Tom Wiggins

 
The Courant American
Cartersville, Georgia
February 19, 1891, page 1
 
Transcribed by:  
 

A Boiler Bursts, And One man Meets a Horrible Death.
Another Man and a Lad Painfully Wounded—A Saw Mill Badly Wrecked in Paulding County.

Last Saturday morning about 10 o’clock a terrific explosion occurred about ten miles from this city. It was at the Wills’ saw mill, in Paulding county, whose headquarters for the sale of lumber are in this city.

The explosion, it is said, was the result of carelessness in keeping water pumped in the boiler. The latter had run nearly dry when the pumps were turned on. The result was what might have been expected—a terrific explosion. The engine house was shattered into fragments and one man was instantly killed and two others were badly hurt.

Tom Wiggins was the name of the man killed and he was the engineer in charge. He was literally torn to pieces and fragments of flesh scattered in all directions. A son of Mr. Wills, a lad about fourteen years of age, was bruised considerably about the head, but his hurts were not of a very serious nature. Mr. John McGregor, who was at the mill, looking at the machinery in operation, was struck by a piece of the boiler on the face, cutting quite a gash in each cheek and severing his nose almost from his face, leaving it hanging down.

Dr. Lindsay Johnson, of this city, was sent for and he went immediately to the scene of the accident. The wounds of the unfortunate ones were properly dressed and fixed up and at last accounts they were doing as well as could be expected.

The mill, after the explosion, was almost a total wreck, resembling in some respects the car factory explosion in this city some years ago.

The damages will be repaired at once and the mill will soon be in operation again.

 

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