Rochester, Monroe, NY
Democrat & Chronicle
Thurs Aug 20, 1896
TERRIBLE FATALITY
Engineer Holliday Killed and Many
Others Hurt.
The Boiler Exploded
Men, Iron and Debris Were Hurled
Together Into Space
At Work On A Sewer
The Engine Was Defective and Blew
Up,
Damaging Houses and Menacing the
Lives of the Residents-
Contractor Fuller One of Those
Hurt
A terrible and fatal boiler
explosion that rent the air as with the boom of many cannon and threw men,
iron and stone into the air with terrible force, occurred on Rockland
park, near Clifton street, just before noon yesterday.
An old
boiler that furnished power to the engine for drilling in the solid stone
at the bottom of a sewer, and was being run at too high a pressure, was
the cause of the catastrophe. The list of the dead and injured is as
follows:
John H.
HOLLIDAY, of No. 5 Meng park, machinist, fatally injured, and died at the
City Hospital six hours later.
William
FULLER, of No. 64 Cady street, contractor, seriously injured and may die;
taken to St. Mary's Hospital.
John A.
METZGER, of No. 168 Bartlett street, boiler maker, badly hurt, but will
probably recover; taken to St. Mary's Hospital.
Frank
SLOAN, of No. 15 Cottage street, water boy; bad cuts about the head, but
will recover; taken to his home.
Patrick
SLATTERY, laborer, badly bruised, but injuries not dangerous.
For
several days a force of men has been at work at Rockland park putting
through a sewer from Penn street to the trunk sewer on the next street. In
excavating for this, they had encountered some solid rock, and yesterday
morning the workmen began drilling into this, the power employed coming
from a twelve-horse-power threshing machine engine that had been brought
to the spot and set up for this use.
When the
men tried the engine for the first time yesterday morning there seemed to
be something wrong with it. Anybody who chancd{sic} to take a look at the
old and rusty mass of iron as it lay esconced against a dwelling house
yesterday afternoon would readily have seen what the trouble was with it.
The parts were rusty and the whole appearance of the apparatus is
suspicious in the extreme.
It was
almost noon and the gang of men under the charge of Contractor FULLER were
just completing the work of the forenoon before "knocking off"
for dinner. The engine was in charge of John HOLLIDAY and Patrick SLATTERY
had charge of the drill; Contractor FULLER had been a short distance down
the line of the sewer and had just returned and was examining some work
which was being done by Mr. SLATTERY about five feet away from the engine.
HOLLIDAY, too, had left the engine and was standing near the group of men,
all of them watching SLATTERY as he was bent over repairing a leak in the
rubber pipe.
There
was not a thought of danger, when in a moment, there came a shock which
seemed to tear the men apart with terrific force. Man was separated from
man and amid a whirl of dirt, stones and pieces of iron, they went hurling
through space. Mr. FULLER was thrown several feet straight into the air
and landed in the bottom of the sewer about twenty feet from the spot
where he was standing HOLLIDAY was blown in another direction for a
distance of thirty feet, striking on a big bank of dirt and chipped stone.
He was bleeding terribly and near where he struck were pieces of flesh and
the rocks all about were stained a deep red.
John A.
METZGER, father of Officer METZGER, was standing near SLATTERY as he was
repairing the pipes, Mr. METZGER was picked up bodily and hurled thirty
feet. He lay flat upon his back upon the ground, while the stones and dirt
fell all about him like hail. He was at first thought to be dead, but
later revived somewhat.
As for
the others who were standing about, none of them escaped without some
injuries. The force of the explosion was so great as to tear everything
movable from its place and cast it many feet away. There were a number of
small boys nearby and the most of them were more or less hurt. Fortunately
for them, Contractor FULLER had a few minutes before warned them to keep
out of the way and not bother the workmen, and it is probably due to this
timely advice that there were none of them seriously hurt.
Frank
SLOAN of 15 Cottage street was the water boy and he had just brought a
large wooden pail brimfull of water from a neighboring pump. He was
standing on the bank of the sewer and resting for the last pull with his
burden, when the explosion took place, Frank did not have a moment to
dodge anything, in fact, had he tried to do this there was just as much
danger of his being struck by something else. He did the best he could and
lay flat upon his stomach while the storm of debris swept over him.
The pail he was carrying parted company with him and went sailing off
into space.
