steam powered – Tuscarawas County Stories

Two Lives Lost: The 1909 Midvale Boiler Explosion

Altered image of the Royal Plant in Midvale, Ohio, c. 1900s. (Source: flickr)

Tragedy struck Midvale when a violent boiler explosion claimed the lives of two young workers. On the morning of December 17, 1909, the Royal plant of the Robinson Clay Product Company in Midvale, Ohio, was operating a battery of eight horizontal tubular boilers under approximately 95 pounds of pressure. At 7:10 AM, a catastrophic explosionContinue reading “Two Lives Lost: The 1909 Midvale Boiler Explosion”

“Negligence Born of Familiarity”: Tragedy at the Penn Iron and Coal Company

The Penn Iron and Coal Company as depicted on a 1899 perspective map of Dover, Ohio. (Source: loc.gov)

I am often drawn to tragic stories because, in many cases, the individuals involved end up being lost to the historic record. This often happens because many tragedies occur when people are younger and have yet to establish themselves or create a family to carry on their names and stories. This is one such tragedy.Continue reading ““Negligence Born of Familiarity”: Tragedy at the Penn Iron and Coal Company”