Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-08-28

Structures win Begin at Once.
Seventeen deaths were the result of the
explosion at the Delaware Pulp Mills yes
terday week. One of the ten digesters used
for reducing wood to paper pulp by the
boiling process exploded, wrecking the di-
gester. heater, liquor, wash and clipper
to an ordinary city block. The Jessup h
Moore Paper Co., which owns the plant,
will sustain loss, as result of the wreck
ing OF the buildings and machinery. esti-
body taken from the ruins was that of Joel
Hutton, who had been employed in the d.
gesterroom. which was taken out at go
O'Clock Friday morning:
mated at from $50, coo to GOO. The last
The dead and injured are as follows:
THE DEAD. ta
JOHN MCCORMICK of 900 Reed street,
employed in the wash room, killed instantly
WILLIAM 4. BURKE, married, of 400
South Franklin street, killed instantly.
GRANVILLE WALTERS, chemist in
the alkali room, married, of sos Elm street,
killed instantly.
JAMES b. STOKES, married, of 4o3
South jackson street, employed IN the wash
room, died in homeopathic Hospital last
night week.
FRANKLIN t. HARRIS of 1920 Mary
killed instantly.
GEORGE w. WRIGHT, married, of 9O9
Chestnut street, employed in the wash room,
killed instantly.
JOSEPH LAUBACHER of 219 Fifth ave-
nue., employed in the chipping department,
died at the Delaware Hospital last night
week.
JOSEPH NAGLE, married, of 500 Ben
nett street, employed in the wash room,
killed instantly.
zACHARIAH COLLINS, colored, mar
ried, of 1905 Pine rect, coal wheeler in the
digester room, kille instantly.
GEORGE DURHAM of 71a South Harri-
son street, employed in the digester room,
died Thursday morning Mt the homeopathic
Hospital.
JAMES JESTER of 3l4 Fifth avenue.
employed in the digester room, died Thurs.
day morning at the Delaware Hospital.
! JOEL HUTTON. employed in the digester
room, of 80 Seventh avenue.
WILLIAM r. SCOTT, fireman.. of 100
Cedar street.
JOSEPH f. HENRY fireman, of 4si
South jackson street.
WILLIAM RUF, fireman, of 1876 Cedar
street.
EDWARD H. MoUsLEY, employed in
the wash room, of 226 Parish street.
BARTHOLOMEW SWEENEY, feeder OF
digesters, of 1106 Reed street.
INJURED.
THOMAS REESE of 22O jefferson street,
skull fractured in two places, condition
serious.
JOHN COLLINS of z Broome street.
burned and inhaled flames, and in a critical
condition at the Homeopathic Hospital.
John Collins, who is at the HOMEOPATHIC
Hospital; Thomas Reese, who is at his resi-.
dence, 220 Jefferson street, and John White,
who Is at his residence, Lancaster avenue
and dn Pont street, are suffering from in
juries. All are improving.
Nothing dehnited is known as to the
cause of the accident. About 18 men were
employed in the digester department, and
none of those who survived can assign any
cause for the explosion, although il Is sur
missed that there was an overpressure OF
steam in one of the digesters. which caused
IL to burst, and the concussion is believed
to have caused the one next to II to explode.
Superintendent John @. Saunders is max
ing an investigation.
The digesters are large steel boilers, and
there was a battery of 10 of them. and in
addition to the two wrecked several of the
others were damaged, nearly all being dis
placed. A battery of boilers in the boiler
room also suffered from the shock. The
top of one of the digesters was blown about
the distance of city square and buried in
the ground. Some of the men killed and
injured are believed to have been scalded,
while others were crushed to death.
! The catastrophe is believed to be the
worst that has ever occurred in Delaware
The list of killed exceeds that at a powder
mill explosion about 10 years ago, when
the fatalities numbered IL. There have been
boiler explosions in Delaware before, with
fatal results, but nothing to equal that Of
yesterday week.
! The building in which the explosion oc-
CURED was 75x100 feet and was built OF
brick. The digesters stood upright. Sur
rounding this building were the boiler,
engine, chipper and wash rooms. Although
the digester room was only one story it was
as high as some three-story buildings, be.
ing large enough TO accommodate the di-
gesters, which resembled some of the large
upright steam boilers. Each digester had q
capacity of IL cords OF wood, and each was
six feet in diameter and 10 feet in length,
the firebox being underneath. They were
constructed of heavy wrought iron about
five-eights of an inch thick. cap stood
on the top of each, which was loose, being
removed to be filed with wood. Wood ash
and soda We're used in the process of reduc
ing the wood to pulp. After the digesters
are charged with wood, wood ash and soda
the CAPS are adjusted and tightly fastened
in position, after which the boiling starts
and continues for six hours. Each digestei
has safety valve to enable surplus steam
to escape, which makes the accident
& somewhat of a mystery.
a Those who heard the explosion agree that
1t occurred at exactly 2 O'Clock, which ii
proved by the fact that the clock in tbs
boiler room stopped at that time, although
1t had been in good condition and running
before the explosion. In an incredibly shorl
space of time nearly everything in the
buildings wrecked was broken, bent Of
otherwise damaged, and as the walls fell al.
most instantly the escape of the men who
were otherwise unhurt was impossible
Some of the debris was blown high into this
air and fell on the roofs of the buildings ol
in the yard nearby. portion of one d
the digesters was hurled into the Christiant
River, which was only few feet away Tht
walls which were left standing were believed
to be badly damaged and those engaged Ii
the rescue work kept sharp lookout les
they should topple.
Soon after the explosion fire broke ou
In the wreckage and an alarm was turned
In from box nearby. The apparatus soor
arrived and the work of extinguishing tht
flames did not require very great space o
time, and the firemen succeeded liz prevent
ing the flames from spreading to any grea
extent.
When the rescuers began their work they
found the body of William Il. Burke on tht
roof of building. At the time of the acci
dent he was engaged In feeding wood chip
into the digesters. The body of Zacharial
Collins, the coal wheeler. was pinioned IL
pile of bricks. James Guy, who had beer
working with him, escaped. Franklir