The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-30
BOILER EXPLOSION
Hilton Lumber Co. Damaged
About $4,000.
PART Of MILL WRECKED
Bricks Were Thrown For More Than a
Half Mile.
Explosion Occurred Yesterday Morn
ing at $40 O'CIock-The Negro
Fireman. W. III. Corbett. Met III.
afant Dcath-NO One Else Injured.
Mill vii Probably be Closed Down
Three Months.

At ten minutes after five yesterday
morning many residents in this city
were startled to hear a lou explosion
The locality Of the noise could not be
located at first but a few minutes al
stewards a fire alarm was turned in
from box 10 and 1t was then known
that it was in the vicinity OF Hilton.
The terrific explosion was a boiler
at the Hilton Lumber Company and
as a result OF the explosion a portion
of the mill is a total wreck and the
estimated loss is about $25 900, par
tally covered by insurance carried with
the Hartfort Steam Boiler Inspection
and Insurance Company.
No one would or could believe that
the explosion OF a hundred horse
power boiler would result in such de-
.struction and the scene at the Hilton
Lumber Company shows how ter
rible is the destruction which can be
wrought by steam when it is allowed
to get from under control. Hundreds
wv IL plolI JOOCCl Ody dhO LII uO-
:structiOn was greater than any
could conceive of without seeing the
wrecked mill.
The Hilton Lumber Company mas
655 horse power boilers. 1t lakes
six boilers to get this horse power and
the one blown UP was 100 horse power
and weighed about IL, 700 pounds. the
six boilers were arranged in the engine
room, which is only a few yards from
the river, in a row and the one which
exploded was known as No. 4. The two
boilers next nearest the river are Ill
tact but the other three were thrown
from their positions and it cannot he
told just how badly they are damaged.
To all appearances very littI e damage
was done any Of the machinery.
When the explosion occurred there
were three men dt the mill, the watch
'EEEan, w. B. Batol, negro tirman w. II.
'Gorbett and a helper by the name OF
William Murray. Had the accident &C.
Cured ten minutes earlier the proba-
bilities ire that all three would have
been killed.
1t is j duty OF the Waterman in max
MS rounds 10 go to the engine
room at the even hours and yesterday
morning he was IN the engine OOm at
S o'clock and took the guage OF the
steam-he was required to take the
guage OF the steam every hour and
make a written report to the office
each morning. When he examined the
YgaageS boiler No. 4 showed the indl-
Gator to be up two points. From the
boiler roof the Waterman went to the
stables where he had to punch a clock.
He had just reached the stable when
1the terrible explosion occurred, wreck
ing the mill ami sending a shower M
bricks high into the air. The watch
man and helper escaped unhurt but
the unfortunate fireman met death Ill
the explosion. Mr.. r. A. Parsley STAT
ed yesterday that the boiler had Tot
been used during the night, it is neces-
sary to keep several running all The
time for the dry kiln and that it was
Just being fired UP for yesterdays run.
He said he could see no cause except
that the boiler was defective some
where, but that it was inspected since
Christmas and passed on as being IN
good condition.
The negro helper, William MURRAY,
and by the way, H'riday night was MS
L u1ShI at liz I'LL, Soyo A~t ~
bett came to the sawdust room where
he was only q few minutes before the
explosion and told him to feed a little
more sawdust on the chain. He start
ed back to the DC1ler room n 1t is
supposed that he went by the pump
and turned that on for his body vas
found yesterday morning a few feet
from the pump. There was not a par
ticle of clothing on the negroes body;
his left leg was broken and his head
crushed into a Jelly. His body was
.scalded in such a fearful manner that
if it had not been that he was a negro
DO once could nave ever told it to look
at the body which was found in the de-
bris. Those at the mill say he was a
most faithful negro and during q two
years employed at the mill he is said
to nave always been faithful. He is
married and his wife lives at Still
Bluff. where the remains will be car
.ried today.
Without Much Destruction.
a new metal building 81 by lOO Ieet,
with steel beams, had just been COM
pleted at a cost of $500 for the
CINE room and his building was blown
completely away, nothing being left
but a few pieces of sheet iron and some
of the iron beams which supported the
roof. The engine and boiler room was
alongside Of the sawmill and both were
at the edge of the river. When the OK
plosion occurred the boiler was thrown
into the. air and came down through
the roof OF the saw mill, but fortn-
.nately landed on none OF the machin-
cry. But little of the boiler was left
but the tubes, the plates having been
blown completely away n 1t is
thought that they were blown into the
river as they couid not be found. lie