The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-20
A Nine-year-Old Boiler, Duly Inspected,
Explodes on Board a Tusboat.
Is There One Sound Boiler in the
Boats of the Bay!
A Dreadful Scene on the Tug Starbuck at New
Brighton Herribe Death of Brave Negro
Fireman and Cowardly Conduct of tie
Enginser-rpsniny of the Corr
nsr's rnqu,s-I An,bodyto
Blame This 1ime}

While still the westAcld disaster Is fresh in the
public mind AMI the important 1ue' TO thai mel
ancloly event Is only at It's beginning. 1t becomes
necessary to chronicle another serious accident on
BOARD a steamboat the result Of which was
DEATH TO ONE MAN.
II might have been thought that the cry or public
Indignation which was called f'rtn this city and
elsewhere, while the Weslield dea h-roll was beng
flied, wonld at least have had the effect Of securing
some degree of care and attention to The boilers Of
evcrv class or steamh0at IN this locality; tut, even
without the loss OF life which occurred yesterday
morning on
TIE TUGBOAT G. II. srARBUCK,
near New Brighton, Staten Island, II has become
well known from the Investigations winch have
been made mat life is placed constantly IN danger
ON board steamers OF almost every class, either from
neglect. Incompetence or perhaps indifference.
The narrowing details of q catastrophe involving
the m st terrible of deaths shocking they may he
AM lamentabe in ali Their shades and colorIngs,
seem to produce hut momentary impulse OF
SYMPATHY AND EMIGRATION,
and those who responsible 10 the community
when the horror Is being iorgotteo relapse
into former inertness, baflIng tho public
BY show OF industry IN the perform
ance OF duties hitherto neglected, and now
undertaken merely under tho influence OF fear to
to themselves. How long this rining with life may
continue Is question. In view OF experience OF past
occurrences, that depends for solution upon
whether there shall be total cessation of the
present method OF protection from the evils here
alluded to, ana the substitution Of an efficient and
trustworthy system IN which, for its manifest
merits, the community shall feel confidence.
TIE GROWING RECKLESsNEsS
with which lives have been left at the mercy
OF ignorant officials would seem to require
even moro potent example OF It's ter
riole results than was afforded by the WestGeld,
for evidence is ahundanty supplied upon
which to TORN Judgment as to how ferryboafs and
other steamers left IN charge of utterly ire
3D. nslb!e and totally unqualified for the duties un.
deriaken by them. When 1t Is remembered that
engineers in charge OF the terryboats owned by the
great company that Yields full power on the
entire east side OF the city have not and are not
expected to have the slightest endorsement OF their
ability to the work Of engineers, and have neither
certificates nor any Official qualification whatever,
m idea NAV be had at once OF how Indifferent must
be the regard that company has to
TIE JUST CLAIMS THE PUBLIC
for safety. In the accident which occurred yester.
day morning on board the Starbuck. and which
caused the death OF the fireman, there only
another instance given Of how easily life ma, I've
destroyed by neglect OF boilers by incompeten cy
OF employees or both. A HERALD reporter yesterday
THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION,
the manner OF It, and preparatory circumstances
but he could CLEAN no more trustworthy informa-
non than might he afforded by boy, fifteen years
OF age, who served on board the boat az
cook. The dead body OF The unfortunate fireman,
scaldcd most horribly from head TO foot, told
plainly enough the effect OF the accident but
there was no one TO say more inscgently than the
lad what was the condition OF the engine and boiler
ing, while most melancholy occurrence ought Mt
least, 10 be proed b., and should receive the strict
est investigation, that guilt shall be discovered II
gull, there be- II the Westc!d disaster has given
an impetus TO officials to do their duty thoroughly
and we'll IN regarI IN ferryb ats. perhaps this ex-
plosion on the ,ugboat may have the erect OF
Ing officials scrutiny all classes OF steamboats,.
THE STORY or THE CATASTROPHE
Il brief enough in It's shocking details, and Is as
follows
The G. II. Starbuck is OF those sroring, fussy,
impudent-looking littlo steam propeller tugboats
that dance morning. noon and night over the waters
or the bay, tho Hudson and the East River 1t Is
owned by John F. Mills & Co.. whose office is ct the
Garner OF Broad ana South streets, and its partcu-
lar line OF business Is the towing OF freight boats
1kOm Port Johnson, opposite New Brighton, Staten
bland, to this city. Yesterday morning at ten
O'CLOCK, the Startuck left Port Johnson with three
boats attached, bound for New York. When in the
middle OF 'the Kills." or channel separating Staleu
island from New jersey, and about halfway lie.
tween PORT johnson aud Staten Island,
TUE FATAL ACCIDENT
took place. The captain was In the pilot house, the
cook, a smart Lad OF fifteen, named Thomas Coiey,
was III the cabin the engineer was chatting on deck
TO the solitary deck hand, aud the unfortunate fire.
man, a stout young colorej man, named George
,ripa 0nn Ora linI,
forms single compartment, taking care Of the en-.
CINE. While they were thus engaged Williams
heard two loud cracks from the boilers behind him.
and, turning round, saw two streams OF steam and
boiling water rom the front oil the boiler. lie
then, knowing that something was amiss, jumped
down into that lOrton OF the same compartment
which served tire room TO rake out his fire: but
ne never came back alive. He breaihed the deadly
steam into his lungs, and III second or Two lay
Gown Oh The moor
BOILING CORPSE,
enycloped in steam and hot wafer When the ex-
plosion was heard outside, the deck hand, who was
talking TO the engineer near the door OF the engine
room ran far aft rs he could buI nna,ly mustered
courage enough to return as far rs the lever and
stopped The boat. The engineer attempted to enter
the engine room, but the violent rush Or scaldHg
steam through the doorway made lDgrcss impossi-
ble The little cook, Oh nearlpg the commofion, be.
came afflicted with Wesiled boilers on the brain,
AMI Jumped through the cabin window. with the
intention Of pitching himself overheard: and tho
cartain--hstory recor,lch not what the captain did
The HERALD reporter found the q. II. Starbuck
mpofed beside the DOCK near the Terry landing, Dt
New Brighton yesterday afternoon. Nobody was
aboard hut the boy COOK, hrigh-aced ana fntelil-
gent lad who led the reporter Into the engine room,
Oh the floor OF when lav Tie
DEAD BppY Of A NAV,
wrapped IN an old blanket The reporter removed
the covering aud peheil the body and limbs OF per-
fcctly wnitc person, WITH the hair anu head of
negro Some tat,ered ana di-colcred Tags
appeared To he attached 10 the eSs, arms
ami slcs oI the corpse: but on closer
inspection these hdeous appendaEcs prov ed
20 be thick and tough patches OF black Outer
SKIN mat peeled OF the acsn after the manner OF
stripping the cntlcle nom piece ~ ''irosted"
bacon. The nesh Itself was perfectly ccokcd-woud
have been considered over-dolic, IN iact-and
thc grease Of tnc iutty portions Of the body
saturated It's covering. me proIrudng tongue
was boiled whlie and b1te, the gums
were stripped nom the ooseDeu and gcatn.
ing teeth. a thin watery stream OF blood
Tickied slowly from the nose and the eyes and the
wu"c countenance presented IA horror-breathing
rx MOST sICKENrNG APPEARANCE.
~ me dcccascd was married about year ago, and
nS INV leaVcS wife child