In 1915, five hundred men were at work inside the Illinois Steel Plant in South Chicago when a massive flywheel came apart.
The wheel, thirty feet across and spinning hundreds of times a minute, burst in the rolling mill at about three o’clock in the morning. Pieces of steel tore through the building, punching holes in the walls and roof and wrecking the structure at an estimated loss of $75,000.
Engineer Bruno Oloschek, who tended the engine that drove the wheel, was killed almost instantly. Several other workers were badly injured, while many more escaped with cuts from the flying debris.
One Killed, Several Hurt at Illinois Steel Plant
CHICAGO, Illinois. — One man was killed and several others probably fatally hurt today when a 30-foot flywheel burst in the rolling mill of the Illinois Steel Plant at South Chicago.
The building was wrecked at a loss of $75,000.
About 500 men were working at 3 o’clock this morning when the wheel burst. Bruno Oloschek, engineer who tended to the “dummy engine” which drove the wheel, was nearly decapitated by a piece of the wheel.
The mass of steel, revolving 400 times a minute, scattered about the plant tearing great holes in the walls and roof, severely injuring four.
Many suffered minor cuts.
Source: The Day Book. Chicago, Ill. March 17, 1915.
