Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-12-05
DEATH CAME TO 20.
A Terribly Fatal Boiler Explosion
in Detroit.
A Three-Story Building Containing
Scores Of WOrkmen Is Completely
Destroyed - Ruins Caught Fire
and Those Buried Underneath
Were Burned 10 Death.

Detroit, Mich, Nov. 21.-lWenty-SlX
men are dead, five of them unidenti-
fed and so terribly burned and black
ened that Identification is almost i'm
possible, and "a other men are lying
in hospitals suffering from terrible
cuts, burns aad otner injuries, all re-
suits of the explosion of one of the
boilers in the Penberthy Injector
Co.'s large plant at the corner of Alb
bott street and Brooklyn avenue,
Tuesday.
Eighteen men and boys have not
as yet been located, either at their
homes or at the hospitals. The five
unidentified bodies account for five
of these, and the officers of the com
pany say they feel positive that the
major portion of the remaining 13 are
at their homes.
Last night large force Of men was
searching the ruins by electric light,
and the work will not be stopped until
every foot of the debris has been eX-
amined.
The Penberthy Injector Co.'S plant
occupied half square at the corner
of Abbott street and Brooklyn ave-
nue.. 1t was composed of two brick
buildings, separated by a 16-foot al
ley. The rear building, in which the
boiler was located and which was
completely destroyed, was three
stories high.
The boiler room was located at the
northwest corner of the building, on
the first floor. 1t was in this build
ing that most of the manufacturing
was. The first floor was utilized as
the engine and boiler room and a
room for testing the output of the
plant. The finishing and brass man
ufacturing department was located
on the second floor and the third floor
was devoted to the foundry. 1t is
impossible 10 tell exactly how many
men were at work in the various de-
partments of this rear building when
the explosion occurred, but the Off
GERS insist that the number was not
over S.. There were four boilers in
the plant, two horizontal ones which
furnished steam for the engines, and
two vertical boilers which were used
solely to test injectors. 1t was the
horizontal boiler which let go and
caused the awful loss of life.
The awful crash came without the
slightest warning. Those in the
front building said it seemed like the
conclusion of an immense cannon.
The floors and roof of the building
bulged upward and then crashed
down with their heavy loads of ma
chinery and foundry apparatus Walls,
roof and all dropped into shapeless
mass of debris. Windows in houses
for block around were broken by
the concussion, and flying bricks tlled
the neighboring yards. \ dense cloud
of dust arose, and as it settled ana
was succeeded by denser clouds OF
smoke and steam, agonized cries be-
gan to come from the heap of tangled
wood, metal and bricks. Those who
were only partly buried. frantically
dug themselves out, and then turned
to digging for their comrades who
were buried deeper. Flames broke
out almost Immediately and the nor
ror of fire was added to the suffering
of the imprisoned ones.
A fire alarm was turned in and
quickly responded to. Calls were sent
out for all the ambulances in the
city and they were hurried to the
scene. Pending their arrival, neigh
hOrlnU nONStS were luIll IliNp t'lll-
porary hospitals, and those physicians
who were in the vicinity eased the
sufferers as much as they were able.
The first ambulances on the scene
were totally inadequate to carry
those who had already been eXtricat-
ed, and express wagons and similar
vehicles were pressed into service.
The floors and roof had fallen at an
angle and formed a sort of huge COW
er, under which the fire burned fierce
ly. Not until the firemen had chopped
through this did their streams begin
to have an effect on the flames. The
sufferings of those who were buried
beneath were later mutely testified
to by their charred and blackened
bodies.
Engineer Riley was among the first
to be dug out of the wreck. His es-
cape was little short of miraculous.
When the boiler let go he was
knocked to the floor and one of the
smaller testing boilers was blown
over his PROSTATE form in such way
that one end rested on some debris
high above him, thereby forming a
shield that kept the falling timbers,
bricks and machinery from crushing
him.
The property loss, according to
Secretary Childs, is about $1s0,O00
The firm carried $4,000 fire and some
boiler insurance, but how much of
the latter Secretary Childs could not
say.
Detroit, Mich, Nov. 28.--When the
search of the ruins of the rear build
ing of the Penberthy Injector Co.'S
! plant. at the corner of Abbott street
and Brooklyn avenue, which was to-
tally wrecked by boiler explosion
was completed last night, the death
| list had reached total of 20. All
but two of the company's employees
have been located, and as these men
worked in the front building, which
was not wrecked. it is thought that
! they are at their homes. The mems
addresses are not on the company's
books, so it may be some time before
they are located.
Semple Jury Failed TO Agree.
Philadelphia, Nov. 27.-After delib
Grating for nearly 30 hours, the jury