Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-11-29
Fire Broke Out and Added to Suffer-
lngs of Imprisoned Ones-WaIIs and
Roof Dropped Into shapelees Mass,
Crushing Many.

I'm AAeAAAOgg D. gCS A4OulD AACAAAAAAAe ,
R. Mulkee, Joseph Koseck, George
Schenor, Charles Lydy, Jacob Keobel.
William Mann, Christopher Waldman,
Robert Greer, John Schaible, Richard
Ryan, Douglass Dickinson, a boy; Pc
ter Doll, and Ave unidentified bodies.
Twenty-seven of the injured are in
the hospitals. In addition to these Q
dozen or more of the employees, who
suffered comparatively slight injuries,
aside from the shock, were taken di.
rectly to their homes.
The Penberthy Injector company's
plant occupied half a square at the
corner of Abbott street and Brooklyn
avenue. The boiler room was located
at the northwest corner of the build
ing on the first floor. 1t Is impossible
to tell exactly how many men were at
work in the various departments Of
| the building when the explosion oc-
| Cured, but the officers insist that
1 the number was not over IS. There
were four boilers in the plant, two
| horizontal ones, which furnished the
steam for the engines, and two YER
| teal ones, which were used solely to
test injectors. It 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. The foo and roof |
of the rear 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 Win
dows in houses for a block around
were broken by the conclusion, and
flying bricks filed the neighbOring
yards. dense cloud of dust a ose.
and as it settled it was succeeded by
denser clouds of smoke and steam,
while agonized cries began to come
from the heap Of tangled wood, metal
and bricks. Those who were only
partly buried frantically dug them
selves out, and then as energetically
turned to digging for their comrades
who were buried deeper. Flames broke
out almost Immediately and the hor-
or Of fire was added to the sufferings
of the imprisoned ones.
A fire alarm was turned in and
quickly responded to. Calls were sent
: out for all the ambluances in the city,
d and they were hurried to the scene.
e Pending their arrival, neighboring
t houses were turned into temporary
hospitals. and those physicians who
were in the vicinity eased the suffer
ers as much as they were able. AS
, soon as the gravity of the accident
: was realized calls for additional fire
4 men were sent in, and the apparatus
+ came flying to the scene from all parts
of the city. While part of the firemen
5 directed their efforts at the fire, which
o was burning fercely in the centre of
v the wreck, the greater number of them
seized axes and crowbars and began
i prying out the victims who could be
l. seen or whose faint cries were audible.
4 A Miraculous Escape. n ~
ar The floors and ROOF had fallen at an
y angle and formed sort of huge cover,
in under which the fire burned fiercely.
er Not until the firemen had chopped
le through this did their streams begin
to have an appreciable effect on the
flames The sufferings of those who
were buried beneath were later mute
,r ly testified to by their charred and
W blackened bodies. Engineer Riley was
among the first to be dug ont from
er the wreck. His escape was little
~ short of miraculous. When the boiler
II let so he was knocked to the fiool
u and one Of the smaller testing boiler!
-. was blown over his PROSTATE form il
such a way that one end rested OF
be some debris high above him, thereb!
forming a shield that kept the falling
timbers, bricks and machinery froa
ny crushing him. The escaping steam
rs however, burned him frightfully. Afte
gu his arrival at Grace Hospital Riley
NJ first words were: How did it happen
al The engine and boilers were al
w. right"
as Gradually the rescuers worked thei
les way downward through the pile B
'ur groans to aid them, for the flames ha
Nv. destroyed those unfortunates VIII
were not killed by the explosion {
the fall. But the work of rescue wa
So continued with undated haste. Whe
IL a heavy beam or piece or shaftin
ms was encountered a team OF horses wf
cts driven in and the piece OF wreckae
OBJ hauled to the street. Stretcher-bea
ght ers stood beside the delivers and Dol
away the burned and blackened DO
wv les 4 vacant house adjoining Il
ION factory was converted into a tempo
~. GI' hry morgue; here the bodies we
- klaced in collins and taken to the noa
tho cst morgue. In several cases Il
as haired eorpses we're so hot when I
and Severed that they could scarcely
the handled by the undertakes and the
'rk, assistants
ling The hospitals we're besieged by rel
OF lives and friends OF the injured me
is"s At the Emergency Hospital, viii
was only a short distance from t
scene, and where many of the injIss
Nv were carried in wagons, the floors
the reception rooms and even t
IS halls were used as temporary re
sea4 ing place for the victims. SINH
. scenes were enacted at Grace a
,bH. Harper Hospitals.
sen. The front building of the plant s
,tur tained comparatively little dana
. n considering the tremendous explosi
o ie within 16 feet of it. All the windo'
rson Of course, were broken and some
l be ~ MAJ was sllshCiy lhJ uieu
here the jar. The property loss is abb
: re-. S1SO.OOO. The firm carried $1,000 I
, af. End some boiler insurance, but h
will much of the latter Secretary Til
could not state.
held Nothing is known as yet about
nate cause of the explosion. The boil
anne had been recently inspected, and
the engineer was known as one of
most careful and capable men
the city.
Three Mouths For L.wieite.
rouI Victoria, B. c., Nov. 26.-Euge
DDeu Brooks, elder of Dowie's Chris
nis Catholic Church in zicn, was vest
,asn, dav found guilty and sentenced