the entrances, and all who were able
rushed to the street. A few minutes
after the boilers let go the big mill was
heap of ruins, The injured ano
known dead were found under wrecksge
and in the mill yard, where they hao
fallen in their race Tor life.
The No. 3 10-inch mill faced on Thir.
tieth street, and was a big ironolac
structure built on steel frame, 1t rar
almost 200 feet. In the rear of the
plant, on Twenty ninth street, is til,
, big boiler works of James Mcneil.
! Que of the boilers went through tht
, Park Bros. mill, and crashed into the
, Mcneil Plant. The only man at worl
in the Mcneil plaut was Rudolph Kortf
} the night man. He was knocked dowr
by the force OF the explosion, and hi
nervous system was badly shocked. Hi
was found in the plant and taken tt
the West Penn Hospital.
Another boiler went through the roo
Of the bar mill, scared across Thirtiett
street and crashed into the residene o
Robert Price, ThIrtieth street. L
} went through the front wall and fel
: into the cellar, completely wrecking tn,
! house. Price and his family were ASLEEP
at the time, and had to rush to tn
: street in their night clothes. They werI
taken in by neighbors.
2 The other two boilers were blown u
pieces, aud it was these that oauset
! the complete destruction Of the mill.
EXPLOSION HEARD FOR BLOCKS.
> = The report of the explosion was heart
for blocks around the plant, and tn
I police fiom No. 3 station rushed to tn
y scene The cries of the injured rent tn
Q air, while the tmbers shot forth flame
and the sizzling cam curled upwards
The police were quick to act, Hurr.
calls were sent to No. 3 and No.
patrols and the West Penn Hosrita
:. ambulance. All three vehicles arrive'
few minutes after the accident, ant
:. the work OF removing the injured fror
the wreck was begun. About the sam
:, time that the call was sent for tn
. patrols and ambulance an alarm of fir
. = was sent in, and engine companies Nos
= Z, Is and % responded The fireme
gave the searchers torches, aud. crswl
ing over the DEBRIS, the, fremen an
police searched for thedead and manned
10 1t was gruesome task and the bitin
. cold wind from the river made tn
q work slow and painful. One by on
i the injured were CARRIED to the patrol
n and ambulance and hurried to the hos
Il pital. Some of the men found in tn
). mill we're only shocked by the ezplc
! sion, aud we're able to walk after the
4 were carried out, and would not go I
: hospital, but were taken home.
just what the extent of the loss wi
BIZ to the Park Bros and Mcneil is nc
), known, but it is variously estimate
: from S25, ZOO to 100000. Both Plant
10 will have to be rebuilt.
l. Another body was taken from th
/. ruins at 10. 40 a. M, and identified g
ia that of John Welviok, Pole, aged
10 years.
N Ran