When the
smoke and vapor had cleared away, the lad was found lying where he
was when the shock first came. Blood was flowing from a big cut in the
lad's forehead just over the eye and he was unconscious. He was taken home
in an ambulance.
The loud
report of the explosion called out the people living in all the houses in
the small square where the men were then at work, and they ran to the
assistance of the injured men. The cries and shouts of the injured were
terrible to hear. From one direction came low groans, while from another
part of the square were heard the screams of a person in great agony. Men
and women ran about the deep trench and as rapidly as possible the wounded
men were taken out and placed in positions where they would be more
comfortable.
Contractor FULLER was the first one found. He had been standing close
to the engine, and when the big mass of iron rose from its foundation and
shot into the air he was struck by one of the pieces. The shock carried
him several feet straight up into the air and he fell on the edge of
the sewer, rolling down head foremost into the ditch. When found he was
lying prone upon the hard bottom of the ditch, his arms extended and only
partly conscious. As he was lifted from the ditch by a couple of men he
muttered something in a very low voice but not loud enough to be
intelligible. Then he lapsed into unconsciousness.
It was
thought at first that Mr. FULLER was dying and the report soon gained free
circulation that such was the case. On examination it was learned that he
was badly hurt. He had sustained several scalp wounds, one or two of which
had the appearance of being skull fractures. Whether or no they will
develop into something dangerous is yet to be seen. Several of his ribs
were fractured and he was otherwise badly bruised about the body. He was
carried from the ditch and placed upon the bank until the ambulance of St.
Mary's Hospital arrived in charge of Dr. LANE.
Mr.
HOLLIDAY was the next victim to be picked up. He was frightfully injured
and was unconscious. He was standing closer to the engine than any of the
others, which accounts for the terrible nature of his injuries. HOLLIDAY
was the engineer and had just finished coaling up and had stepped away to
watch SLATTERY mend the break in the coupling between the rubber and iron
pipes when the shock came. He was thrown backwards upon a pile of small stones.
His right leg was broken just above the ankle. There was a compound,
comminuted fracture of the left leg just above the knee. The bone was
broken up into little pieces and portions projected through the flesh.
In
addition to these terrible injuries there were others equally as serious.
The small bones of the left hand were fractured by a heavy stone which
fell upon the man after he had struck and was lying flat upon the ground.
The stone remained upon his hand until a young woman from a neighboring
house came upon the spot and lifted it from the injured member. The
muscles of the left forearm were lacerated, the flesh being literally torn
from the bone, leaving it bare in spots. He was also badly scalded by the
hot water and steam that poured from the boiler.
John A.
METZGER was not at work upon the sewer, but was standing beside HOLLIDAY
and talking to him when the shock came. HOLLIDAY was standing between him
and the engine, and he was accordingly shielded from the storm of steam
and hot water, METZGER was picked up, however, as though he was light as a
feather and carried fully thirty feet. His left leg was fractured in two
places and his shoulder was dislocated. Besides these severe hurts he
was bruised about the chest and arms, and his face was somewhat lacerated.
The fractured shoulder was reduced as soon as the injured man arrived at
the hospital.
While a
number of persons were attending to the injured men somebody ran to a
nearby telephone and sent in a call to St. Mary's Hospital for their
ambulance. The call was responded to very quickly. On arriving upon the
spot Mr. HOLLIDAY was found sitting up, and as FULLER and METZGER seemed
to be most seriously injured they were placed in the ambulance and hurried
to the hospital. In order that Mr. HOLLIDAY might secure treatment as
soon as possible, and as St. Mary's ambulance was already full, Dr. LANE
had a call sent to the City Hospital for their ambulance. Mr. HOLLIDAY was
placed in this and taken to the City Hospital.
Much
credit is due to the people who were on the spot when the accident
occurred for the prompt manner in which they came to the assistance of the
injured people. Miss WILBUR, a trained nurse and a graduate of St. Mary's
Training School for Nurses, happened to be there at the time, and she did
much towards making the victims as comfortable as possible until the
ambulances arrived. The neighbors also helped a great deal in this way.
As it
proved later the injuries of Mr. HOLLIDAY were more serious than any of
the others. Soon after arriving at the City Hospital it was found to be
necessary to amputate his left leg just above the ankle. The shock he
sustained was such as few men could stand. His wife was summoned to the
hospital, and several of the relatives of the injured man were soon at his
bedside. He did not rally, and at 5:45 breathed his last.
