Personal Injuries to Employees at the Chestnut Hill Pumping Station

The injuries listed below are taken from records of the Metropolitan Water and Sewage Board, starting in 1913. They provide a look at the types of accidents that took place in the station.  As you will see, many of the injuries involved men's hands and feet, and most were not life-threatening.

John Kelliher - fireman’s helper – age 40 - operating ash car, slipped, wheel of empty car compressed his foot- 2 ankle bones broken.

Edward McGaffagin - fireman - age 58 (low service station) - running steam winch, hauling coal car– eyebolt that holds tackle broke and struck leg.

Stephen F. Desmond - helper – age 25 - tightening a nut on valve, stem wrench broke, light case blood poisoning.

Michael Kittredge – helper - helping to move a water heater, stepped on nail and punctured foot.

David L Mahon – machinist – drilling out bearing for the Economizer Engine – hand caught by lathe dog and cut.

James A Gleason– helper and oiler - age 53 - cleaning the frame on Engine 12 – slipped off bearing where standing and caught foot.

David Ahearn – laborer – age 42 – rope of a derrick slipped.

John Sullivan– fireman – age 38 – injured hauling coal car.

Coleman M Diviney – machinist – point punch flew and steel entered hand.

Arthur Francis Sherman – fireman – age 27 - pulling coal car of scales – foot slipped.

Pierce Laurier Finn – laying economizer tube on grating – foot slipped.

Michael Tierney – helper – age 27 (1919) – bearing down on lever to operate damper, lever broke- weight dropped on foot.

Laurence Ceutola – machinist helper - age 26 – removing safety valve from economizer, boiler room 1 – as pressure of hot water accumulated (?) blew over him.

Bickford Brannen – assistant engineer - ash car – on track – fell in hole partially filled with hot matter.

The following accident reports were extracted from other documents.

• Engine oiler struck on elbow while oiling valve gears.
• Violent explosion in screen chamber in June 1914 - two people died.
• Overcome by heat in the cylinder while working on the low pressure of cylinder of Engine 1 - in removing him from cylinder which he had entered up to his waist (abrasions).
• Coal car slipped on coal rail - rear wheel of coal car ran over foot.
• Sleeve caught in hand of indicator - steam scalding.