The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-12-27
Four Boilers in Steel Works at
Pittsburg Explode with
Awful Results.
FIVE WORKMEN KNOWN TO Be DEAD.
Twelve Injured Taken to Hospitals
Not Known How Many May BE
Buried Under Debris-FOrce of Ex-
pIosion Wrecks Surrounding Prop
erty-Cause of Disaster Not Known.

which at least five wOrkmen lost their
lives and ~ were injured.
| Reports are freely circulated that
from 10 to 80 were killed, and it will
not be known just how many are dead
until the wreckage is cleared away.
1t was about AIS o'clock as the
| night crew was about to turn over the
mill to the day force, that four boilers
| in the ten-inch bar mill No. exploded
with terrific force, scattering death and
destruction in all directions.
The mill was completely wrecked and
the debris is piled from so to Is feet
| high. The boiler works Of James M
| Mcneil, adjoining the Black Diamond
| mill, were also destroyed.
Five Dead Bodies Discovered.
A force of men went to work as quick
Nv as possible after the explosion,
searching in the debris for bodies. Five
dead and ~ injured have already been
removed. The dead have not been iden-
titled and the bodies are now at the
morgue. The injured were removed to
the West Penn hospital. Their names
are:
Thomas Elliott, aged %, laborer, three Sc
we're scalp wounds.
Albert Gesishic, furnace hand, Two
fingers blown off and several scalp WOUNDS.
Alexander Waszeloce, charger OF the
furnace, left leg broken and several scalp
wounds.
Robert Street (colored), arms bruised.
Valentine Perniski, right leg broken and
scalp wounds.
Jacob Chesnolanes, aged 80, two fingers
blown off and burned about face, head
hands and body
Isaac Washington, aged 40, heater, scalp
wounds and left arm bruised.
William Steinbaugh, mill hand, chest
bruised and breast bone fractured.
Peter Mikoscki, helper, scalp wound and
back burned.
John McClusky, helper face and hands
burned.
Munroe Larkins (colored), 25, arms
burised and burned.
Joseph Zunic, badly cut and injured about
the head.
Four Simultaneous Explosions.
From what can be learned the four
boilers exploded at one time, reducing
the mill to a heap of burned and
charred timbers and twisted iron.
There is not a straight piece of iron
or steel left in the entire building.
Even the bolts in the beams and string
ers are twisted like screw nails.
The mill had 60 men on each turn,
and it is thought that almost 100 men,
both crews, were in the plant at the
time of the explosion. They were all
at work or just about to begin work,
and all the men were clad in their scant
working attire.
Panic Ensues.
When the boilers exploded panic
ensued and the men fought their way
to the entrances, and all that were
able rushed to the street. A few min
utes after the boilers let go, the big
mill was a heap of ruins. The injured
and known dead were found under
wreckage and in the mill yard where
they had fallen in their race for life.
Surrounding Plants Wrecked.
The No. ten-inch mill faces on Thir-
tieth street and was big ironclad
structure, built on steel frame. 1t
ran up to Spruce alley and along that
for almost 200 feet. In the rear of
the plant, on Twenty-ninth street, is
the big boiler works of James Nc
Neil. One of the boilers went clean
through the Park Bros mill and
crushed into the Mcneil plant almost
completely demolishing it. The only
man at work in the Mcneil plant was
Rudolph Kroff, the night Waterman.
He was knocked down by the force of
the explosion and his nervous system
badly shocked. He was found in the
plant and taken to the West Penn hos
pital.
Flight of. Another Boiler.
Another of the boilers went through
the roof of the bar mill, scared through
the air across Thirtieth street and
crashed through the residence of Rob-
ert Price, at No Thirtieth street. 1t
went through the front wall and fell
into the cellar. completely wrecking
the house. Price and his family were
asleep at the time and had to rush to
the street in their night clothes. They
were taken in by neighbours
The other two boilers were blown to
pieces and caused the complete de-
struction of the mill.
cries or injured Fiji Air.
The report of the explosion was heard
for blocks around the plant and the
police from No. station rushed to the
scene. The cries of the injured rent
the air while the timbers shot forth
flames and the sizzling steam curled
up into the blackness of the early
morning. The police were quick to act.
Hurry calls were sent to No. 3 and No.
patrols and the West Penn hos
pital. ambulance. All three vehicles
arrived a few minutes after the acct
dent and the work of removing the
injured from the wreck was begun.
About the same time that the call
was sent for the ambulances an alarm
of fire was sent in and engine compa-
MES Nos. z, Is and rs responded. The
firemen gave the searchers torches,
and, crawling over the debris, the fire.
men and police searched for the dead
and manned. 1t was gruesome task
and the biting cold winds from the riv-
er made the work slow and painful.
One by one the injured were carried to