The
engine used by Contractor FULLER on the job was a small one of about
twelve horsepower. It was stationed about ten feet from the sewer, which
had been dug down to a depth of about four feet. From the boiler to
the ditch there was an iron pipe, to which was connected a rubber hose for
carrying the steam needed to manipulate the drill. The engine was
manufactured by the firm of S. W. Wood & Co., of Clyde, N. Y., and
judging from appearances, had stood out for several years under the
roughest kind of weather. It stood upright and was held in place by a
couple of trunions. The boiler was about ten feet in height.
All of
the men at work about the engine had their suspicions that it was
unsafe and they used great care in working about it to see that no undue
pressure was used. The machine did not work right at first yesterday
morning and it was found necessary to put on more steam. The steam
gauge was a rusty and dirty affair and it was only by the closest scrutiny
that one was able to tell just how much steam he had on at any particular
time. It is well known by engineers that a steam gauge is not always
a perfect criterion for l_termining the amount of pressure which is on at
any time.
In
response to the complaints of the men who were working the drill
yesterday, Engineer HOLLIDAY shoved more coal under the boiler and the
engine was soon working satisfactorily as far as the drill men were
concerned. He watched the gauge carefully, however, knowing the unsteady
nature of the apparatus with which he was working. It seems that he did
not appreciate fully this fact.
Without
the slightest warning, and just as they were congratulating themselves
that they had at last managed to get the engine in working order, the
explosion came. The engine was raised into the air for a hundred feet. The
big mass of iron was thrown in a westerly direction towards a line of
houses that stands on the west side of the park. It struck the
ground, digging a hole about two feet deep, then bounded up again 50 feet
in the air and landed against the side of the dwelling house occupied by
Peter LANGHREN, No. 2 Rockland park. The side of the house was crushed in
like an egg shell. A distance of 27 feet was cleared in the second
rebound.
Other
portions of the engine described different curves as suited their fancy
and landed far away from the spot. John ROACH, of No. 16 Rockland park was
sitting on his front porch and enjoying a quiet smoke when the explosion
came. He said to a reporter yesterday.
"You see,
I wasn't exactly expecting anything like this, and I carried my arm chair
out on the front porch and watched the men while they were at work. All at
once I heard a loud noise and looked to see what was the matter but
strangely enough I couldn't see anything. There was one big mass of smoke
and vapor that hid everything from me and blinded my eyes.
"I
could hear the screams of people who were hurt and the sound of objects
striking on the ground or against the buildings. I wanted to run from the
place and get out of the way of the storm, but what could I do. I jumped
up and tried to open the door into the house. Just as I approached, a
big object whizzed past my ears, knocking my hat off. I heard it crashing
into the door. I tried to find the knob, and when I succeeded tried to
open the door, but it was fast and I had to wait outside until the storm
had cleared away.
Mr.
ROACH's house was several rods from the engine, but it presents much the
appearance of having been in the midst of a fierce battle of the late war.
One corner of the roof is torn away where the drive wheel of the
engine tore its way through. The side of the building is also crushed in.
There is a hole in the panel of the front door where a piece of the
machinery struck it.
Mr.
Peter LANGHREN of No. 2 Rockland park was in the kitchen when the accident
happened. Her two-year-old child was with her. She heard a loud noise out
in the street, but as the blasting had been in progress for some time, she
did not at that moment think there was anything wrong. When she heard the
shouts of the people out in the street, she ran into the front yard.
"When I saw the big engine leaning up against our house and the
clapboards all torn away I was so faint I could not go inside and sat
down on the porch," she said. "It was several minutes
before I summoned up enough courage to go inside and then I found that the
parlor was in ruins. Just a minute before the shock came my baby wanted to
go into the front room to play, but something told me that it would be
best to keep her with me. If I had let her go in there she would have
been killed I know, for she always stands by that very window and looks
out whenever I have her in the parlor alone."
When the
pieces of the engine struck the LAUGHREN house it tore through the
clapboards and broke three of the heavy joists. The plastering was knocked
off from the entire north side of the parlor. A chair that was standing
near that side of the house was thrown clear across the room. The most of
the articles in the room were strewn all over the floor.
