The Penn's Grove record., 1901-11-29
MANY KILLED IN EXPLOSION
Boiler Bursts in the Plant Of an In
jector Company at Detroit
SCORES BURIED IN THE DEBRIS

Large Business Structure is Reduced to a
Mass of Flaming Rutns-Burned and
Fiery Furnace Returned to Rescue
Comrades-Propcrty Loss of st80,o00,
Detroit, Mich.-Twenty-six men are
are dead and t~wenty-four other men
were taken to the various hospitals
of the city suffering from terrible cuts
burns and others injuries, all results OF
the explosion Of one of the boilers In
the Penberthy Injector Company's
large plant, at the corner of Abbott
street and Brooklyn venue. In add
ton to those seriously injured n dozen
or more employees We're slightly hurt
They were taken direst'v to theiI
homes. The Penberthy Injector Com.
pany's plant occupied half :. square.
1t was composed of two brick build
ings, separated by Il siXteen-foot alley.
The rear building, which was com,
pletely destroyed, was three stories in
height, fifty-four feet in depth, and
100 feet wide. The boiler room was
situated at the northwest orner OF
this building, IN the first floor. 1t was
in this building that most of the man.
ufacturing was done.
There were four boilers In the plant,
two horizontal and two vertical ones.
1t was the horizontal boilers that ex.
ploded. The floors and roof of the real
building bulged upward and then
crashed down with their heavy loads
of machinery and foundry apparatus
Walls, roof and all. dropped into a
shapeless mass of debris. Windows
III houses for a block around were bro
ken by the conclusion, and flying
bricks filled the neighboring yards,
A dense cloud of dust arose, and as II
settled and was succeeded by denseI
clouds Of smoke and steam, agonized
cries began to come from the heap
of tangled wood, metal and bricks,
Those who We're only partly buried,
frantically dug themselves out. Flames
broke out almost Immediately, and the
lorror of fire was added to the suffer
ing of the imprisoned.
A fire alarm was turned in and quick.
ly responded to. Calls were sent out
for all the ambulances in the city,
Pending their arrival neighborina
houses were turned into temporary
hospitals. The first ambulances on the
scene were totally inadequate TO carry
those who had been already extricated,
and express wagons and similar yehi'
cles were pressed into service.
While part of the firemen directed
their efforts at the fire, which was
burning ~iercely at the centre of the
wreck, the greater number of them
seized axes and crowbars and began
prying out the victims who could be
seen or whose faint cries were audible
The floors and roof had falsss 9a
angle and formed a huge sort of cover
under which the fire burned fiercely
Not until the firemen had chopped
through this did their streams begin
TO have an appreciate effect on the
flames.
Gradually the rescuel worked theiI
way downward through the pile. A
vacant house adjoining the factory
was converted into Il temporary
morgue. In several cases the charred
| eorpss We so hot when they were
X W. they could scarcely be
ham w "
The ,. q sss is about $4,000
The firm carrSHe @-<-0,O00 fire and some
boiler insurance. boilers had beer
recently inspected, and the engineer
was known as one of the most careful
and capable men in the city.