SEVEN VICTIMS.

Terrible Result of an Explosion at Geneva, Ill.

A Big Glucose Factory Is Wrecked and Seven Workmen Are Instantly Killed.

SLAIN WHILE AT WORK.
GENEVA, Ill., May 19. -- Seven workmen were instantly killed and several others injured by an explosion early Wednesday afternoon of one of the converters in the factory of the CHARLES POPE Glucose company. The names of the dead are as follows: ALFRED ANDERSON, scalded; VICTOR ANDERSON, crushed in falling timber; CHARLES ELM, scalded; ANDREW KELBORG, scalded; LARRY SHORT, crushed; ALFRED STROM, scalded; GUS JOHNSON, body still in ruins. ANDREW PETERSON had is right arm broken and GUS SODERSTROM was badly scalded, but both will recover.

Cause of the Explosion
The cause of the explosion seems to be unknown, beyond the fact that it was one of the converters that blew up in the refinery, which occupied the large end of the structure in the room on the third floor where the converters and filters are located. There is some reason to believe, however, that there was a too free use of muriatic acid used in the solution in one of the converters. ALFRED ANDERSON, the man who had charge of the converter, was the only person who probably could tell what caused the explosion. He was no doubt instantly killed. C. E. POPE, the manager of the mill and the son of the president, was in the room where the converters were located and left the building just a moment before the explosion. He says that everything was all right when he examined the converters and talked with ANDERSON.

The Building a Wreck
The building is a total wreck. It was six stories high, built of brick, and was one of the best equipped factory plants in the northwest, its value being placed at $500,000. All of the stock of the factory was owned by the POPE family, CHARLES I. POPE being president, with offices at No. 130 Washington street, Chicago. A huge elevator had just been completed capable of holding 160,000 bushels of corn. This was uninjured. MR. POPE estimates the loss at about $150,000.

The Daily Citizen Iowa City, Iowa 1893-05-19