Industrial Accidents
1896
A 22-year old East Liberty man died at Mercy Hospital after falling around fifteen feet from a repair wagon at the Duquesne Traction Co.'s car barn at North Craig and Ellsworth Streets in Oakland. According to men he was working with, he was dragged by a wire that suddenly broke loose, though was not carrying a current at the time. Finally, it is worth noting that both the shops (later converted to a skating rink) and even the intersection are no longer in existence, as Ellsworth Ave. now terminates at North Neville Street, one block East of North Craig. 189606_389
MWB 09 Apr 08
1899-1910
The death records from 1900 appear to be overwhelmingly industrial. There are deaths caused by falling ore, falling slate, falling coal and falling rock. There are innumerable cases of men being caught in belts and fans and, as one record stated, “whirled to death.” There are records of men in mills being kicked by horses and dying. There are records of men falling from railroad tresses, slipping off scaffolding, and trapped in collapsed mines. I would easily estimate that at least 50 percent of the records I have thus far read from 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902 and 1903 have taken place in one of Pittsburgh’s many mills, mines or factories. From this information we can deduce that Pittsburgh was largely an industrial city, a city where the majority of jobs to be found (especially for immigrants—as evidenced by the many foreign names and European places of birth recorded on the records) were difficult, dangerous and low-paying jobs. It was a place where men worked themselves to death—and a place where unfortunately often these men were actually boys. Often records have cited boys ages 13-18 losing their lives while working. This does not include the high incidences of deaths from train accidents and traction car mishaps, which I would describe as industrial but will not be discussing in these notes, simply because there are too many and they become slightly redundant.
Overall, it appears that the overall safety of workers was much less a concern in the early 1900s then when compared with the safety of workers today. One specific noteworthy case involved the construction of the Frick Building on 5th and Grant Street. A bundle of steel girders fell six stories when the floor supporting them collapsed, crushing two men caught at the bottom of the building. The record itself is a very interesting read, with over 100 pages of testimony investigating the cause of the accident, who should be held accountable, and the feelings of the other workers on site in general. (190108_99&100) One question that seems evident is just why do such accidents not occur as much today? Does this have to do with significant safety improvements, unions, a combination of the two, or something else all together?
In 1902 (087_091) a furnace exploded at Duquesne Furnace, killing five of its employees: John Misko, George Gusparik, John Adams, Steve Schultz and John Krifialosi. In the file a blue print of the furnace was given. The final verdict of the coroner and police was that the five men must have been negligent in their duties and had somehow caused the explosion, even though there was no real evidence to substantiate the claim. It is my belief, however, that the company had something to so with the verdict because if they were found negligent they would have had to pay out money to all of the families.
There were a lot more industrial deaths in my files from 1903-1904. These deaths were from falling rock, slate, or coal. In one instance, 190312_370, a man was mining under an embankment when it collapsed on him and he was buried alive. Another man was killed during when he lit a match at work and it caused an explosion after igniting a small oil spill. Still another case was that of a man killed during a dynamite explosion at work. There are numerous painful deaths that workers at this time faced- falling into or having liquid metal spilled on them, falling down empty elevator shafts, falling off scaffolding or off of bridges are just a few of the more bizarre deaths that I have come across. Again, like the railroad files, there seems to be no repercussions for the companies that employed these men. In the inquests many of the workers did not even know the decease's name, and only knew that he worked for the same company.
There were a surprising number of deaths from an age span of 15-25 years. Because of the need for income and the need for laborers it may have been easy and necessary to get a job at a much younger age than would be acceptable today. These men often died because they were given some of the more dangerous jobs because of their size. Young boys, ages 13 to about 17, were water boys and had to run around the mills; this included walkways that were very dangerous and unsafe because they did not have rails or safety precautions, and so a lot of lives were unnecessarily lost.
Besides steel mills, there were other industries with numerous accidents. In the 1910s, Aetna Chemical Company in Oakdale, which produced explosives, witnessed almost bimonthly fatal accidents. Explosions were common at the factory; in one such instance over 50 people were killed, causing the coroner to create a special numbering system just for that accident.
ZB 06 Sept 2007
1911-1929
From 1900 to about 1920, many of the photographs found in the coroner files belonged to Westinghouse companies. Many were simply photographs of the accident site, but occasionally an accident recreation was staged. The Westinghouse photographs tapered off in the 1920s; however, beginning in 1924, Carnegie Steel accidents began to be documented in photographs. One particular accident in December of 1926 involved a Larry car man who accidentally fell into a riverside skip bucket. Ironically, in the photograph of the accident sight there was a sign hung on the rail that the man fell over which warned of the potential danger. Photographs taken by Carnegie Steel are not limited to mill accidents. In one instance, a company truck drove off an embankment near the road killing the driver and passenger. In this case several photographs were taken of the truck and accident site, with several onlookers in the background.
