The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-20
4 BOILERS BURST.
Death and Destruction Hurled
in All Directions.
Five Killed and IL Injured -
Mill Wrecked.
ALL BLEW UP AT ONCE.
Debris Piled From so to 70
Feet High.
One Boiler Flew Across a Near
by Street.
Crashed Into Dwelling Where
the Family Were Asleep.

Pittsburg, Pa, Dec 20-The Black
Diamond steel works of Park Bros, on
Thirtieth street, was the scene this
morning of an awful accident in which
at least five workmen lost their lives
and II were injured.
Reports are freely circulated that
from 10 to 80 were killed, and it will not
be known just how many are dead until
the Wreckage is cleared away.
1t was about Ais o'clock as the night
crew was about to turn over the mill to
the day force that four boilers in the
10-inch bar mill, No. 3, exploded with
terrific force, scattering death and de-
Struction in all directions. The mill was
completely wrecked, and the debris is
piled from so to rs feet high The boiler
works of James Mcneil, adjoining the
Black Diamond mill, also de-
stroyed; A force of men went to work
as quickly as possible after the explo-
sion, searching in the debris for bodies.
Five men and IL injured have already
been removed. The dead have not been
identified. and the bodies are now at the
morgue. The injured were removed to
the West Penn hospital.
THE INJURED.
Their names are:
Thomas Elliott, aged % years, laborer;
three severe scalp wounds.
Albert Gesishic, furnace hand; two
fingers blown off and several scalp
wounds.
Alex w dSZelO1c6, Charger OF Ine lur-
mace; left leg broken and several scalp
wounds.
Robert Street, colored; arms bruised.
Valentine Perniski. right leg broken
and scalp wounds.
Jacob Chesnolanes, aged go; two fin
gers blown off and burned about face,
head, hands and body
Isaac Washington, aged 40. heater;
scalp wounds and left arm bruised.
William Steinbaugh, mill hand; chest
bruised and breast bone fractured.
Peter Mikoscl<i, helper; scalp wound
and back burned.
John McClusky, helper; face and
hands burned.
Munroe Larkins, colored, aged rs;
arms bruised and burned.
Joseph zunic, badly cut and injured
about the head.
From what can be learned the four
boilers exploded at one time, reducing
the mill to d heap of burned and
charred timbers and twisted iron. There
is not q straight piece of iron or isteel
left in the entire building. Even the
bolts in the beams and stringers are
twisted like screw nails
The mill had 60 men on each turn and
it is thought that almost 120 men, both
crews were in the plant at the time of
the explosion. A few minutes after the
boilers let go, the big mill was a heap
of ruins. The injured and dead were
found under wreckage and in the mill
yard where they had fallen in their race
for life. The No. ten inch mill was
big ironclad structure, built on a steel
frame In the rear of the plant, on
Twenty-ninth street is the big boiler
works of James Mcneil. One Of the
boilers went through the Park Bros.
mill and crashed into the Mcneil plant
almost completely demolishing it. The
only man at work in the Mcneil plant
was Rudolph Korff, the night watch
man. He was knocked down by the
force of the explosion He was found
in the plant and taken to the West
Penn hospital.
BOILER SCARED THROUGH THE
AIR.
One of the boilers went through the
roof of the bar mill, scared through the
air across Thirtieth street and crashed
into the residence of Robert Price at
No 8, Thirtieth street. 1t went through
the front wall and fell into the cellar,
completely wrecI1ing the house. Price
and his family were asleep at the time
and had to rush TO the street in their
night clothes. The other two boilers
were blown to pieces and it was these
that caused the complete destruction of
the mill The bitter cold winds from
the river made the rescue work slow
and painful.
A meeting of the officials of the plant
is in session and a thorough investiga-
tiOn is to be made.