New-York tribune., 1901-12-21
THREE KILLED BY EXPLOSION
ROLLERS BLOW UP IN PITTSBURG STEEL
WORKS-TWELVE MEN INJURED
AND ONE MISSING.

1,,.+r,,,-, nec 9n-Tbree dead one missing and
twelve injured is the result OF terrllc poii
r1osion at the Black Diamond Steel works ol fai y
brothers, in Thirtieth-st. to-day. The dead are
Ih,, vye1yil thirtv-two years old; Patrick OCon-
nor twenty-eight years old, and an unknown man
The missing man is John Wits, and ne Is prooa"lS
among the killed n s.,
The injured are at the hospitals and are all doing
well except William StelnDddsh' "Ho70 '
yet prove fatal.
Reuben Miller, jr., superintendent of the plant
states that the boilers were examined last "eeA
and pronounced in excellent condition NO KNOWN
cause can be given for the explosion put thoi-
ough investigation IS now in progress
II was inst as the night was about TO turn
over the mill to the day sorce that four boilers IN
the 1O-inch bar mill No exploded with terrlhe
force scattering death and destruction In all diiec-
tions The mill was completely wrecked ana the
debris is piled from 80 rs feet high Inc oolleF
works of James Mcneil, adjoining the Black Dla-
mond Mill. were also destroyed A force OF men
went to work as quickly possible after the ex-
pIosion searching in the debris for bodies
From what can be learned the four boilers eH-
pIoded at one time. reducing the mill to neap OF
burned and charred timbers and twisted iron Ihere
was not straight piece of iron or steel LETT IN the
-entire building. Even the belts in the beams ana
strngers were twisted like screw nails.
The mill had sixty men each turn, and II is
thought that almost one hundred and twenty men,
both crews were in the plant at the time OF the
explosion. They all work or just about TO
begin work, and all the night men were clad III
their scanty working attire.
When the boilers exploded panic ensued. ana
the men felt their way the entrances, and all
that were able rushed the street few minutes
after the boilers let go the big mill was heap OF
ruins. The injured and dead were found undeT
wreckage and in the mill yard, where they ;fi had
fallen in their for life. The No 10-lnch mi !.
faces on Thirtieth-st and was big ironciao td
structure, built steel frame II ran up 70
Spruce Alley and along that for almost 200 feet; &
In the of the plant in Twenty mint th-st IS te
big. boiler works of James Mcneil One Of the the
boilers went clean through the Park Brothers mill
and crashed into the Mcneil plant. almost com
pletey demolishing it. The only man at work In
the Mcneil plant Rudolph koTn, the night
watchman. He 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 scared through the air across Tnlr-
tethst and rashed into the house of Robert Price,
a No. s Thirtieth-st 1t went through the front
wall and fell inc the cellar completely wrec6ng
the house Price and his family were asleep at the
time. and had rush to the street in their night
clothes. They taken in by neighbors. The
other two boilers were blown to pieces. and 1t was
these that caused the complete destruction or the
mill.
Just what the extent of the loss will be TO the
Park Brothers Company and the MeNeils Is not
known. but it is Variously estimated from go oUo
to 100000 Both plants will have TO be rebuilt