There was a horrible coal mine accident in one of the case files. The file had a detailed map of the mine, including openings in the mine, the air flow of the mine, and where the accident occurred. Only one person died, which surprised me- I thought that multiple people had died because of the detailed map that was made. It is weird how some files contain very detailed additional information where others do not contain anything.
CL 15 Sept 2007
1917
On December 5, 7 men died from an explosion at the Aetna Chemical Plant in Heidelberg. All of the men, ages 19-28, were killed instantly. After thorough investigation, the Coroner's Jury was unable to determine the cause of the accident. The case file contains a lengthy report of the hearing presided over by Samuel C. Jamison, Coroner, in which Aetna employees and witnesses are questioned. 191801_094-191801_100.
RLM 08 Jun 08
1918
Related to the post made above about the Aetna Chemical Plant accident, there were several more deaths occuring the day of and two days after the accident. These men were able to reach the hospitals alive, but did not last long after that. They all died from various Fractures and severe burns.
191801-101, 191801-102, 191801-103, and 191801-104
AFS 11 June 2008
I have found one more death related to the Aetna Chemical plant deaths, This one occuring late in February of 1918. The worker died of Septicemia and Gangrene following the injuries he recived at the Chemical plant on December 5, 1917.
191803-103
AFS 11 June 2008
In February of 1918, 3 men died from burns in a Steel Mill accident. One died at the Steelmill itself, but two made it to South Side Hospital, however they did not live more then a day more. The accident occured when a ladle over tilted that was holding molten steel. The molten steel flew over the workers and burned all 3 severly.
191803-124, 191803-125, and 191803-126
AFS 11 June 2008
8 men that worked as machinists were killed when there was an explosion of oil that was caused by the breaking of a flange from a standpipe. All of the men made it to the hospital (most of them were taken to Mercy Hospital) but the majority of the men died the same day as the accident, April 2nd.
191806-099-191806-106
AFS 01 July 2008
On the morning of May 18, 1918, a series of explosions at the Aetna Chemical Plant in Oakdale killed 93 people, destroying the entire plant. The tragedy was due to the explosion of tri-nito-toluol, or TNT. Dr. F. D. Patterson from the Dept. of Labor and Industry headed the government investigation. The victims were between the ages of 16-66 and were identified by whatever remained of them after the explosions . . . body parts, personal belongings, teeth, etc. Some identifications were guessed at based upon the company's list of employees. Men from the rescue party, volunteers and firemen, also perished.
191807_001A - 191807_093A.
RLM 06 Jul 08
On August 7th, at the Harmer Mine in Harmerville, there was an explosion of gas that killed 8 workers. Five of the men died immediately from either burns, a fractured skull, or even from having their head blown off by the explosion. The others died the next day at Allegheny General Hospital from severe burns. The cause of the explosion was unknown.
191810-234 - 191810-241
AFS 10 July 2008
On November 9th, 1918, there was an explosion at the Eliza Furnace of Jones and Laughlin, 2nd Ave. Pittsburgh. The coroner case files includes 25 men that died that same day. All of the men died from Asphyxiation due to being overcome by fumes from the Furnace. Most of the men were bricklayers, but there were also a few riggers, pipe fitters, and unspecified laborers. The men were from 18 to 55 years old.
191811-365 through 191811-389
AFS 14 July 2008
1919
While most of Pittsburgh's industrial accidents from this time period tend to occur in either either steel mills or coal mines, on January 17, 1919, 9 people died as a result of carelessness on behalf of the film industry. An explosion of film vapor that developed from burning films caused a fire within a building at 804 Penn Ave. The building was home to the Hudson Feature Film Co, the Mutual Film Co, the Keystone Film Co, the Bell Film Co, the Superior Skirt Co, and others. The heat produced by chemical action from the "negligent and reckless" use of concentrated lye in a watery solution generated sufficient heat to set the films on fire. The man responsible for managing the film stock was held to await the action of the Grand Jury upon a charge of manslaughter. The Coroner's Jury recommended that "the film business be conducted in sequestered places and in buildings especially erected for that purpose under the supervision of the proper authorities and that careful housekeeping more than anything else will make the film business safe." A representative of the Eastman Kodak Co submitted a statement on the technical and practical properties of motion picture film, a document included in the case file. He stated that motion picture film consists of a nitro-cellulose base coated with a photographic emulsion consisting principally of gelatin. Motion picture film is not explosive in itself, but under certain conditions may generate gas which mixed with air can cause gas explosions. "Film if improperly or carelessly handled and stored is dangerous." 191902_041-19102_050.
