The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-20
And Did Not Heed the Warning of
the More Experienced Who
Escaped.

The men were on the furnace platform
IS feet above the ground.
The Dead:
ANDREW ZEH.
GEORGE SMITH.
MICHAEL INFLOW.
GEORGE SEMAGO.
MICHAEL GAZDOVICZ.
JOHN MAYER.
JOHN KERREK.
JOSEPH FRAMEWORK.
JOHN KLOCHANKA.
Injured:
John Sabol, not expected to recover
frightfully burned about face and
body.
John Ynosho, not expected to live,
burned all over body.
Michael Petrovich.
John Trobty.
There were 10 men on the furnace
when the explosion occurred. Fifteen
of them were caught in the flames.
L WI vi IuC1u coSdpCu WILL ol16AL ~
juries. The other four were the reg
ular men employed as top filters and
escaped without injury.
The explosion was caused by the
gas becoming encased in a crust of
cinder forming at the bottom of the
furnace. A wheelbarrow containing
ore had been sent to the men and
when they vent to dump it into the
bell of the furnace they pushed it over
too far, and it rolled into the hopper.
The barrow weighed 900 pounds and
was too heavy for the four men to
raise. The Is laborers, all Bulgarians,
were then sent up to assist them. Had
it not been for the barrow accident
no one would have been hurt. as the
regular men know how to protect
themselves at such times as similar
explosions are of frequent occurrence.
The most distressing feature of the
disaster was the burning of Frankie
wicz. He was seen by the thousands
OF people who were on their. way to
work to run to the platform railing
and leap into the air. He was a mass
of flames as he whirled through the
air. He fell on the stock yard shed
and literally burned to death before
the yes of the crowd, so feet below.
who had no way to reach him.
The residents of Second avenue
who saw the accident say it was too
horrible to describe. When the ex-
plosion occurred, burning heaps of
cinders settled around the men al
most knee deep. Their shrieks were
terrible, and their efforts to save them
selves from death were pitiful in the
extreme.
General Manager J. B. Laughlin to.
day states that the accident was the
most disastrous that had ever occur
red in the history of the company.
The men seemed doomed to an
awful end he said, they had lust
started to get the barrow out when
the explosion took place. In another
minute they would have been away
from the place. The nature of the ex-
ploslon is easily explained. Among
furnace men it is known as a "slin"
by this We mean that the gas becomes
cas by the cinders and coke he
coming gummed, forming a crust in
the urnac The gas accumulates and
then the pressure becomes so great
that it forces itself through the crust.
4 Usually it blows the hopper bolts
pm. The top filters know when this
Is expected. They are instructed 70
take tbs elevator and go to the
greund,'
The top filters heard the explosion
and told the men to come away. It is
supposed they had taken hold of the
ore barrow and did not hear them.
The blast of flames shot up and three
Yer killed and the others became
30 confused by their burning clothes
and the smoke that they did not
realize how to save themselves. These
men were never on the platform be-
fore.
Some persons thought there was a
.lnass Of molten metal caught the men.
This was nat So It was only theiight
IVA blown through the.
s9a&fssepa can be blamed for the
s. = the men could have es-
3etV had listened to the fll-