In the late 1800s and well into the 1900s, Montgomery embraced the wonders of the industrial age and grew to be a prominent factory town.

Unfortunately, industrial accidents weren’t uncommon in America at that time. A bizarre accident occurred in Montgomery that was powerful enough to cause severe damage to a local plant and the area surrounding it.

According to the Montgomery Centennial history book, the Montgomery and Muncy Electric Light, Heat and Power Plant suffered an extreme accident that destroyed the plant and left several surrounding buildings damaged.

The accident took place around 10:30 pm on Monday, May 29, 1916. A detailed account was printed in The Lewisburg Journal on June 2, 1916. It was reported that an employee from Hughesville was onsite at the time, and was simply referred to as Engineer Koons.

The paper stated that the plant was operating to generate power for some of the surrounding communities when “the great engine suddenly started to ‘walk away.'” Koons responded immeditely by cutting the steam that powered the engine. He was able to escape the building without being harmed.

But the engine flywheel was massive, it weighed tons and was 14 feet across. Even though the power to the engine had been stopped, the flywheel broke into pieces and left destruction in its wake.

“One piece, weighing over 200 pounds, went through a tin shop 600 yards away and sank deep in a sand bank. Another piece wrecked a portion of the plant of the Stokes Manufacturing company. The brick street on Montgomery Street was torn up by a third piece, while another portion of the wheel cut off a telegraph pole as though a saw had been used,” The Lewisburg Journal reported. The article further stated that some of the buildings that were damaged were 500 feet away.

It was reported that there weren’t any people other than Koons in the immediate area at the time, so there weren’t any fatalities or injuries.

In addition to the damage reported by the Lewisburg Journal, The Montgomery Centennial history book said that the facility, “was completely wrecked” and that “Several small buildings of the company were damaged . . . a heavy piece of the flywheel was carried almost to Second Street.”

Aside from the destruction caused by the flywheel, the whole of Montgomery and Muncy lost power, and the damage was so severe that the electricity wasn’t restored until several days later. It wasn’t made clear when Montgomery residents received power, but Muncy was without electricity for nearly a week.

The Gazette and Bulletin reported that an alternate means to generate power had to be established. The June 5, 1916, edition stated, “A connection has been made with the dynamos of the manufacturing plant at Montgomery which will furnish power until the demolished plant can be put in condition again.”

The power plant was rebuilt later in the fall, according to a piece from The Montgomery Mirror that ran in The Muncy Luminary and Lycoming County Advertiser on October 19, 1916. There were new parts, but some of the old ones were able to used as well.

Altogether, the new power plant was capable of running at 800 horse power, while the old one ran at 150 horse power.