Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-14
TANK BURST,
Serious Accident at the
Gas Works, Monday.
Scrubber ExpIodes and Wrecks
Water Gas Plant.
Cnc Man Injurcd-Coai Gas Plant
Started at Once.

| The gas works of thu N nntbec Light
| and Heat CO.. on Mt. Vernon avenue,
Was the seem. yesterday afternoon. o:
Il most unusual accident. which. while
| it was of IL most serious nature. happi-
accident occurred in the generator
room. where thcre is located. i'll addi-
ton to the Other apparatus. a big iron
tank known as a scrubbed. The tank
| is perhaps Is feet in height. by FIVE
| feet in diam ter. and is made Of quar-
tcr-inch iron.
Just how the accident happened is
| ;.ot at present known. Thu first intiina-
! ton given thai anything was wrong
was at about 1.43 o'clock. when Their"
vas heavy tNplOsicn followed by 4
crash of broken glass. as nearly every
window in that portion of the building;
was broken. Those who hurried to th"
scene found tina: the whole lower Sec
ton of the big tank had been torn ou;.
| leaving gaping rent III the side
Wnert the tough iron mad been torn
ard twisted as if it We're paper.
w men the explosion occurred. but on.
| man was working III the room. that
being John j. White. one of the old
| employees Of the company. At the time
| If the explosion. Mr.. White was up on
| I ladder besid. The tank and was pre-
pairing to draw the water from tho
wash box. which is a small tank above
and near the sr.ubber CONNECTED With
the small tank was an iron pipe lead
ing to what is known as the seal pit
Mr. Whit" was working around the
tank, and getting rea ly 10 clean it and
the Scrubber, as he had done MANY
times before, when without warming
The explosion occurred The ladder Oh
which he stood WAS broken and he was
thrown TO II" foor. receiving a cut
about three inches long on the back of
The head. and bruises uIon the back
and one arm. III his iail he struck i,
steam pipe with force enough to bend
i. M. White was taken to his home
on Child street. where medical aid was
summoned. Upon examination. his in
juries. though painful. were not found
| to be very serious. and last night ~
was as comfortable as could he ex-
pHcted. 1t vas = EurHcie, hoWcV. =
that he was NJ: killed.
The force OF the exn!nsl~n was no
ticcablc in many places around tn,
generator room. Tn" hcaYy cover to the
| r,anhole in the ccrUbner MAS hurled II
distance of ~ '.~t, :tiid Struck the
hrickwurk of The .miI'.r With fnr,."
enough to max its print IA he bricks
In It's Hight il also struck one Of thn
hard piur ulpri1itS a the elevator
:IintorinS the wood and carrying
away the wiz rigging of the elevator
n, nf which showed tile force Win
which it was thrown
The injury To- the plart was most
SERIOUS. as Ev the explosion the entire
apparatus for manufacturing VA: II
gas was put Out OF commission. and
some dine will be required to make the
necessary repairs. tn" amount OF g;l;
i'll Tie tanks is sufficient to last until
@iX O'Clock. tonight. out after that tim"
it will be exhausted. In order to maxi.
me supply last as long q spuSSiblc Il
notice has been gwen by he company.
which will be found in another column
As soon as th,. accident was reported
10 the Office Of the company. Supt. w.
II. Williams had the CCai gas plant
started. and i supply will be made rs
soon as possible. but il will take som.
time Ia fill the tanks. Supt. Williams
is doing everything POSSIBLE to hurry
the matter along, md hopes to haze
tn" supply in readiness for use in about
- hours. I. was the first accident os :,
:'trious nature th;,t has occurred at ,ne