Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1882 — BOILER HORROR. [ARTICLE]

BOILER HORROR.

Shocking Accident in a Manufactory at Canton, HI. Three Large Boilers Explode, Killing Niue Men Instantly. Three boiler* In the works of the Purlin & Oremiortt Company atOuntou, in., exploded with territic force, wrecking a portion of the building, and causing the death of nine employes The bodies of the victims were crushed, mangled and scalded in a shock ing manner. A telegram from Canton gives the following account of the terrible affair: At about 7:10 o’clock a deafening sound was heard, and buildings throughout the city shaken from the foundations up, causing the people to rush to their doors to learn the cause or the unusual occurrence. In a very short time afterward the tire-bell sounded an alarm, and a dense volume of smoke and steam was observed ever the extensive agricultural-implement works of the Parlln & Oreudorff (Jompanv, located on Elm street, in the east part of the city. It was at once inferred that the shops were on tire—people not imagining the awful oatas trophe that had lust occurred. Three large boilers, which supplied the manufactory with motive and heating power, had oxploded, scattering death and destruction and completely demolishing the brick engine and boiler room. The extent of the calamity could not be seen from the street, the boiler-house being located on the south side of the north wing of the building, which is three stories high. The force of the explosion tore out about forty feet of the brick wall of the three-story section, the brick and debris falling directly upon the wreck of the engine and boiler room, and breaking all the windows in the north side of the budding. In the ruins could be seen the bodies of some of the workmen, und it soon transpired that others were missing. The tire oompany, which was promptly on hand, soon extinguished the tiames that had burst forth in the ruins, and, with the assistance of hundreds of citizens, commenced the mournful task of removing the deud and wounded as rapidly as they could be got at Six lifeless bodies were removed, ana three more were taken out before life was entirely extinct Two of the latter did not regain consciousness, one of them dying while he was being carried home, another living but a short time after his removal to the office of the company, and the third, who was conscious for several hours, expired at 4 o'clock this afternoon, making the total number of deaths from the explosion nine William McCarney, engineer, crushed out of shape; found lyingaeross the engine, with his oil-can In his hand Lemuel Hunnicut, fireman, burned ‘ and mangled horribly. Hiram Palmer, crushed and scalded William Miller, crushed to death; found on a circular-saw table, with a stick of timber in his hands, in the work-room, just in the rear of the boilers. Archie Henderson, crushed and scolded so as to be almost unrecognizable. Alexander Nickerson, literally cooked Joshua Oldham, burned to a crisp on the arms; head crushed and scalded all over. Robert McGrath, the last man taken from the ruins, was crushed and cooked Into an almost shapeless mass, one foot hanging by shreds of skin, bowels esashed out, and bones all broken." Samuel Bell, fearfully scalded and bruised about the head and chest Only two persons in addition to thoee killed received injuries—Calvin Armstrong and Joe Drake being slightly injured by bruises and scolds. The cause of the explosion is a mystery, and will probably never be known. Two of the boilers were torn into smull pieces and scattered all over the yard The third boiler was one-half blown away and the other half forced through the partition wall Into the woodwork-room adjoining. Pieces of the boilers were hurled a distance of 100 yards.