The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-26
EXPLOSION.
Boiler Blows Up in Detroit
Manufacturing Plant.
Building 54x15O Feet Was In
stantly Destroyed.
100 People Inside at Time of
Disaster.
Ia KNOWN TO BE DEAD.
Thirty-eight of the Remainder
Injured More or Less.
Property Loss Is Estimated at
$I5O,OOO.


men who began their days work in the
factory of the Penberthy Injector COM
pany are victims of an explosion of the
large boiler situated in one end of the
structure in which they were at work.
OF these eleven are known to be dead
and the bodies of several others are
believed to be beneath the debris.
The boiler was located in one end of
three story brick building "a by $50
feet in size. That structure was instant
ly and completely reduced to a mass of
burning ruins.
The only men on the first floor which
was largely utilized as store room
We're the engineers, firemen and some
workmen who were making alterations.
All of these were either killed or badly
manned On the second floor were rs
fnishers; on the third were rs brass
moulders Just how many escaped from
this building is not yet determined, but
up to O'Clock SO injured had been taken
to hospitals and eleven dead bodies had
been gotten out of the debris.
KNOWN DEAD.
JOHN FREY.
MIKE RANGER.
STEVEN CRISP,
Eight unknown.
THE INJURED.
Fred Klein, Lewis Miller, T. D. Crow
ley, VIM. Begeman, Julius Khl'iebetren,
Geo. Raymond, Del Raymond, Michael
Denanger, Geo. Reichlin, Max Yurke-
witz, Lewis Vsina, Willie Ager, Frank
Rowksasky, Herman Goldner, John
Huef1ern, A. T. Gridley, Anthony Walk
er, John Schiedelle, VIM. Knapp, John
Heiffiing, Herman Goldner, A. T. Gid
day, one man unknown, James Nall,
John VOgt, three unknown, John Din
gle, Samuel Kolpe, Bert Dixon, Igna-
thus Brock, aged man. known at factory
as mo. 64,' Burt Martin, August Hen
draen, stephen Machlgal, Gus Galley.
The aged engineer of the plant was
got out of the ruins at 11:30 and taken
to Grace hospital. He was too badly
injured to talk The foreman of the
works asserts that several bodies will
yet be taken out from near the spot at
which the engineer was found. Several
employees are missing.
The property loss is estimated at
$15O,00O, partly insured.
The ruined building was separated
from the other portion of the factory
by an alleyway. A portion of the wall
of the second building was blown in,
but none of the inmates were seriously
hurt. Samuel Riley, the engineer, was
taken from the ruins an hour after the
explosion. He had been pinned under
a heavy beam. His face was cooked by
the flames and he was badly injured.
He was, however, still alive this after
noon, but unable of course to give any
light on the cause of the disaster. The
usual scenes of weeping relatives of
employees struggling to get close to the
central point in the disaster were en-
acted, and for hours strings of ambu-
lances were busy carrying away the
victims.
A gang of city laborers were put to
work to remove the debris as rapidly as
possible. Most of the injured as they
were gotten out were hurried to the
emergency hospital four blocks distant
Their injuries ranged from slight to
probably fatal
Hugh Guy, city boiler inspector, says
that his office force inspected the boil
ers in the Penberthy plant on July 5
and II last. There were four boilers in
the plant, two horizontals and two up
rights. They were used on alternate
days and supposedly were well cared
for While the number Of missing has
narrowed somewhat this afternoon, it is
certain that several bodies are still un-
discovered
President johnson of the Penberthy
company is making a systematic search
for the employees by sending messenger
boys to their homes to locate them. Mr..
Johnson said to the Associated Press
that there were two small testing boil
erS in the plant also one one hundred
horse power upright and one one hun
dred horse power tubular.
i am satisfied" said he that it was
the latter which exploded. The boilers
were tested regularly and it was only
a week ago that the boiler tester COM
plimented US on our careful engineer"
ANOTHER BODY.
Another body has just been taken
from the ruins. 1t is horribly burned.
The first words of Engineer Samuel
Riley who lies in Grace hospital in a
dying condition were:
How did it happen? Everything was
all right with the boiler and the engine
as far as I knew"
The fourteenth body was taken from
the ruins within the last half hour.