Evening star., 1901-12-20
Another Horrible Disaster at a Pitts
burg Steel Plant,
At LEAST SIX REPORTED KILLED
Battery of Boilers Blow Up in
Black Diamond Plant.
WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION

OH Both street, was the scene this morning
OF an awful accident in which at least six
workmen lost sheir lives and twelve were
injured.
1t was just 415 o'clock as the night crew
was about to turn over the mill to the
day force that four boilers in the ten-inch
bar mill, No. 3. exploded with terrific force.
scattering death and destruction in all di-
rections. The mill was completely wrecked
and the debris is piled from fifty to seventy
five feet high
The boiler works of James Mcneil, ad-
joining the Black Diamond mill, were also
DESTROYED \ force of men went to work
as quickly as possible after the explosion
searching in the debris for bodies Five
dead and twelve injured were soon removed.
The dead have not been identified and the
bodies are now at the morgue. The in
jured were removed to the West Penn Hos
pital.
List of the Injured.
Thomas Elliott, aged twenty-three, Ia
borer three severe scalps wounds: Albert
Gesishic. furnace hand. two fingers blown
off and several scalp wounds: Alexander
Waszeloice. charger of the furnace, left
leg broken and several scalp wounds; Rob-
ert Street Colored, arms bruised: Valentine
Perniski right leg broken and scalp
wounds: Jacob Chesnolanes. aged thirty
two two fingers blown off and burned about
face, head hands and body; Isaac Washing
ton. aged forty. heater. scalp wounds and
left arm bruised; VIM. Stetnbaugh mill
hand. chest bruised and breast bone frac-
tured: Peter Mihoscki, helper, scalp wound
and back burned: John McClusky. helper,
face and hands burned: Munroe Larkins,
colOred, twenty-five. arms bruised and
burned: Joseph ZuniC. badly cut and in
jured about the head
From what can be learned. the four boil
ers exploded at one time, reducing the mill
to heap of burned and charred timbers
and twisted IRON There is not a straight
piece of iron or steel left in the entire build.
ing. Even the bolts in the beams and
stringers are twisted like screw nails
The mill had sixty men on each turn and
il is thought that almost one hundred and
twenty men, both crews. were in the plant
at the time of the explosion. They We're
all at work or just about TO begin work,
and all the night men We're clad in their
scanty working attire.
When the boilers exploded a panic en-
sued. and the men fought their way to the
entrances. and all that Were able rushed to
the street 4 few minutes after the boilers
let go the big mill was heap of ruins. The
injured and known dead were found under
wrecka ge and in the mill yard. where they
had fallen in their race for life
Another Will Wrecked.
The No. 3 ten-inch mill faces on 30th
street and was big ironclad structure,
built on a steel frame 1t ran up to Spruce
alley and along that for almost 200 feet.
the big boiler works of James Mcneil. One
of the boilers went clean through the Park
Bros mill and crashed into the Mcneil
plant, almost completely demol1shing It.
The only man at work in the Mcneil plant
was Rudolph korn, the night Watchman
He was knocked down by the force of the
explosion and his nervous system badly
shocked. He was found in the plant and
taken to the West Penn Hospital.
Another of the boilers went through the
roof of the bar mill. sailed through the air
across 30th street and crashed into the resi-
dence of Robert Price at No. s. 30th street.
1t went through the front wall and fell into
the cellar. completely wrecking the house.
Price and his family were asleep at the
time and had to rush to the street in their
night clothes. They were taken in by
neighbors. The other two boilers were
blown to pieces. and it was these that
caused the complete destruction of the mill.
Report Heard Mt "a Distance.
The report of the explosion was heard for
blocks around the plant and the police
from No. station rushed to the scene The
cries of the injured rent the air, while the
timbers shot forth flames and the sizzling
steam curIed up into the blackness of the
early morning. The police were quick to
act. Hurry calls were sent to No. 3 and No.
patrols and the West Penn Hospital am
bulance- All three vehicles arrived few
minutes after the accident and the work of
removing the injured from the wreck was
begun.
About the same time that the call was
sent for the ambUlanceS an alarm of fire
was sent in and three engine companies
responded The firemen gave the searchers
torches and, crawling over the debris the
firemen and police picked up the dead and
manned 1t was a grewsorne task and the
biting cold wind from the river made the
work slow and painful. One by one the in
jured We're carried to the patrols and am
bUlance and hurried 10 the hospital Some
OF The men found. in the mill We're only
shocked by the explosion and were able to
walk after they We're carried out and would
lot 90 to the hospital. but were taken home
No official statement to the cause Of
the accident has been given out as yet. A
meeting of the officials is now In session
and thorough investigation is to be made
Just what the extent of the loss will be
to the Park Bros company and the Nc
Neils Is not known, but it is variousIv esti-
mated from $4,000 to Sl00,000. Both plants
VIII have to be rebuilt.
Effect on Surrounding Houses.
The force of the explosion was greatest on
30th street opposite the mill For almost
one block there is not a whole pane of glass
in any of the houses. Twenty-three blocks
above the mill. on SD street, is the resi-
dence OF William Curley. a lamp wa
Knocked of the table in Gurley's room by
the force of the explosion.
A row of six brick tenement houses in
Spruce alley, opposite the mill. occupied by
SlaVs, principally. We're badly damaged
IN lne houses was shattered
and some of the walls are cracked The in
mates. when they heard the explosion.
jumped from their beds. and when they fell
the houses moving rushed 10 the street
shrieking and shouting.
For at least fifteen minutes the entire
number Of occupants OF the houses stood
in their bare feet and in their night clothes
in the snow until they found that their
homes were not going to collapse.
Another body was taken from the ruins
at 1915 a. m. and identified that of John
Welvick, Pole, aged thirty-two years
One of the bodies at the morgue was
identified as Patrick Conner, fireman at
the plant.
John Willis. aged thirty years, is missing.
and Peter Book, night superintendent has
been added to the injured.
The morgue wagon that took away We'll
vick's remains also took box filed with
parts of human bodies. There were parts
OF legs hands, arms heads and other por-
tons 1t was stated that. Judging from
this collection, there must have been from
eight to ten killed, but George yogel, the
timekeeper, said he had called the roll of
employees and had ascertained that four
were dead and twelve injured