Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1890 — MEN CRUSHED TO DEATH [ARTICLE]

MEN CRUSHED TO DEATH

FEARFUL ACCIDENT AT JOLIET. ILLINOIS. Sine Men Crushed by the Collapsing of a Monster Retort in the Joliet Steel ComPeay’s Works—Several Others Seriously Injured—How the Accident Occurred. [■Joliet (HL) dispatch.] One of the most distressing calamities that have ever befallen Joliet occurred it the works of the Joliet Steel Com--1 pany, In this city, at noon to-day, reI suiting in the death of nine men and the i wounding of nine others. The cause was the giving way of the columns which •upport the huge blast furnace known as No. 2, and the consequent collapsing of the great 200-ton retort. The blast had been blown out, and the men were at work on the inside taking out the brick lining preparatory to relining it when the tccident occurred. The killed are: Gus Loosa, eager; Nels Larson, bottom filler; John* Peterson, rigger; Hans Fasmeck, top filler; Thomas Swanson, rigger; Frank Miller, bottom filler; John Umlustadis, rigger; two men unidentified. Jhe of q-cidegt spread rapidly, and thousands of men, women, And children rushed to the scene of the disaster. They had to bp kept away by the police, while all the available force that Could be put to work was engaged in removing the ponderous masses of iron and. iebris to rescue the unfortunate men unlerneath the wreck. When the furnace collapsed there were eleven men engaged bn the inside at the bottom and five or six on top. When the furnace fell with Its iron coating, it carried with it the blow-pipes and roof of the casting shed, and buried itself in the earth in so mysterious a shape that no engineer could, aven on short notice, under calm reflection, unravel the problem of how to rescue the dead and living. Never, however, was quicker or more prompt action witnessed. The crowd of women and children around the gates in doubtful despair as to the fate of relatives or friends presented a sight which was painful to witness. On reaching the furnaces there were hundreds of men whose faces denoted the intensity of their feeling and what they were prepared to sacrifice if their help could aid in any way to rescue the victims from under the tons of masonry and iron which buried them. Superintendent Pettigrew was leading the rescuing party by all the skillful means in his power, and there were plenty of willing hands ready to aid in the work. ■ Drs. Nash, Kelly, and Dougall were on the ground, but, on learning from Mr. Pettigrew that there was little likelihood of any under the wreck being alive, all left for the hospital. On reaching that institution there were crowds outside and inside, as the Sisters made no effort to check the friends and relatives from accompanying their injured. The dangerously injured are: Patrick Kilcullen, leg taken off ’above-the knee, is l not'expected to live; Oscar Wenberg of No. 1000 Irving street, dangerous injuries to the head: Olav Johnson of the same address, leg broken and other injuries; U. Lind, badly crushed: August Diremer, seriously injured; B. Sisnjer. North Hickory street, leg badly injured. A number severely but not fatally injured were taken to their homes. Cashier Wilson said to-night: “This is the most unaccountable as well as the most terrible accident that we have ever had in the mills. I cannot conceive how it occurred. The furnace has stood where it does for years and carried a load of from 1,000 to 1,500 tons without a particle of trouble. It surely ought to be strong enough to stand by itself, and as far as any living man could tell it was so. The accident cannot be accounted for, so far as we know now, and it will probably remain a mystery.” Kilcullen was the r-most seriously injured. His left leg was shockingly mangled, and the surgeons were obliged to amputate it above the knee. His right was broken below the knee, and he was badly bruised. As to the cause there are different opinions. The superintendents cannot account for it. Some of the men claim that the iron was rotten. It is also stated that the insurance companies sometime ago canceled all their policies and refused to carry any risks on lives of men working this furnace on account of the great hazard.