Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-20

Heavy Loss From Boiler
Explosion at Lowell.
Gas In Economizer Believed TO
Have Caused the Trouble.
Operatives Rush From MILL. Fear.
ing an Earthquake.

ing an Earthquake.
LEVEL, Mass, Feb. 19.-Eleven men
We're injured. one probably fatally, by
the explosion Of the econnniZer at
ta,he1 to one Of the boilers in the new
power house OF the Hamilton Corpor-
attn, a cotton manufacturing eStab-
l,sh,nent in this. city. today. Another
man. Thomas Kennedy. a rug collec-
tor, was run over by Il fire enGin"
that Was responding 70 an alarm Of
fire from the factory and was 50 badly
injurcG that it is believed that he can
not recover. The explosion caused about
$4,000 property damage and ntceSSi
tated the shutting down Of the entire
plant. throwing out OF employment
more than 1900 operatives.
The explosion caused q panic III !
many departments OF the mill. 1t DC
Irg thought that the shock was due t"
an earthquake. Four stores and the
Traders National Bank, located on
Middlesex street. opposit" the power
house. had their fronts blown in by
the force OF the explosion. which burS,
out both ends Of he big brick power
house.
All Of tho persons who Wnr" injured |
within the power houe" we're employed
by Westinghouse. Church. Kerr x GO. |
of y y York ard Boston. the contract |
orS who had installed III" boiler and
W.rc operating it. rot having turned it |
over to the management Of TIE mill. |
Several persons VINO We're passing |
along Middlnsex street We're injured
by Icing knocked down or cut by fly |
ing glass.
Of the injured Alex Olsen and Ken |
nelly are not expected to recover.
Lowell, Mass. Feb. ia dozen or
more persons were injured. but none
fatally. and = heavy property dam |
az" resulted today from the explosion !
OF n boiler in The ncW boiler house Of
the Hamilton Corporations cotton
nil on Jackson street. in the center |
Of the city. The injured We're all hur- |
ried to the hospitals. where. after a |
hasty examination on the part of the |
su;GconG. il was announced that all |
would recover, although some of the |
IL iuri.s were of a serious nature
Tho explosion occurred shortly after
s O'Clock. The boiler house, new
two-stocy brick structure. was near
ing completNn and about 80 men We're
al work thy when tn" explosion oc-
Cured, There was no warning of any
trouble Suddenly there was a deaf"n-
ing roar, every person in the room
was throw n PROSTATE tn" windows AT
either cEd of the building were blown |
"nt and the room was filled with |
steam. y runbling sound followed the
roar of the exploding boiler and per-
soas IN the vicinity thought AT first
that Lowell had been visited by an
earthquake.
In some Of the departments of tho
mill the operatives We're thrown into
= panic and il was only through great
effort on tho part of the overseers that
no one was injured in the rush for
safety. All of the operators fled from
the i1ill. thinking that the shock was
caused by an earthquake and fearing
that tn" walls of the building would
coil;. 2sN md bury them in the ruins
Tho boiler house EXTENDED from
Jackson tn Niddlesox street. on the
opposite side of Middl"sex street the
fronts of four stores. occupied by De-
vine Co, dealers in trunks; the
M:ddlcSeX Steam Laundry. n. O'Keffe's
provision store and Woodward's cigar
store. and the offices of the Traders
National Rank were blown in. The
hic window at the end OF the boiler
house was blown way through tha
front of tho O'Kcffe store and those
within the latter place narrowly es-
capped injury
An alarm Of hre was sounded and
III" apparatus soon appeared on the
scene, but no hrr Of any consequence
was caused by the explosion 1t was
necessary to close the entire plant
temporarily, more than 1900 opera
tir"s being thrown out of work. An
attempt will be made NJ once 10 on
crate at lra"t = portion Of the mill by
IN" old boiler plant.
Although the work on the boiler
mouse hud not been completed. tho
u"ii,r was started four weeks ago and
vas being operated by the contractors
'innnous". Church. Kerr & 60 Of
New York and Boston
careful examination Of The ruined
h"i'er will have to be- made before. rho
rNa't cause Of the exclusion win IL
Known but 1t was said today that the
presence nf guS in the cconomiz.r
pr"ra3iy caused the trouble
Most Of the 80 men who were al work
Ill III" boiler house ct tho time of the
explosion were engaged in putt;pg thn
ihlSAinS touches on the wood ana
IRON work oC the building. The ;n,pr.j
are: ''1u''"
Kennedy. both legs broken in
'ernally injured. may die; Henry Sui.
i'Van. "cS Middlcse% street, both arms
race ami neck injured: Jasper LrnJ. |
D'rS' - Ray street. Roxburv. head |
"onnds' Oscar Mcfarland. 20 Liberty |
street. heaf! wounds; Thomas Slatt.rv.
$40 G"rha'a street. bruises about the
todH and head: Frank Riley. Il Batch
eider plaza, burns or left arm,
lace and neck; Alfred Lynch
j. Albeit street. burns On
rtt arm and face; John Mummy o.
fAiton street. LETT army. shoulder face
ana mead burned and bruised: Frank
,,aShcr. q Tollman avenue. bruises on
rlsht leg. Timothy EearJon, = Cia;rs
street scalp wound. burns on face
heaa ana hands; Axei Olsen, % Caav
street fractured skull. on dangerous