The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-01-17
MOLTEN METAL RAINS ON men
Twcnty-Four Probably Cremated In
Steel Mill.

Pittsburg, Pa. Especially One of
the worst explosions in the history of
the Jones & Laughlin Steel Works
occurred about Z O'Clock at the Eliza
Furnaces, when a large quantity of
gas which had accumulated at the
base of the furnace became ignited
and exploded. Tons of molten metal
were showered around the furnace
| for a radius of 40 feet Out of a
force of 35 men employed at the
furnace when the explosion occurred
three of them-John Cramer, An
drew Featherko and Gustave Kess-
| ler-have been taken to the morgue,
their bodies horribly mutilated by
the fire; seven men are in hospitals
fatally injured. and "a others have
not been accounted for.
While the mill officials are In
clined to believe that all of the miss
| ing men were not cremated in the
molten metal, nothing definite is
known as TO their present where
abouts. Only one man. George
/ Knox. he turned up since the ex-
plosiOn. and Knox says everything
happened so quick that he doubts
whether the men escaped.
Fire department Chief Peter Sny-
der. of the Fourth District. was ser
| iously injured while directing the
| firemen to extinguish the fire which
! followed the explosion. Snyder was
stationed on a trestle 80 feet high,
when he slipped and fell to the
ground, injuring himself internally
Frcnzicd Women Fight Officers.
While responding to the alarm a
hose carriage was struck by a street
car, seriously injuring two of the
firemen and killing q horse. The
windows of the street car We're shat
tered and a panic followed among
the passengers. Two women we're
injured by being trampled.
The scenes about the entrance to
the mill were pathetic when the
families of the victims learned of
the disaster. Women, men and
children gathered before the gate
and made frantic efforts to gain ad
mittance. Several of the frenzied
women rushed upon the officers and
fought them, crying to be allowed
TO enter the mill and see their loved
ones. Young children ran up and
| down the streets crying that their
father was dead. Later it became
necessary to call additional police
\ TO forcibly escort the women and
/ children to their homes.
The officials at the mills refused
TO allow anyone to enter the yard
where the furnace Is located All
information was refused to news
paper men, the officials saying that
later they might issue statement.
A heavy guard of foreign workmen
were placed at the yard entrance
and even the police were powerless
to get past the foreigners.
George Knox, the only man be-
lieved to have escaped uninjured,
said:
1T was awful. The furnace is
one of the improved style, and 80
of us were working about, never
thinking of an explosion. Suddenly
there was a terrific roar, and i'm
mediately | started to run. Molten
metal was thrown every place.
Streams of il were running in all
directions, and l was confronted
with an awful death unless | could
run faster than the metal could
travel, Thank God, reached n
place of safety, and not minute
too soon. | don't know what hap
pened to the other men. l did not
see any of them following the ex-
plosion. If they did not run quick
and fast are all buried under six
feet of molten metal"