The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-11-28
BRINGS DEATHT0MANY
TWENTY-SEVEN KILLED BY AN
EXPLOSION IN a FACTORY
AT DETROIT,
TWENTY-FOURIN HOSPITALS

TWENTY-FOUR IN HOSPITALS
A Dozen Others Suffering From Slight
Injuries and at Least Ten Are Un-
accounted For-BuiIdinq Is Com.
pIeteiy Demolished and the Ruins
Catch on Fire-Rescue of the VIC
Tins Begins at Once. =
Detroit, Nov. .-Twenty-seven men
are dead, five Of them unidentified,
and SO terribly burned and blackened
that Identification is almost impossi-
bic, and "a other men are lying in
the various hospitals Of the city SUI
iering from terrible cuts and burns
and other injuries, results of the ter
rifle explosion of one of the boilers in
the Penberthy Injector company's
large plant.
In addition to the above a dozen or
more of the employees, who suffered
comparatively slight injuries, aside
from the shock, were taken directly
to their homes. Fifteen men and
boys have not as yet been located,
either at their homes or at the hos
pitfalls. The five unidentified bodies
account for five of these, and the Of
ficers of the company say they feel
positive that the major portion of the
remaining 10 are at their homes. A
great force of men is searching the
ruins, and the work will not be stopped
until every foot of the debris has been
examined.
The Penberthy Injector companys
plant occupied half a square at the
corner of Abbot street and Brooklyn
avenue. It was composed of two
brick buildings, separated by q 16-foot
alley. In the rear building the boilers
were located, and it was completely
destroyed. 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 that was in use,
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 con-
cussiOn of an immense cannon. The
fcccs and roof of the rear building
bulged upward and then crashed down
ny HC.;r Ic &c l..
and foundry apparatus. Walls, roof
and all dropped into shapeless mass
OF debris. Windows in houses for a
block around we're broken by the con-
cussion, and flying bricks filed the
neighboring yards. A dense cloud of
dust arose, and as it settled and was
succeeded by denser clouds of smoke
and steam, agonized cries began to
come from the heap of tangled wood,
metal and bricks. Those who were
only partly buried frantically dug
themselves out, and then as energet-
ically turned to digging for their COM
Iades who were buried deeper. Flames
broke cut almost Immediately and the
horror of fire was added to the suffer
ms of the imprisoned ones.
4 fire alarm was turned in and
quickly responded to. Calls were sent
out for all the alnbulances in the city
and they were hurried to the scene.
Pending their arrival, neighboring
houses were turned into temporary
hospitals, and those physicians who
were i'll the vicinity eased the suffer
ing ones as much as they were able.
The first ambulances on the scene
were totally Inadequate to carry those
who had already been extricated and
express wagons and similar vehicles
were pressed into service.
Rescuing the Victims.
AS soon as the gravity Of the &C.
cident was realized, calls for addi-
tional firemen were sent in, and the
apparatus came flying to the scene
from all parts of the city. The de-
partment Of public works was notified
OF the horror and Immediately sent
all it's available men and horses to
the scene. In comparatively short
time all the labOrers who could work
to advantage were feverishly throwing
and pulling the debris out into Brook
lyn avenue, where it was loaded into
wagons and carried Off
The floors and roof had fallen at an
angle and formed a sort of huge cover,
under which the fire burned fiercely.
Not until the firemen had chopped
through this did their streams begin
to have an appreciable effect on the
flames.
Gradually the rescuers worked their
way downward through the pile BY
this time there were no cries or groans
to aid them, for the flames had de-
stroyed those unfortunates who were
not killed by the explosion or the fall.
But the work of rescue continued
with undated haste. Stretcher bear
ers stood by and bore away the burned
and blackened bodies. A vacant
house adjoining the factory was con-
verified into temporary morgue; here
the bodies were placed in collins and
taken to the nearest mOrgue. In sew