Dekalb County GaArchives News.....A Fearful Explosion October 13 1876
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ken Johnson ken@pro-usa.net April 14, 2004, 1:31 pm

Atlanta Constitution
Atlanta Constitution
Atlanta, GA
Friday Morning
October 13, 1876

A FEARFUL EXPLOSION

IN A PITTSBURG MAIL FACTORY-LIVES LOST

A Terrible Explosion.

Pittsburg, Oct. 11. - At 8:45 this
a.m. a terrible explosion occured at
Zog and Co's. mills, corner 13th and
Etna streets, attended by a great loss
of life.  The boilers in the mail mill
exploded in that building, and more than
half the rolling-mill was demolished, as
well as a large number of the employees
at work, and it is impossible to tell
how many were buried in the ruins.
The greatest excitement prevails.  The
buildings caught fire and the flames
have not yet been extinguished.  So
far ten dead bodies have been taken
from the ruins.

The Damage Done.

Pittsburg, Oct. 12.- At the time of
the explosion one hundred and fifty
men and boys were working in the
building.  The building was literally
torn to pieces, the roof falling back
rested on the mail machines, thus enabling
the men to crawl out before the
wreck was in flames.

Partial list of the killed:
Thos. Murphy, fireman;
Andrew Sullivan, fireman,
Frank Cuppa,
Peter Kendrick,
John and Joseph Andrews, feeders;
two brothers named McCafferty, and
an unknown man, whose head was 
blown off and whose body has not
been identified.

Scenes on the Outside.

Pittsburg, Oct. 12.- Scenes on the
outside in the vicinity of the works for
a considerable distance, were of the
wildest and most heartrending character.
News of the explosion spread like
wild-fire through the city.  In a short
time people began to gather from all
parts.  Men, women and children who
had relatives and friends in the estab(lish)ment,
rushed.

Frantically Forward.

A scene of the wildest confusion followed.
The police with ropes stretched
across the streets kept the surging
crowd from interfering with the successful 
work of the firemen and their 
apparatus.  The chief of police with a
large body of patrolmen were kept
busy in keeping back the crowd and 
assisted in carring out the

Wounded and Killed

from under the debris.  The office of
the works on the corner of Etna street
opposite the mill, where the explosion
occurred, was considerably used up.
The building was improvised into a
temporary hospital, where the dead and
wounded were carried.  A large number
of surgeons were promptly on the
ground.  The causes which led to the

Frightful Calamity

are yet enveloped in mystery.  The
boilers were in charge of a careful engineer,
and had been duly inspected before the
works resumed operations, some five weeks
ago.

Later, 3 p.m.- Frank Mangers, Andrew 
Mangers and Louis Sorang have died
from their injuries, and Pat Griffin,
John Higgins, James Klein, Frank
McCafferty, and Harris Laher will
doubtless die.



This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/

File size: 3.2 Kb