The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-25
BURSTING WHEEL
KILLS THREE MEN.
APPALLING DISASrEK AT POWER
HOUSE IN SPARTA NBUKG.
NhirlinE wheel Burats-A BiG Fly
wheel "t the Railway Engine Ran
Away and Flow TO PiCcos with
Dis'rcssing I.oss Of Iife-Causo
IL Uncertain.
Spnrtanburg Journal, Goth. |

occurred in Spartanburg happened
last night at 10 o'clock at tho power
house Of tho Electric hallway and
Light Co., whom ono Of the fly whools
OF an engine running dynamo that
furnished power for tho car current
bursted and killed Assistant Engin.
cor |, Lawronoe Wilson, Gas Maker
Thomas Pike and Fireman Robert
Sample, colored. These men in tho
twinkling of an eyo were cut down
like grass before scJ tho by 500
ton of tho fly wheel weighing about
ESQ pounds, their bodies torn and
manglod and thoir limbs shattered
and amputated. Sample lived about
fifteen minutes after tho physi
clans reached him. MIR. Wilson
lived for several hours and
retained consciousness and gave an
Intelligent account of tho accident,
and Mr. Pike was still living this
morning, though unconscious and
with no chance of recovery. lie died
at | p. m.
These men wore alono at tho powor
house at the timo of the accident and
rs there WAS nobody to 'lephone or
give notice of what had occurred, it
WAS some time before All, body
reached tho terrible scone Tho
electric lights wont out up town
ut once and tho electric light
peopl" tried to telephone tho
power house to learn what
was the matter, but, of course
could got no RESPONSE A fireman
from Beaumont Mills was tho first TO
reach tho power station, closely fol-
lowed by Engineer Il. IL. Knox IA 4
Superintendent j. g. Norcross and
others The place was enveloped in
darkness and WAS as still M tho death
it contained, When finally lighted
the scene that mot the eyes Of those
who had come beggars descriptions
BODIES OF VICTIMS SCATTERED.
Tho bodies OF tho victims wore
scattered over two rooms of tho
power house and out in tho yard, Il
big engine was wrecked, the electric
generator smashed into Il tangled
mass and the roof aud floor of tho
building were torn mp by the huge
pieces of the wheel that had been
thrown through them. Big steel
rods and pieces Of iron were twisted
like wires and tho steam chest of the
engine was broken opon and through
the aperture all tho steam in the boil
ers rushed. This WAS tho cause OF
the shutting down of the lighting
dynamo, which was some distance
from the place Of tho accident and
itself uninjurod, as was tho engine
which furnished it powor.
by a curious fatality all three OF
tho mon were apparently standing
at the time tho big fly wheel bursted
right in line with it and in tho very
place whore its flying pieces camt
with most force and destruction
Three feet to other side Of whore
the unfortunate mon stood nothing
was touche and they could have
stood in safety, but in tho path oi
the flying missiles from the shattered
and swiftly flying wheel everything
was rninod and every human being
slaughtered. The splendid machln
! cry was demolished like u toy ant
the substantial building battered
9 and bruised
THE CAUSE OF TIE ACCIDENT.
The cause of tho horrible accident
:, AZ is frequently the case with sud
g den loss Of life and destruction O.
t property, will probably never be def
q initely known. Engineer Wilson be
n fore his death told his brother, Chic
l. Engineer Wilson, Of the oircum
d STANCES preceding the accident. III
had noticed short time before tn
O bursting of the wheel that thu
. governor was not working properl,
., and WAS giving out knocking soun'
Is and did not seem to be regulating
% % the speed of the big engine as
r should. He telephoned this fact t
h his brother, the chief engineer, an
was instructed to shift the load owe