Nitrocellulose was used as the first flexible film base, beginning with Eastman Kodak products in 1889, and used for motion picture film until 1951, when it was replaced by safety film with an acetate base. The use of nitrocellulose film for motion pictures led to a widespread requirement for fireproof projection rooms with wall coverings made of asbestos. Improper handling and storing of this type of early film often led to devastating, destructive fires.
RLM 29 July 2008
1927
In November 14, 1927, 28 people died (192712_187 and subsequent) when a natural gas tank owned by Equitable Gas exploded. The workers had been repairing the gas tank, which was still filled, with a welding torch.
1929
An interesting explosion took place at the US Aluminum Co. Powder Plant in Logan's Ferry, PA. A total of five people died. I find industrial accidents to be interesting that involve multiple people dying in one incident because, in my opinion, it is not as common as you would expect to find in these files. There are many isolated incidents, or accidents that involve two people, but finding accidents that involve more than that is rare. 1929_46-1929_50
MG 27 Sept 2007
In November 1929, there was an explosion that caused a fire at the National Tube Co. This fire killed at least four employees. Unfortunately there were no eyewitness reports included. No reason was given for the explosion, but many people were injured in addition to the four that died. Dockets 192911_101-192911_104
AL 05 Oct 2007
A worker at one of Duquesne Light's power plants died when inspecting an empty but unventilated fuel tank. He had been wearing a Burrell "all-purpose" canister gas mask, and had taken precautions such as arranging emergency signals and a lifeline. It appears that the "all-purpose" mask was only designed to be used when there was oxygen present and when the toxins present in the air were not over 3%, but this was unknown to both the workers and management. The Federal Bureau of Mines investigated the death. 192911_37
BB 09 Oct 2007
1944
There was a man working on a new building who fell 25 stories to his death. The file included an accident report on what happened, which must have been necessary as companies became more aware of working conditions.
CL 10 Nov 2007
1958
A gas explosion at Pittsburgh Electrical Insulating Company killed a 47-year-old woman. The explosion occurred in one of the treating ovens. According to the victim before she died, she had her back to the explosion and when she turned around, she saw a "sheet of flames" coming toward her. Seven others were injured. 195811_108
AP 08 Feb 2008
1959
In February of that year a man working on the I-376 ramp of the Fort Bridge (under construction at the time) was killed when wooden scaffolding under him and the cement cart that he was working with gave way. Both cart and worker fell 25 feet and struck a lower ramp, and then fell another 25 feet into the Monongahela River just adjacent to the Mon Wharf parking lot. It was the first fatality that this project experienced, and making it even more tragic was that the man had been married less than a year and his wife was expecting their first child in the next couple months. 195902_17
MWB 31 Jan 2008
An explosion at Duquesne Works Steel Plant killed three men. They were burned to death by an explosion of hot molten metal. Newspaper articles show extensive damage to the building, at least half of which was destroyed. A map is also included in the file that shows where the men were at the time of the explosion. 195903_06-195903_08
AP 08 Feb 2008
1960
A man working at a coal plant fell onto a conveyor belt for moving wet coal to a few large bins. The man was apparently dragged through the three bins containing wet coal (some of his belongings were found scattered through the bins) and finally lodged at the top of a chute that the coal ultimately passed through. This stopped the conveyor belt and alerted his co-workers to the problem and his absence. The man suffered a fractured neck, fractured pelvis, crushed rib cage, the effective amputation of both legs, multiple lacerations to the body, and "severe laceration of the scalp with exposure of most of the skull." The conveyor belt was lined with a 3-foot fence to prevent anyone from falling in. This fence reached within 6 inches of a concrete ceiling. Although the report mentioned a few places with openings large enough for a body to squeeze through, a safety engineer called in after the accident could not determine how the man could have logically fallen onto the belt. 196002_211
TG 13 Feb 2008
Files 196002_234, 196002_235, and 196002_236 are an account of three men who died within five days of each other at the Pittsburgh Coke and Chemical Plant. The first man was found dead in the plant due to carbon monoxide poisoning. As a result of this death repairs on a faulty valve were ordered (the file explains that this particular valve had been malfunctioning on a regular basis for two years). During this repair attempt a man wearing a gas mask was overcome by the fumes by the valve and passed out, eventually dying. He could not be reached in time to save him because of his position on top of some pipes above a boiler. A third man, attempting to rescue other workers overcome by fumes, passed out while at the top of a ladder and fell nearly 40 feet to his death. Throughout the files of these three men and the inquest into their deaths, the coroner's office recommended the use of fans in such cases to circulate a suitable amount of oxygen for workers.
