Evening star., 1901-12-19
Horrible Fate of Nine Workmen at
Pittsburg Furnace.
Die IN SHOWER OF MOLTEN METAL
Explosion Occurs While They Were
Charging the CupoIa.
OTHERS FATALLY INJURED

city, at G:20 o'clock this morning, nine
men were burned to death and probably
twenty others more or less injured. Several
of the latter will probably die. The dam
age to the plant will amount to $4,000.
The bodies of the victims were all remov-
ed to the mCrgue and We're terribly mangled
and burned. Those identified thus far arc
as follows: Joseph Frankovitch. Joseph
Sisul, Michael Gasdovlcz, twenty six years
of age leaves a wife and child in Hungary;
Andrew Sues, twenty years of age, and has
a widowed mother in Hungary; Michael
MeZo, aged thirty-five years, married and
leaves wife in Hungary; John kochanko
George Szrenko.
The names of the injured at the Mercy
Hospital are: John Yentz, John Sabo, Geo.
Wellizo.
The others injured are at their homes and
have not yet been located. The three at the
Mercy Hospital are so badly burned or in
jured that they cannot talk and are not ex-
pected to survive. They were taken to the
operating room at 1880, where the staff
physicians performed several amputations
or operations. The physicians. however,
state that their injuries are of such ma
ture that but little hope is entertained for
them.
Five Unaccounted For.
Five persons employed near the furnace
are unaccounted for and it is not known
whether they have perished or not.
The explosion occurred in one of the big
blast furnaces. The men were at work at
the top of the furnace, over 120 feet from
the ground. They were employed as filters
and were just getting ready to quit work,
being members of the night crew. when the
gas, which accumulated In the furnace, ex-
ploded and tons of molten metal, cinders
and Stag were thrown over the unfortunate
men on the top Of the structure.
When the gas let go. panic ensued on
the small platform about the top. All the
men made a rush for the elevator, but it
had gone down. and there was no escape.
To jump meant death and to remain on
the platform was just as certain doom.
The tons of molten metal and flames fell
upon them and burned nine men to death.
Their bodies dropped to the roof of the
mill eighty-fve feet below, every bone
broken and an unrecognizable mass of
human flesh.
The bodies of some of the dead and
many of the injured were strewn about the
yard beneath the furnace. some of the
dead having fallen from the slippery roof
to the ground.
The cries of the injured broke the still
ness which had spread over the place when
the fury of the explosion and fire had
abated
To remove the dead from the roof of
the mill it was found necessary to get
hook and ladder No. 13, and the f1remen
carried the burned, charred and misshapen
masses of humanity to the morgue wagon
and placed them in 1t.
When the dead were removed the injured
were then looked after. In all parts of the
yard beneath the furnace the injured were
found. They were hurried to the Mercy
and other hospitals.
Statement of Managers.
At 8 o'clock Thomas Jones and Arthur
Young managers of the plant, gave out the
statement that nine men were killed and
five injured They say that ordinarily only
three men work on top Of the furnace, but
this morning about 6:15 o'clock one Of the
heavy iron wagons used in taking up the
ore to the top of the furnace got stuck on
the top Of the structure and the three men
sent for assistance. A few men went up
but they could not move the wagon, and
more went up until the number reached
fourteen. 1t was while they were trying
to get the wagon released that the fatal
explosion took place.
All the men at work on top of the fur
race were Slavs and Poles. Nine of them
were killed outright, and three of the five
taken to Mercy Hospital are so badly hurt
that it is feared they will die.
Eye-witnesses say that 1t was the most
horrible sight they ever witnessed. They
say that when the explosion took place
there was one great loud report and the
murky heavens were illuminated with a
great sheet of flame, showing the men on
top of the furnace running about, gesticu-
lating wildly. The flames and hot metal
looked like volcano in action. Five of
the men were blown off the top of the fur
mace, and, strange. as 1t may seem these
men 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 VIC
Tins hanging on the outside held on and
remained tenaciously clinging to the railing
until hntr Hpnon Yryr~~
then fell to the roof of the mill, dead. Seven
of the victims were found dead on the
piatform of the cupoIa.
These were completely denuded of clothes
by the flames and their bodies were burned
almost to q crisp.
Danger to Pedestrians.
Hundreds of pedestrians on I'd avenue
had narrow escapes from death when the
explosion occurred. Tons Of ore, coke and
hot cinders. some pieces weighing almost
three pounds. rained down ON I'd avenue,
and many had to run into houses and
stores for protection. Car No. 800 of the
Homestead division was passing Just at the
time the gas let go. The coke and other
material falling on the car. which had
panic, and many jumped off, and more
would have followed had not the GOODNESS
Of the conductor saved them. None of the
passengers was in the least injured but
all were badly scared.
When the explosion occurred the men in
the plant became panc-stricken, and al
most every employe of the place left his
work and rushed to the street Only a few
reported back for duty by 8 O'clock The
men thought the entire plant was doomed,
and in their excitement thought of moth
ing but self-preservation.
AS soon as the smoke had died away the
company's surgeon. DR.. J. w. McKennan
and three nearby physicians were sum-
moned. and they attended the injured. The
living victims were carried to one of the
offices and hurried to the Mercy Hospital
as soon as the ambulances arrived
A later report says that the explosion was
caused by a slip in the furnace Two of
the victims were found in the stock ward
of the plant, $50 yards from the furnace
They were horribly burned. and every bone
in their bodies seemed to have been broken
Not 0uniiAed for Promotion.
Assistant Surgeons Thomas McC Lippitt
an IaSpph O. Thnu,pSnn hayo hoa,,