The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-10-21
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
NEAR ROWLAND
Gin Boiler Bursts, Kills Five Men
and Fatally Wounds Sixth.

Southbound railroad, three miles
northeast of Rowland, was the scene
of a terrible tragedy Friday morning
about 9 O'Clock when 50-horse
boiler at a ginnery owned by Bridgers
g. Pate bursted without warning.
The dead are: Robert Bridgers.
Henry Bracey, Jessie Bracey, Arner
Ozendine, Spencer Oxendlne, ani
Nose Taylor, who died after being
carried to Fayetteville hospital.
Robert Bridgers was a oro-N'r OF
Mr.. ]. L. Bridgers, Atlantic Coast
Llne agent at Dillon.
The explosion was heard in Dillon.
Little Rock and Hamer, and at Row
land the concussion was so great that
buildings ratified and window panes
were. broken.
The first person to arrive on the
scene was a Mr.. Bullock, who oper-
ates a gin about mile from where
the explosion took place. He heard
the explosion and jumping in his au-
tomobile, drove to the scene as rapid
ly as possible. A gruesome sight met
his gaze. The boiler room was a
mass of debris and half Of the gin
house had been torn away. Nose
Taylor, colored, who died later at the
hospital, was crawling around on the
ground moaning piteously and call
ing for a doctor. Both eyes had
been blown out, his shoulder was
broken and there we're deep gashes on
his head and face. Others began to ar
rive and the work Of rescue began,
but the FIVE men who were in the
boiler room when the explosion took
place were beyond human aid. Four
of the five were dead and the fifth
was breathing his last.
A horse and mule standing hitched
to a loaded wagon near the boiler
room were killed outright, and the
cotton in the wagon scattered on the
ground. The fragments Of a cat
that must have been In or near the
boiler room were found in the top of
a tree a hundred yards from the
scene of the explosion. So great was
the force of the explosion that cloth
ing was stripped from the bodies of
the dead men and hurled up into
trees. The body of Arner Oxendine,
the fireman, was hanging over the
clubhouse rafters.
The ginnery was owned by Messrs.
Bracey & Bridgers. 1t had been in
operation almost continuously since
the opening of the season. A few
days ago boiler trouble developed
and the plant was shut down for
repairs. All the day before they had
been working on the boiler, COM
pieting the work early that morning.
The boiler was fired up and they
were getting ready to- gin. The
Messrs. Bracey were in the boiler
room sitting on a bench and few
moments before the explosion Mr..
Bridgers drove up his car and went
into the boiler room. Just as he en-
tered the boiler room the explosion
took place. 4 few minutes before
the explosion took place another MIR.
Bracey had been on top of the boiler
looking at the pop-on valve. He
came down and walked about lou
yards to his house 10 get knife to
cut some bagging. Just as he entered
the house the explosion took place.
His wife, who was at the door, was
hurled backward with great violence,
but she sustained no injuries.
The 50-horse boiler was strongly
i'm beaded in a brick foundation and
brick were hurled a distance Of 500
yards. Brick dust covered the ground
for radius Of 100 yards. Buildings
Iii the vicinity rocked as if shaken
By an earthquake and glass crumbled
into dust.
II is not known how much steam
pressure was on the boiler, but those
who heard the explosion and saw
the wreckage say the boiler must
have carried from ESQ to 800 pounds
of steam. 1t was 60-horse boiler, but
would have stood under ordinary
conditions a pressure of 100 pounds.
The theory is that the pop-otf valve
failed to work and the steam guage
was out of order. This is the only
that can be offered.
Although the Messrs. Bracey, Mr..
bTlQBSTS duu AluSs OAChuiASJ 'iS
fireman, were within a few feet of
the boiler their bodies were not
badly burned or mutilated. One side
OF MIR. Bridgers' face was crushed in
but there were no bruises on his
face. 1t is thought that all FIVE men
were killed by conclusion, although
they were buried under heaps OF
wreckage.
A colored boy who stod near the
horse and mule that were killed could
not be found, but it is probable that
he recovered and ran away from
fright.
The boiler was laid open as fat
as a pancake. 1t did not rip at the
rivets, but split between the seams.
The fiues were blown IN every direc-
ton, some Of them being found 300
yards from the scene OF the eX-
plosion.
A strange fatality seems TO have
followed the Bracey family this year.
Jessie Bracey, one of the victims OF