The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-01-15
STEELWORKERS CREMATED
IN MOLTEN METAL
Pittsburg Furnace ExpIodes and
Victims Caught in Fiery Rain.
ONLY CHARRED BONES REMAIN
But One Man Escapes Uninjured---
Officials Lock Gates - Police
Drive Back Widows and Orphans
Who Strive to Reach Their Dead.

Officials Lock Gates - Police
Drive Back Widows and Orphans
Who Strive to Reach Their Dead
Pittsburg. The worst mill disaster
in the Pittsburg district in years oc-
Cured at $50 p. M, when an explo-
sion threw the entire contents of the
Eliza blast furnace of the Jones &
Laughlin Steel Company high into
the air, raining white hot cinders
and metal on the scores of workmen
employed there.
Three bodies have been recovered
half dozen men are believed to have
been incinerated, and a dozen victims
are in the Mercy Hospital. Several
of these will die
The entire plant took fire, adding
to the horror, and two alarms called
dozen fire companies to the scene.
Assistant Fire Chief Peter Snyder, in
directing the work of his men, fell
with a collapsing trestle and was
probably fatally injured. Several fire.
men were overcome by the fumes, and
a second explosion hurt many.
The night shift, composed of about
sixty men, had hardly gone to work
when the explosion occurred. With
out warning the accumulation of gas
was let go, blowing the top off the
furnace and scattering the fiery con-
tents over a radius of 800 yards. The
workmen in the mil yard below were
caught in the rain of molten iron.
The frame buildings about the fur
mace were ablaze in an instant, as
were the miles of high trestle work
from which the cars of ore, coke, ETC.,
are unloaded
In moment the greatest excite
ment prevailed. Men with their faces
burned to crisp, and some with
even their hands burned off, ran wild
ly about, their shrieks of agony
sounding above the roar of flames.
To add to the confusion, hundreds
of wives, mothers and friends of the
workmen who lived in the neighbor-
hood hurried to the scene, knowing
full well the terrible results of fur
mace explosion. While the shrieks of
the injured filled the mill yard, the
cries and walls of those battling at
the gates could be heard for blocks.
The managers refused admittance to
any one and for a time bedlam
reigned.
The injured were placed on board
the cars and hurried to Mercy Hos
pital. One man died on the way, and
after the injured had been taken
from the car it continued to the
morgue with his body This was the
first intimation the morgue officials
had that any accident had occurred.
Deputy Coroner Hugh Dempsey
was at first refused admittance AT
the base of the furnace he found the
charred leg of man protruding from
the pile of still red-hot cinders. He
at once ordered that search be made
for other victims. A gang of men
was put to work, and within a few
minutes two more bodies were un-
earthed.
All three of the bodies were burned
beyond recognition, only stumps OF
the arms and legs remaining. One
was not yet dead, though apparently
only half of man.
Dempsey believes that there are al
least half a dozen other victims
whose bodies will never be recovered
Caught under the thickest of the fiery
shower, they were no doubt burned
to ashes that mixed with the cinders
thrown from the furnace. Several
pieces of charred human bones were
found, which indicates that this the
DRY is correct.