Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1942-02-12


in the afternoon of the fateful day.
For the main facts of this disaster
we quote from the story as told by
The late Plus Padgett, who years
afterward, as editor of the Zanes-
Vile Signal, had the story re-
printed. He was lad living at
Beverly and took passage on TINS
boat to go to GAINESVILLE. He was
one who escaped death, but was SO
badly scalded that it was months
before he could walk. Twenty per-
sons were killed instantly, or died
that night, and six died afterWard
from wounds, making a total OF 70.
dozen or more recovered from
their injuries. Thirteen bodies or
unknown persons were buried side
bv side in the Beverly cemetery.
Portions of human bodies were
scattered along the shore and were
zathered in box and buried.
One. Of the engineers was weigh
ing the safety-valye when the eN-
Ilosion took place. He was badly
acalded, but recovered. The chlel
clerk, Whissen, by name, was found
on the bank of the canal with ms
legs in the water; one foot was torn
TO pieces. Modification set i'll the
day following and he died that
night. His death was a sad one,
like another before we end TINS
story. He was to have been mar
ried in a short time to lady IN
McConnelsville.
Only recently we were strolllh9
through the cemetery at McCoh-
nelsville, when on the farther SIDE
the east end we happened on to
grave of one of the victims OF the
sad disaster. A marble slab bore
the following inscription: Henry
Mitchell, killed by the explosion OF
the Buckeye Belle, Nov. Is, 1902.
(There is a discrepancy OF one day
between this mans death and the
date of the explosion.) Most OF the
hoat above water was reduced tt
splinters and lay for months along
the shore. Speculation was rife rs
10 who rified the safe and took the
money, but suspicion was strong
and that is another story
Another Bad Explosion
From our window We are look'
ing across valley into what lS
known as the McI1lroy neighbo@
hood. 1t was here where on Nov
IS. 1874, a terrific boiler eXplo5
ion took place that instantly huri
ed two men into eternity and SER
iouslv injured three others. Thi:
disaster threw a pail of gloom oveI
this and adjacent communities.
We are indebted to Charles Hays
of Cumberland, whose brother wa.
part owner of the mill, for the fol
lowing account of this disastel
which appeared in the Guernsc,
Times Of December 3, 1874:
Another Of those fearful calam
ICES which bring CONSERVATION e
any community occurred about II
O'Clock on the 18th instant. The
portable boiler md engine oWnel
John ST. Clair and W NJ. Hays
this village (Cumberland) eA-
ploded. killing two men and wound
ed three others Robert o. Sellers
engineer, and Hufford Scribner. {
hand. were instantly killed. Hen
ry Hamilton was badly scalded. "
NJ. HAYS was severely bruised or
the head. breast and leg, and Gil
I1-h0 nj
tending 10 his lumber, had les
badly broken Just below the knee
by some flying fragment" The mil
was recently set on lands owned BY
W g. McElroy iI Noble county
about four miles southeast of Cum
berland.
LAS to the cause of the sad oc
crrrence no one knows to GER
tainty, but the examination so fal
Ioints to a defective steam-gauSe
which showed only pressure o
ninety to one hundred pounds
when the fact is they had pres
sure beyond the strength of tht
boiler iron. 1t appears from {
hurried examination of fragment:
that the first giving away Wa!
where the fre-box joins the she'll oI
the boiler The fre-box and part!
of the engine were torn to frag
ments and thrown two hundred anf
twenty feet in one direction, while
the other part of the boiler, witt
its attachments, was thrown tWG
hundred and fifty-five feet almost