TG 13 Feb 2008
Most industrial deaths happen at steel mills, but this particular case happened at Pittsburgh's other famous industry: Heinz ketchup. Three men were working at the HJ Heinz plant on the North Side. They were supposed to empty the tomato paste from railroad tank cars. It was explained by one of the workers in the file that nitrogen gas is used to replace the air in the tank after the tank is filled; that way the tomato paste does not turn brown. After the workers emptied out the majority of the tomato paste in the tank car, they had to climb into the tank to get the remaining paste out of the tank that would not come out with a hose. They had done this before, so they thought they had gotten all the nitrogen gas out of the tank. One worker went into the tank, but he collapsed due to the lack of oxygen. Apparently, there was still a lot of nitrogen left in the tank. After this worker collapsed, the second worker went in, but he collapsed too. The third worker got a gas mask and went down into the tank, but he also collapsed. The gas mask protected from poisonous gasses; since nitrogen is not poisonous and just replaces oxygen, the gas mask was not effective. A fourth worker had been alerted to these events and he went down into the tank with an oxygen hose mask, but he had to leave because tomato paste got on his goggles and he could not see. Eventually rescue workers came and took apart part of the tank to free the men. Of the three who went down unprotected, only the first one survived. It was noted in the file that of all the safety meetings the workers had been to, no one ever said anything about wearing an oxygen mask in the tomato paste tank cars. The newspaper and the coroner both said that these circumstances were a serious case of safety. 196012_11-196012_12
BF 18 Feb 2008
1961
A 66-year-old slack coal distributor would not allow any of his employees to put themselves in dangerous positions, so when one of his coal chutes was blocked up by ice, he descended into the coal bin himself. He dislodged the clot almost immediately, causing the heavy coal to pour down on him, burying himself alive under 15 feet (20 tons) of raw material. Before he expired, he communicates to his employees within earshot, "Keep the coal moving and get me out!" I think it was noble of this man to take such a risk himself, when he had underlings who he could have sent in his place. I am also impressed that his concern for his own well-being did not overshadow his concern for his business, which he evidently took great pride in. 196101_232
RB 22 Feb 2008
There was an industrial death involving a 30-year-old worker for the Pittsburgh Coke and Chemical Co. He was working at a blast furnace, keeping it going to prevent the pipes from freezing in the frigid weather. He got too close to the fumes from the furnace for too long, and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 196102_114
A 41-year-old man died of internal injuries due to being crushed by building material falling from a truck. Several men, including the deceased, were unloading boards from a truck at a construction site. The deceased removed a brace and 14 boards fell on him. 196103_173
LB 27 Feb 2008
1962
In December of this year a 39-year-old white male died of shock and extensive burns of his entire body due to an explosion in a coal bin at the Jones and Laughlin Steel plant. The man was employed there as a coal conveyor operator. The foreman at the plant stated that he heard the noise of the explosion and saw the deceased on fire on a flight of steps. He and another employee extinguished the flames and waited for help to arrive. The plant's safety officials believed it was a coal dust explosion, but were unable to determine what sparked it. Apparently the deceased had informed J&L and his wife, 8 months before this accident, that he had noticed gas in the plant and had even become sick as a result of it. J&L did not follow up on the man's claim. 196212_161
TG 03 Mar 2008
1963
A 58-year-old white male died of shock following the amputation of his left arm and both legs due to being caught in a size roll machine. The man was employed as a bar-runner at a steel plant. The size roll machine is apparently used to roll, or bend steel bars into different shapes or sizes. The file explained that it is supposed to be loaded while stationary, but the experienced employees were in the habit of doing this while the machine was in motion. The man must have become caught in the machine somehow and pulled in entirely. His co-worker witnessed this, but was unable to stop the machine or help the man out of it until he had come out the other side. He was taken to the plant's first aid room and died while co-workers were calling him an ambulance. 196312_188
TG 10 Mar 2008
1964
