Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23
BIG FLY WHEEL BURST
AT PLANT OF MARYLAND RAIL
CO., CUMBERLAND, MD.
Piece of Debris Weighing About 5000
Pounds Driven Through Eoof
Caused Collapse-Many Injured.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CUMBERLAND, Md. July co-The burst
ms OF the large fy wheel at the plant of
the Maryland Rail Company here early this
afternoon caused the collapse OF half OF
the building which was 800 feet in length
and the injury of nurher of employees
who were held in the twisted iron or PIN
Toned under the debris. Several OF the
Injured are at the Western Maryland Hos
pital in critical condition.
The injured are: Roy Reynolds, aged
twenty-three. rougher, OFF duty on account
CT the accidental drowning of his brother
Russell yesterday but in the mill talking
to a friend, hurt internally and bruised
about the head
Charles Whitman. aged ffty-seven, heat
er, both legs broken and bruised
James Twigg, aged fifty-four. heater. leg
broken and cut IN the head.
George Kemp. hooker. hit on the back OF
the neck by debris and held on the iron
plates by broken tinbers.
Phillip Thomas. rougher. working in Roy
Reynolds place injured in the back OF
the head.
Walter Brant hooker Ridgely. w Va,
injured in shoulder.
Virgil Gehauf, hooker. cut and bruised
Henry Whitman. brother Of Charles
Whitman, cut by flying steel.
Parker Hough, cut about the arms ana
legs and struck on the jaw.
Joseph Pink; rton. boss roller. cut about
the eye by steel fragment.
Owen Walsh, engineer, who sat bes.oe the
wheel, lacerated the side of the head.
Some Miraculous Escapes.
A number of other workers sustained
minor injuries. The mill had been running
night and day but yesterday had gone on
single turn and the men who were injured
today were about to go off duty. as only
laan
the accident occurred About thirty men
were at work. and some made most mirac-
ulous escapeS Reynolds, Twigg ana
Charles Whitman. all of whom are believed
to be IN a precarious condition. are at the
Western Maryland Hospital.
The noise that accompanied the accioSne
caused great CONSERVATION in the city. Inc
Utah House. three blocks away, was shak-
en- If by an earthquake
A section of the mammoth wheel "lth d
smoke weighing ir all about 800 pounds,
was hurled to the outside about one hun
dred yards landing on "a pile of rails: rms
caused the collapse as in its course through
the roof it took the girdcrs. The SIDE wals
fell in but the gable. which was cleared oy
the missile stands. The blow pipe connect
ed with the big fan was broken. letting out
the air which made a terrorlZlnS noise ana
stirred up everything. making the unfortu-
mates temporarily blind. They were coat
ed with grease stirred up by the great
blast OF air.
Debris Took Fire.
The debris at took fire from a
wrecked boiler, but the flames were soon
ext;nguished as there was little about the
mill that was combustible. All the fire
men in the city were called out and hun
dreds rushed to the scene from Cumber-
land proper.
William Dyer and Frank Robinson were
standing hard by the wheel when 1t burst
ed Robinson was hurled through an aper-
ture fifteen feet onto the railroad track.
Neither man was badly hurt. There We're
three distinct crashes, first when the wheel
broke second when the roof fell and third
when the enormous snokestack fell.
Office Was Crowded With Men.
AT the time of the accident the company
was distributing $1S,Go0 in pay. and the Of
fee which is close to the mill. was crowded
with men, the employees of the extensive
tin mill being paid from the same office.
In almost an instant after the accident the
mill yard was crowded with women, all in
great distress. lest some one in the home
circle had been injured. II is stated by
the mill people that the wheel was making
about hundred and five revolutions
minute when abe accident occurred. 1t is
claimed that no flaws have been found in
the wheel.
The loss to the building is heavy, prob
ably exceeding $4,000. The company is
made up of local people. Howard H.
Dickey, this city, is largely interested in
the concern. and Judge Robert R. Hender-
son Is a stockholder.