Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-13
EXPLOSION OF TUG.
The Tug sGVOHunteeFY Blown to Pieces
One Man Seriously, II not Fatally,
Injured.

Betgeen four andfye O'clock Saturday af-
ternoOn the entire lower portion of the city
was startled and shaken by the explosion of
the tug :" Volunteer" which was lying in
the river, tied up near Robert Hanna's es-
Enlistment. Fortunately no one was on
board at the time. Captain Charles Blanch-
ard had gone ashore about ten minutes pre-
yious to the explosion, and States that he
had left plenty of water in the boiler, there be-
ing two gauges of water and he pumped it
up to three gauges and showed pack the fire.
The tug is allowed to carry ITO pounds of
steam by marine inspection. She had on
not more than 80 pounds at the time of the
disaster, and was blowing off steam five
minutes before it occurred. t
The captain was returningt to the tug,and,
when about ten rods from her, seeing her
smoke stack lift, turned about as she blew
up with a report which was like the crack Of
doom. She shook the shipping and houses in
the vicinity like IN earthquake shock. All
the upper part of the craft was blown to
pieces. The furnace door fell in he
road near Lloyd's brewery on st. Clair street
hill. A portion of a heavy chain struck on
a dray in Union Lane. The Irishman
drivingjumped almost out of his boots, and
came near having good cause for calling on
st. Patrick. A strange a~erolite, that same !
The safety valve few over the coal yard and
struck the Knob of the door of Henry Knod-
dies saloon on River street, breaking the
knob, bursting open the door, and making
a squad of young men drinking and playing
cards there, quake and shake like old Bel
shazzar. A heavy bar of iron connecting
with the smoke stack, and the tugs whistle,
came down on Detmer's block, River ST. We
don't know where the smoke stack went to.
1t may have got tangled in the Pleiades and
will, perhaps, hang henceforth in the heav-
ems as a sign. Perhaps it has collided, be-
fore this time, with Biela's comet.
The tug was owned by Mr.. Robert Green
halgh. She was built a year ago this fall,
we are told, and worth from $1,000 to $4,000.
One young man was very seriously, if not
fatally, injured by the explosion. His name
is Irwin Richardson, q single nan twenty
two years of age. He had recently returned
from the army, having served four years.
Having no business, he engaged as hand
on the canal boat Idaho, of which his
brother is captain. He was stand
ing on the dock near the tug when
she blew up. He must have been hit by a
number of flying fragments, as his body is
covered with bruises and cuts. His right
ankle was broken, and the other ankle and
leg badly bruised. His head was cut and
bruised in several places, and his nose split
open. A bad cut was inflicted below his
right ear. He was knocked nearly senseless
at the time, but was able to answer intelli-
gibly the question whether he did not work
on a certain canal boat. After that answer,
however, he could make no farther reply.
He was removed first to the Marine, and
afterwards, in the evening, to the st. Vim
cents Hospital on Perry street, where he is
lying in a very critical condition. He was
still insensible np to noon Yesterday.