A 45-year-old white male died of acute toxemia after receiving extreme third degree "molten metal" burns on his body from falling into a galvanizing tank at the American Bridge Division of United States Steel. Employed there as a "potman", the man was skimming slag (removing impurities) from the galvanizing pot with a ladle. As he was doing this, some of the liquid metal dripped on the floor causing him to slip. He fell into the tank feet first and managed to hold on to the platform with one hand. He was able to drag himself out of the tank just before co-workers were able to reach him. His clothes were reportedly smoldering and had to be removed. The man never lost consciousness during the accident. This occurred on January 31st. The man died on March 11th. Safety rails were installed around the galvanizing tank after the accident. 196404_45
TG 11 Mar 2008
In December of this year a mold chipper at the Shenango, Inc. foundry on Neville Island died when a six ton J&L mold fell on top of him, killing him almost immediately. Apparently the molds were stacked around him when one shifted, causing the mold immediately above and to the side of him to topple into the area he was occupying. 196412_151
MWB 13 Mar 2008
A young man was hired by a painting service to paint a radio tower. It was his first day on the job, and he worked despite the fact that he did not have the union papers he claimed to have from another painting job, where he got his experience. The boy, who told the foreman who hired him that he was 19, was actually 16 and did not have any real experience. He decided to climb the radio tower to paint in a higher spot. He came into contact with a high tension wire, burning himself and falling off the tower. He died of first and second degree burns of the upper body and multiple fractures of the spine and pelvis. 196407_82
LB 13 Mar 08
1965
A 47-year-old white male, employed as a ball mill operator at the Ball Mill Powder Plant of the Aluminum Company of America, died of shock and 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 90% of his body as a result of a vapor explosion and fire at the plant. According to the affidavit of a co-worker who also sustained severe burns, the job is considered hazardous because of the highly combustible materials involved in it. Although no one was able to determine the cause of the explosion conclusively, it was believed to be a vapor explosion possibly ignited by static electricity. When the other man who was burned returned to work after 45 days in the hospital, he learned that employees were now required to wear static electric grounded safety shoes. He said that other safety precautions were being taken as a result of this accident. 196510_130
TG 17 Mar 2008
A 29-year-old man died on the job in October of this year. An electronics technician with the military, he was transporting a training missile when a cable broke on the upraised missile, pinning him under for some time. He died of internal and otehr injuries. 196510_11
LB 24 Mar 2008
1972
A 30-year-old woman died at Shadyside Hospital from injuries received due to a boiler explosion at McKeesport Hospital. Official cause of death is listed as bilateral hemothorax, and ruptured aorta. According to Wikipedia, a hemothorax is a condition where blood accumulates in the pleural cavity, which is the section of the body containing the lungs; this typically occurs when a blunt or penetrating force is exerted upon the thorax. It typically results in an equalization of blood pressure in the area, which often results in massive blood loss (the two thorax sections combined hold roughly 30-40 percent of the body's blood supply) and a covering of the lungs with blood. The woman was working as a billing clerk at the hospital, and was reportedly trapped in the rubble of the boiler house. In addition to the causes of death, the final pathological diagnoses on the autopsy report attest to compound fractures in her lower right extremity, a laceration of the chin, and "multiple superficial abrasions and contusions." It is worth noting that this explosion also injured 24 other people, 9 of which were admitted to the hospital. 197201_176
MWB 27 Mar 2008
1973
A 61-year-old white male died of massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage following the laceraction of his liver and left diaphram and multiple fractures of his pelvis. The man was struck by a bundle of lead tubing weighing 1120 lbs. The deceased was an employee at the American Plating Company, working the night shift on the night of his death. He was loading this bundle of lead tubing onto a flatbed trailer when he apparently slipped. As he fell, he grabbed at the bundle of lead tubing that was suspended in a sling above the floor. The man pulled the bundle out of the sling as he fell and it landed on top of him. There were no witnesses to this accident, since all of the other employees were on break at the time. This is merely the most likely explanation. It occurred around 4:00 AM. 197307_185
TG 03 Apr 2008
A man was injured in a blast furnace explosion all the way out in Norristown, Montgomery County. For an unexplained reason, he was brought to a Pittsburgh hospital and died here. 197311_62.
A man was working at a power plant in Allegheny County and he was going to clean the ash hopper, where I guess the ash from the burned fuel is collected. He opened the door to it and the pressure from it blew him back, and he was burned to death by hot ash. 197311_79.
BF 03 Apr 2008
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