The San Francisco call., 1901-12-20

teen of them were caught in the flames,
two of them escaping with slight In
jury, The other four were the regular
men employed as top filters, and escaped
without injury.
The explosion was caused by the gas
becoming incased in a crust of cinder
forming at the bottom of the furnace A
wheelbarrow containing ore had been
sent up to the men, and when they went
to dump 1t into the bell of the furnace
they pushed II over too far and it rolled
500 pounds, and was too heavy for the
men to raise. The fifteen laborers, all
them. Had it not been for the barrow
accident no one would have been hurt
as the regular men knew how to pro-
tect themselves at such times, as SINH
lar explosions are of frequent occurrence.
Eye-WitneSseS say that there was a
loud report. and the murky heavens were
illuminated with great sheet of flame,
showing the men on top of the furnace
running about, gesticulating wildly. The
flames and hot metal looked like a vol
cano in action. Five of the men were
blown off the top of the furnace, and
these are the ones that are still living.
The others hung on the railing (Some on
the outside, others on the inside), until
their clothing was burned off. Two of
the victims remained tenaciously cling
ing to the railing until their fingers were
burned of; They then fell to the roof
Of the mill dead Seven of the victims
were found dead on the platform of the
cupola. These were completely denuded
Of clothes by the flames, and their bodies
were burned almost to a crisp. Two of
the dead were found in the stockyard of
the plant, $50 yards from the furnace.
Every bone in their bodies seemed to
have been broken.
Distressing Feature of Disaster.
The most distressing feature of the dis
aster was the burning of Frankowiez. He
was seen by hundreds of people who were
on their way to work to return to the
platform railing and leap into the air.
He fell on the stockyard shed and was
literally burned to death before the eyes
of the crowd fifty feet below who had no
way to reach him.
When the explosion occurred burning
heaps of cinders settled around the men
almost knee deep. Their shrieks were
terrible and their frantic efforts to save
themselves were pitiful in the extreme.
over two tons of ore, coke and hot Gin
ders, some pieces Weighing almost three
pounds, rained down on Second avenue,
and many pedestrians ran into houses
and stores for protection.
A car was passing just at the time the
gas let go. The coke and other material
falling on the car, which had twenty-five
passengers aboard, caused a panic and
gers were in the least injured, but all
were badly scared.
When the explosion occurred the men in
the plant became panic-stricken and
rushed to the streets. Only a few re-
ported back for duty at o'clock The
men thought the entire plant was doomed.
PSCpAS AOoiNAllS c1OOul Tie lUTHdC6
and for blocks on either side were badly
scared. They rushed from their homes
and few minutes after the report had
sounded throughout Soho thousands
of people gathered about the furnace.
Women whose husbands were employed
in the plant, mothers whose sons worked
there and sisters whose brothers were in
the plant formed part of the crowd. With
tears in their eyes they waited with bated
breath to learn who were victims of the
catastrophe. Some were fated to hear
wives or relatives of some of the dead
When they learned of the deaths of their
loved ones they burst into tears and some
Of them are on the verge of mental COL
lapse.