The Boiler Exploded

At 11 :30 o'clock on the orening of August Sa the largo paper mul owned by George Whiting, situated on the island between Neenah, Wis., and Menasha, was destroyed by Uro. The mili was a three-story structure, built four yearB ago at a cost of $100,000, aud was operated day and night. When the fiaiiu's broke out about 50 men were In the building. The flre alarm brought several hundred people to the spot, who orowded as close to the burning building as the intense heat would permit. About 1:30, whilo tho building was a mass of flame, an explosión oceurred without warning. Tho roof of the building was thrown upward and outward, the walls of brick crumbled and orasbed into the street, and in an instant scores of men wero buried by the hoavy debris. There was a moment of sileuce and then a cry of horror went up from tho multitude. The lirst impulse to Hy from possible further danger was soon overeóme and hundreds bogan the work of recovering the bodies of the dcad and rescuing aud caring for tho Injiirtd. Body af ter body wa found, crushod and mangled by the great timbers and masonry almost beyond recognition. and then romoved to tho city hall. Eighteen lifeless bodies wero recovercd, and soven others were taken from the niins fatally injured. Fourteen others are more or loss seriously injured. Tho firo caught in the boiler room, In a large quantity of fuel, shavings. et.-. Tho flreman, Poter Nelson, hd boen out during the avening aud a friend had worked for him. About 13 o'clock he went from his post to get a drink of wator, and on looking back into tho boiler room saw llames among the shavings. Before he could give tho alarm tho namos rushod through tho room and drove him out. Wheu the department arrived the mili was doomcd. The immonso revolving bleach was in the heating room adjoining tho üre room. It was lilled with straw and rags. When the roof over the heating room feil In the flremen turnod the hose over the bleach and instantly an explosión oceurred and 10 tons of boiler debris shot out of the building and across a sido track through a throng of spectators, mowing them down like grass. The immense inass of iron shot out into an open lot 200 feet away. In it k passago it struck the heads of the on-looking by-standers, as ncarly all the killed aud wounded were hit on the head. The scène was indescribable. The blow, so sudden and crushing, stunned thoso it did not kill and maim. The cause oí the awful calamity is traced directly to the iron bleach. It is said that this was full of steam and rags and had beoome superheated. When tho cold water from tho fin? enjrlne struck it the explosión followed instantly. The mlll wa built In 1NTJ. The loss on bulldinif is $100,000: Insurance, $52,000.