The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-28
iljG BOAT EXPLOSION.
Three Men Instantly Killed and
Six Injured.
THE EPSILON BURSTS HER BOILER
Fragments Of The Wreck StreW'hs lls n a:.A-
heads end PIERS.

|
The tugboat Epsilon while towing The packet
| ship Seminole, OF the California line OF packets,
into the stream, suddenly exploded, az the 1901
OF pier No. "a East Rive from the effects it Is sip
posed, of low water In tie boiler. rv, srnateiy she
was about twenty RODS from the pier OF
else a greater disaster might have occurred.
AS 1t was, three out of the 1--WE persons on
board were drowned six people 30 severely IN
jured as to be at present lying in critical condi-
ton in the Centre Street Hospital while several
others received slight wounds. The explosion was
accompanied by report like that Of a heavy can.
non, aud the news few around the city tina, h0r-
rble accident had happened.
! THE EXPLOSION.
It appears that at about one O'CLOCK yesterday az
rcrnoon the toiing stevedorcs had returned from
dinner, lettering longshOrcmen were wistally look
Ing around for employment, and carmen making
their way among the piles OF boxes and bales
strewed on the busy wharf, terrific explosion
startled the crowded dock aud a shower OF wooden
fragments poured down on heads unsuspcetIEg
danger. scene Of wild confusion enshed.
Flunging horses, grooming men, and multitude OF
people rushing frantlcally around made spectacle
at once exciting ana appalling. From every dock,
pier, ship and warehouse in the vicinity crowd
came rushing to ascertain what had happened,
ana for a time the widest rumors pre-
vailed. On all sides lay the exploded fragments,
and 1t is absolutely q miracle, considering the
crowded state Of the neighborhood. that so few ac
cidents happened. Here were large pieces Of tim;
Der that crushed into the dock they fell, and
there were the more slender portions of
the cabin and upper deck work, lying
tering showing the violence OF the shock and
the sudden power that had torn them a s
aStOniShmpnt n
the end OF pier No. 10, East River, just Mt the
foot Of Maiden lane, and there, In
A SINKING CONDITION,
was the steamtng Epsilon, and three OF the five
men who constituted her crew were struggling in
them, and In lew minutes they brought
on shore. AS soon as they had recovered con-
the HERALD representative that the Epsilon was in
the act OF Juggling out the San Francisco
s as e sase ea H inc
engineer about to 60 to his post the explosion
occurred. The Epsilon, together with the tugboat
the pier when the affair happened The ship Ham
ilton Fish, OF the Black Bah line, was lying on tho
other side, and sailor on board said that Just as
Captain Edward Hallenbeck was in the act Of pull
ing the bell in the pilot house the explosion oc-
captain blown I into the air distance of twenty
feet The debris flew up on all sides, and hardly
had the fragments settled before the Epsilon sank.
Of picking up the bodies but with the exception of
the three rescued men, no others were found.
The deck or the Hamilton Fish was covered with
water and Uttered with the falling fragments, and
upon the forward part OF the vessel. Captain
Charles ii. MITCHELL Sandy Hook pilot, sixty
M o N s So Maiden anG lane and ID
South street, few rods from the head OF the pier,
was struck by large piece Of timber and had both
Curry and Anderson Oluf, the former of whom was
in the rigging and the latter on the deck Of the
Seminole, were struck by the falling timbers and
severely injured. An old man named James Par
sons, who resides at No. - Vanderbilt avenue,
Brooklyn, had both legs fractured while working
TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.
Soon after the explosion an ambulance was sum-
moned ana the injured men removed to the Centre
Street Hospital where their wounds were exam
ned and pronounced dangerous. The following is
Andersen Vlun, seaman on the Seminole, aged
twenty seven. born In Norway; has laccrated
wound In the right arm.
jacob Bishop, seaman, aged twenty; compound
fracture OF the left arm
William Parsons, seaman, aged seventy, OF Brook
lyn; compound fracture OF the left leg.
BERNARD curry, engineer Of the tugboat aged
lives at no. III Crosby street
Charles Mitchell, pilot, aged siXty-four, Widower;
compound fracture OF the n right leg.
This tug was an ordinary sized boat, or about
forty tons, valued at sl5,ooo, owned by George $;
Townsend, at pier 50 East River, and commanded
by Captain Edward Halenbeck. She had five men
ON board at the time OF the accident-nameiy, the
cock two deck hands and the captain and engineer
a watch cap, boots and several other articles Of
clothing we're blown ashore at the time Of the ex-
plosjon At 1--WE O'Clock yesterday afternoon men
were graphing in the wreck ia hopes Of finding
bodies: ana, although two came TO the surface,
they disappeared TOO quickly t. be taken out.
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION.
The Epsilon though an Old boat, was thoroughly
repaired recently, but it was new wine IN Old bot.
ana clear it Is supposed Chat the accident was
caused by low water In the boiler. She now lies at
at depth Of about fifteen feet ana VIII DC hoisted
to-day.
Statement by nm Eyc-Witness.
JAnes Barton who was on the dock at the time
Of the explosion Of the boiler OF the Epsilon, says
that as soon as he heard the sound and looked in
the direction from which it the air was filed
with what seemed mixture OF dust and debris OF the
boat all along pier 10 to Maiden lane, and darkening
the piers on either sde that two OF the sailors on
board the ship Seminole who were In the rigging at
the time were injured by the splintefs nom the ex-
poded tug and the chief mate, Mr.. Eldridge who
was on deck, was seriously cut and bruised. lie
did not know whether any on board the Fletcher,
the tug which the Epsilon was going to assist In
taking out the Seminole was hurt but he was sure
tsat many others had been injured He knew the
cantain of the Epsilon, Charles Hallcnbeck,
and his two brothers-one the engineer, anu the
other a areman--had all been blown on. Inc 2 p
min nd engineer were both very iious'y and, he
believed fatally injured, while tue fireman was
lescred from the water almost Immediately a...i
several peir ous among the number on Il pier at
the time OF the explosion who received trining in
urics ON falling splintcis, and the othe s, terribly
frightened rushed to the nearest cover that
oU5ted them shelter. On nearing the snoIc end
| oo1 the pier he found that carman named William
| I Keys had been struck on the head by q falling
| niece Of timber, and that both his le9s and body
| we're cut and bruised. He WINS insensihc when
! carried away. Crossing from the shore end Of the
ninr 70 the pilot oGcc he found that Charles Mitch
ell pilot, who had been standing AZ tao doer as
| his ieus mang,ed. The boat, he said, was
| known in regard to power rs an
/ ls.inch boiler tug, measuring between so and 40
| tOus aud was owned by Mr.. George y. Tow nsend.
/ lie had heard her valued az $4,000; but knew