A. H.
FISH lives in the house adjoining that occupied by the LAUGHRENS. Several
pieces of stone and iron were hurled against the house, but very little
damage was done. Miss Lyra TUTT, of No. 4 1-2 Rockland park, was sitting
just inside the screen door of her residence and sewing when the shock
came. She started up as a big wooden pail came crashing through the screen
door, but not quick enough to escape the missile. She was struck and
knocked to the floor, fortunately escaping without injury. The pail was
that carried by the luckless water boy, Frank SLOAN, of No. 15 Cottage
street.
Grover
BRYANT, a small boy living at No. 59 Penn street, was standing on the bank
when the explosion came. He was struck by a piece of stone and carried
several feet off into space. The stone came in contact with his chin and
made a big bruise. He also received a piece of stone in the back. Grover
forgot himself for several minutes, but a few dashes of water on his face
brought him back to consciousness. Ed. GALLOWAY, of No. 134 Atkinson
street, and William BAKER, of No. 261 Tremont street, were sitting on a
fence on Epworth street when they noticed something sailing away up in the
air that looked much like a hat. It proved to be the pail carried by the
water boy. They say the pail looked as though it was 200 feet up in the
air, and others are of the same opinion.
John H.
HOLLIDAY, who died from his injuries at the City Hospital last night, is
well known about the city, being one of the oldest surviving members of
the "Old Thirteenth." He was color bearer in that famous
company. He enlisted in May, 1861, and returned from the war in May, 1863.
Mr. HOLLIDAY was 64 years of age.
It was
against the wishes of his wife that Mr. HOLLIDAY went to Rockland park to
work yesterday morning. On reaching home Tuesday night he told his
wife of the unsafe condition of the engine he was running and she advised
him by all means not to have anything more to do with it. He told her
that he thought by being careful he could get along with it all right. The
engine had been standing some time in the rain and the parts were not in
good repair but he was of the opinion that they would not be obliged to
run it at very high pressure and consequently could get along with it all
right.
Mr.
HOLLIDAY was an exempt fireman, and one of the oldest in the city. He has
a sister, Mrs. William HALL, of No. 271 Reynolds street. A
meeting of the members of the "Old Thirteenth" will be held at
the city building on Front street at 7:30 to-night for the purpose of
taking suitable action on the death of Mr. HOLLIDAY.
----<>----
DIED
HOLZELAND - In this city on the
19th inst., John HOLZELAND, aged 64 years.
-The funeral services will be
held from the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Jacob SORG, No. 65 Harris
avenue, on Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock and from Concordia
Lutheran church on Helena street at 2:45 o'clock. Friends invited to
attend.
STOBER - In this city, on Tuesday
evening Aug. 18, 1896, Clarence M., son of Adam and Sarah E. STOBER, aged
19 years, 6 months.
-Funeral from the home of his
parents, 13 Rowley street, on Friday, Aug. 21, at 2:30 P. M.
VERHOEVEN - Monday, August 17, 10
P. M. Michael VERHOEVEN, of Cleveland, Ohio, aged 82 years, 7 months, 24
days, formerly of this city.
-Burial at Cleveland.
BAKER - In this city, Wednesday,
August 19, 1896, Mary A., wife of George BAKER, aged 49 years.
-Funeral from the family
residence, 61 Julia street, Friday, August 21, at 2:30 P. M.
WILLIS - In this city, Tuesday,
August 18, 1896, at his home, 16 Stepheny park, James J. WILLIS, aged 35
years.
-Funeral from the house, Friday,
at 8:30 and St. Bridget's church at 9 A. M.
HARRIS - In this city, August 19,
1896, Sarah Ann HARRIS, wife of Daniel HARRIS.
-Funeral at Second Baptist Church
at 2:30 P. M. Saturday.
HOLLIDAY - In this city,
Wednesday, August 19, 1896, suddenly at 6:30 P. M. John H. HOLLIDAY, aged
61 years.
-The relatives and friends of the
family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral services on Friday
afternoon, at 3:30 o'clock, from his daughter's residence, 7 Lozier park,
to proceed to Mt. Hope Cemetery.
HUBERT - In this city, Tuesday,
August 18, 1896, Frankie L., son of Charles HUBERT, aged 7 months and 6
days.
-The relatives and friends of the
family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral services on Friday
afternoon, at 2 o'clock, from his grand parents residence, 11 Brighton
street, to proceed to Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Rochester, Monroe, NY