Evening journal., 1902-09-23
JURY 'FAILN TO
SOLVE MYSTERY
Testimony Of WOrhmen and
Experts Does Not Show
Cause Of Explosion

The mystery concerning the explc-
sion at the Delaware Pulp Mills, by
which seventeen worlzmen we're killed
was not solved by the coroner's inquest
yesterday. The verdict rendered fol-
/ lows
Resolved, That on wednesday. Au-
gust 20. at O'Clock p. m. the seven
teen workmen came to their death by
the explosion of a digester at the wood
ipulp works Of the Jessup and Moore Pa
lper Company, the cause of the explo-
sion being unknown 10 the jury"
IL was announced that the inquest
would be held at $3.50 O'Clock. but be-
fore 3 o'clocg the jurors left the Office
of CorOner's Assistant Chandler and
went to the pulp mills. BY leaving
earlier than was announced the jurors
evaded the newspaper reporters.
After inspecting the wrecked mills
the Jurors went to the Homeopathic
Hospital and heard the testimony OF
John w. Collins, one Of the workmen
who was injured. He said that he ex-
amined the steam gliage on the digester
which exploded and that It registered
sixty pounds of steam.
AT the City Hail. John @. Saunders,
]
first witness called He said he had
nothing to do with the digesters. He
noticed the steam gauge that morning,
but there was no pressure on it. "The
ldigesters." he said, were built to stand
a pressure Of $50 pounds. The digesters
were examined every three months by
THE firm. No. z, which exploded, was
Examined on June 20.
/ f1rt LIS irf
had his skull fractured by being hit
with brick, said he did not know that
lanything was wrong.
Leander l.. Saunders, assistant super
lintendent, said he made a daily inspec-
ltion of everything in the mills, but he
lcOuld assign no cause for the explosion,
HE passed through the mil
labout two minutes before the
lexplosion. and the digester regis
TERED 124 pounds at that time.
John j. Flannigan, a foreman at the
/ mills. said the orders We're to carry 12C
pounds pressure. So far as he knew
Everything was all right.
William Poole said he fired digestel
mo z the night before the accident, and
it was all right. Several employees said
lthey knew nothing except that there
was an tApiA1iuHs
Baynard II. Morrison, OF Philadel.
lphia, an analytical chemist, testified
THAT he tested the steel OK which the
digester was built to learn its tensile
strength. One piece of steel showed O
tensile strength of 55.400 another 53,-
700. and another 81, 400 pounds tensile
strength to the square inch. which was
considered, a good test Caustic soda
he said, does not attack steel.
John w. Nixon. of Philadelphia, said
that there are 726 digesters in the
lcountry. and that at the Delaware Pulp
Mills is the first stationary pulp d.
lgester that has ever exploded in the
lcountry. Those at the Delaware Pulp
Mills were considered model digesters
The explosion he said was a mystery to
him.
William J. Farran. a boiler inspector
lof Philadelphia. said that after an ex-
animation OF the exploded digester he
could assign no cause for the explo-
lsion. He said digesters with welded
seams possessed about 90 per cent OF
the strength of solid plate.
The jury was not long in reaching
verdict The men who lost their lives
by the explosion were:
/ W. H. Burke Bartholomew Sweeney
Joseph r. Henry William Ruff William
r.. Scott. e. II. MOusley, George w
, Wright. John Mccormick. George Dur
ham. Joel Hutton, James Nangle
Joseph Iaubacker, James 2. Jester
Zachariah Collins J. B. Stokes. Gran.
vile W. Walters and T. T. Harris.