The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-17
TERRIBLY INJURED !
IN AN EXPLOSION
Barney Foley Lying at Deaths
Door as Result of
Accident.
AMMONIA CHURN BLOWS
UP AT A PACKING PLANT
Comrade of Foley Risks Own
Life to Save the Wounded
Man.

AS the result of the explosion of an
ammonia churu, part of the ice plant
in the cellar of the Intcrmonntain Pack.
ing company, 36S West First South
street, Barney Foley, aged +3 years, an
employee OF the company, is lingering
between life and death at the l.. D. s.
hospital. The ice plant in the cellar
OF the packing company Is a wreck.
The accident occurred at $40 Friday
afternoon.
Immediately after the explosion the
cellar was filled with ammonia gas
Realizing the danger, comrade per-
formed an act of leroIsm in entering
the poisoned cellar and drawing the un-
conscious man to the air, Dir. w. f.
Beer said at an early hour this (Sat
urday) morning that Mr., Foley g lungs
were filled with the gas, aside from
which he was badly burned. and that
he could not be expected to live many
hours.
Mr.. Foley was in charge of the am
monia churn, and was the only person
near the machine when the explosion
occurred. 6. 5. Petit, an employee of
the company, was working in the cel-
lar about 100 feet from the machine.
He said hc heard an explosion. and inn
mediately cloud OF ammonia vapor
took his breath away Ho was near
the door, however, and managed to get
out, The explosion caused the EN-.
ployecs of the plant to crowd around
the opening to the elevator shaft, and
1T was Immediately rumored that Mr..
Foley was still in the cellar. Then f.
J. Shavcy, IN charge of the packing
department, distinguished himself Ak
the risk of his life, for the atmosphere
of the cellar was thickly laden with the
gas, making it almost impossible TO
breathe, he went into the rapor and
along the corridor for about fifty feet,
when he discovered fhe injured man lie
had taken a rope with him, which he
tied about Foley's body, aud carried
the other end TO the men above. He was
blind when he was helped from the eel
lar Mr.. Foley was then dragged out.
He was unconscious and vomiting blood.
Tho patrol wagon arrived ten minutes
after the accident and removed Mr..
Foley to the i. D. s. hospital
Force Of Explosion.
The ammonia churn is used to liauify
ammonia gas and Is used III the pro-
cess OF cooling the storage vaults. \
great pressure is attained in the MA
chine and heat from any source would
immediately expand and explode the
gas. The exact cause Of the explosion.
however, is n mystery Hundred pound
fragments of the machine were hurled
a distance of one hundred feet, and a
motor thirty feet from the churn was
completely demolished. \ ton and
half hy-wheel was shattered and the
entire end OF the churn itself was
blown out. From where MI Foley was
found it is probable that he was about
ten feet from the machine at the time
of the explosion.
Mr. Foley lives at 367 West First
North street with his family, wife,
three small daughters and two sons.
Mrs. Foley has a ten.months-old baby
and has been far from we'll for some
time past. She was not notified at the
time of the accident. Barton Foley
aged l3 years, went TO the packing
plant yesterday afternoon after school
TO get some meat from his father. lie
was told that his father was at the
hospital badly injured. and as the lit
tie fellow pecred through the broken
window upon the wreck in the cellar,
tears streamed down his cheeks. He
was given a dime by a bystander with
which to ride TO the hospital to sec
his father.
Mr.. Foley has worked for the pack
ing company for about six months. He
is from Ogden and has a brother, who
the Elite cafe at that place.