Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-15
TWO SCORE BURNED.
OVER 800 ARE INJURED
in Pittsburg
Railroad Yards Sweeps
Instant Death BY Fire
to rIany.


trophe at Sheraden last evening. OF the
800 injured. the physicians say at least
fifty will die.
This long list IS the result of a series of
four accidents, eliminating in one OF the
most frightful disasters in the history Of
greater Pittsburg. The telescopirg of
naptha cars in the yards of the Panhandle
company in Cork's run. following by the
ignition of the naptfa by an open switch
lamp: by the flowing of the haptha. arst
free. then ignited. through the eulvert
leading to the Ohio river half mile away
and its explosion with attendant damage
to life and property and by the explosion
of three other naptha tanks at the point
of original mishap. after hundreds Of peo-
pie had been attracted to. the spot ~
the fire. which was sending Up flames a
hundred feet high. The explosions were
heard as far away as DuQuesne heights
and across the river in Allegheny windows
were broken. The burning of the naptha
at the fountain head. the two aaphtha
tanks. were spectacular in the extreme.
1t was a giant pillar of fire. Two hours
after the FIRE had started there came =
second explosion. There were three other
naphtha tanks in the immediate neigh
borhood of the two tanks that had neon
telescoFed and were burning. With d
mighty splash of flame acroSs the heavens
and a noise that made the hills quake the
tanks let go almost at the same nomsat,
and the people on the Hill tops were beat
en- down. one after another.
While a train OF naphtha cars was berg
switched the rear car teiescoped car
forward. The leaking raphtha igrited
from a switch light. causing an explosion
which threw the flames 90 feet high.
Much of the escaping naphtha ran
through Cork's run to Esplenboroueh. a
distance of IL miles, and caused aroAher
explosion blowing TO atoms the Seymour
hotel and the Collins house on River
road. and badly wrecking a frame Build
ing near by In which were congregated
200 or more men from Plttsburg and vi
cinity, betting on the races and baseball.
Few of the occupants of this building es-
capped injury, many being badly huEt.
The first car OF naphtha exploded about
4;4- O'Clock and the spectacle soon at
tracted a large crowd on the streets. lin
ing the hills on both sides of and parallel
to the railroad. The second car exploded
about 5 O'Clock, but ii was els O'CLOCK
when three more cars.Of the deadly stuff
went up with a roar that could be heard
for miles before the work OF destruction
really began.
The successive explosions had heated
the air 70 slioh an extent thhf before the
third explosion many were rendered M
conscious by the extreme heat and
gaseous fumes and were being carried
away when the torrent OF flame swept
over the excited crowd.
There was an awful hush for a moment,
then followed a scene of frenzy. Men and
women. their clothing ablaze, their faces
scorched and blistefed, ran hither and
thither, only intent on escaping from the
furnace of fire. Some gave vent TO fren-
zied appeals 10 kill them and put them out
of their misery, and little children with
their hair and clothing afire cried pit
eously as they were swept along the tide
Of burning humanity.
1t is a common sight in Sheraden TO see
people with their head and hands ban
daged on the porches. the streets and at
the wreck. Many were burned whose
names have not appeared. and while they
are not seriously hurt they are suffering
more or less pain.
At $3.50 this morning nine bodies were az
the Pittsburg morgue and five at the Car
negie morgue. The last body was brought
in at 3 o'clock this morning.
The officials Of the Panhandle road fear
a worse explosion than the three which
wrought so much damage yesterday.
A danger line has been established so
yards on all sides of the burning wreck
age, and the railroad police are keeping
the curious crowd back.
A few feet below the burning wreck
age the big 36-inch main of the Philadel-
phia company which comes from the gas
fields in the southwestern portion OF the
state, and which supplies the Mckees.
Rocks and lower Allegheny districts with
natural gas lies. 1t is feared that the con-
cussion was so great yesterday that some
of the joints or even the pipe itself might
have been damaged and If such is the case
the gas which is under great pressure VIII
soon force its way through ana announcer
terrific explosion win follow. About tweTl-
raTD
station and York's run in the Sheraden
yards.
The Dead List.
JAMES KEENAN,, aged Y, Carnegie.
clerk on wreck train, died at Mercy hos
pital
CHARLES HERTIG, aged Is. Chestnut
Mines, Pa, died at Mercy hospital.
W. w TAYLOR, aged q, brakeman.
Millers Station, o., died at Mercy hospital.
HARRY +. SMILEY, aged 20, Ur1chs-
VILE, o., level man on Panhandle railroad,
single, died at Mercy hospital.
- FINNERTY, Sisterville, ". Va.
aged 4O died at Mercy hospital.
G. E HANLER, married, q, five chill
dren, freight conductor, Sheraden, killed
at wreck; body taken to McDermott's I'M
dertakIng rooms, Carnegie.
WALTER z. WRIGHT, IS. Sheraden,
killed at wreck; taken to McDermott's un-
dertaking rooms. Carnegie.
PASCAL NADER, 28 years old. screen
foreman, badly burned. died at Allegheny
general hospital
UNKNOWN BOY. badly burned: taken
to Allegheny general hospital, died in
short time.
DONALD SMITH, aged 10. Sheraden.
son of Jerome Smith, train dispatcher;
badly burned, died at Allegheny general
hospital
GEORGE WILSON, aged Is, messenger,
of Sheraden, body almost cooked; died at
2:3O o'clock this morning at the Homeo-
pathie hospital.
MATTHEW MARNON, teamster, aged
"a, single. 3 CHARTERS avenue, McKees
Rocks; body cooked; died at Homeopathic
hospital aat this morning.
JOHN SWAN, brakeman, aged 30 years.
ALBERT MKEAN, brakeman, aged p.
HUGH FLAHERTY, aged S..
TONEY LEO, laborer, aged 3d.
- LEWIS. burned to death on track
UNKNOWN BOY. found in field on farm
of ]. r. Douglass; burned to crisp and un-
UNKNOWN WOMAN, burned to death
on hill overlooking scene OF explosion.
LAWRENCE KEENAN,. clerk. Car
negie.
Casualty List Grows.
PITTSBURG, May 1.-The casualty list
from Mondays disaster at Sher-
aden continues TO grow.
Two deaths were reported this morning,
Albert Berry. aged 10, and Conrad Flick.