The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-10-29
HORRIBLE CATASTROPHE.
The Propeller Brooklyn Explodes Her
Boiler.
The Vessel, Grew and PASSENGERS Blown
into the Air---TwelYe Persons
Killed and Eleven Severely
Injured.
From the Detroit papers of the 18th.

We lave De0u CS1lIeu upon 10 record tLllS
season occurred on the river about 10
miles below this city yesterday afternoon
| at 2 o'clock, OF within few minutes of
| that hour, at q point near the head Of
Grassy Island.
The propeller Brooklyn, of the North
ern Transportation Company's Line,
left Cleveland at IL o'clock Wednesday
evening, bound for Chicago, but intend
ing to touch at this port, laden with a
miscellaneous cargo of freight, and Ii is
thought, nlne passengers. While COM
ing up the river, at the hour and place
above mentioned, her boiler exploded
with terrible force, blowing the entire
upper works high into the air, and shat
tering the hull SO completely that it
sunk inside of 10 minutes, some say in 3
or 4. The captain, Henry Howard, of
Cape Vincent, n. Y, was standing near
the pilot-house at the time, and says
| the first intimation he had of the ex-
plosiOn was the sudden upheaving of
| the deck beneath his feet, while at the
same moment a terrible conclusion
| burst upon his ears with thunder sound
| The forward end Of the boat was hurled
| violently outward, but he succeeded in
| clinging to the pilot-house, which alone
Of any considerable portion of the vessel
| fioated. For moment he was almost
| stunned by the fearful power Of the ex-
| plosion, and when he became fully
| aware of his situation the water was
strewn with fragments of the deck and
cabin, while among the debris struggled
the more or less mutilated bodies of his
crew and passengers, OF foated fol mo-
| ment and then sank, the corpse Of a lit
| tie girl remaining in sight for several
minutes. He Immediately set about the
work of rescuing the sufferers as far as
was in his power, and, to his credit be
it said, he had seven persons, two Of
them passengers, on the pilot-house
with him when rescuing steamer ar
rived, they being all taken off by boats
from the Cuba, which arrived upon the
terrible scene soon after the explosion.
The tugs Hercules and George N.
Brady came to the rescue, and also seve-
raj isaerroen's beats, SO shat the srsal2r-
ers were speedily taken from the water,
borne to the berths of the crew, and
everything possible done to alleviate
their sufferings, Seven Of the injured
were taken on board the Cuba, which
Immediately came to this city with all
possible dispatch. Four others were
placed in the cabin of the schooner AL
lance, in tow Of the Hercules. Fortu-
nately for them a surgeon was quickly
by their sides, setting broken bones,
closing gaping wounds, and al,eviating
the agony of all the unfo1tunates.
Dr. D. O. Farrand had been at Am
hersitburg performing surgical opera
ton, and when the Brooklyn came along
was waiting for passage to this city
He signalled the Brooklyn, which came
up to the dock, but not near enough to
make leaping aboard safe feat. The
doctor hesitated, thinking the boat would
come nearer, but. instead, steam was
applied, and the vessel rushed on, the
doctor thinks at more rapid rate of
speed.
Just behing the Brooklyn came the
tug George n. Brady, the captain Of
of which needed Earrand's signal, and
he was quickly in her cabin for lunch.
A few moments later be heard q dull,
heavy explosion, cries of alarm on deck,
and upon going to ascertain the cause,
was shocked to find that of the propeller
on which he intended to embark, moth
ing remained In sight but a mass Of
struggling humanity, boxes, bales,
trunks, splintered rails, spars, and
scores of things that make up the debris
of wreck.
The Cuba was already engaged in the
| work OF rescuing the wounded, and Far
rand called to her captain that if sur
geon was needed he would come aboard
A boat from the Cuba Immediately put
OF, and IN few minutes Farrand was
busy with his case of instruments, work
ing nobly and faithfully as long as there
were broken bones or other injuries to
be attended. Upon arriving at the
dock IN this city he remained until all
the wounded had arrived, seeing them
carefully removed to the carriages which
Nr. Bodier, the agent of the Northern
transportation Company, procured to
convey the sufferers to the hospitals,
where he had caused every needed ar
rangement for their reception and care
to be made.
The Cuba brought up seven of the
wounded, the Alliance (in tow of the
Hercules) four more, and one arrived on
the tug Bob Hackett. The dead, OF
which there are supposed to be twelve,
are yet upon the bottom Of the river,
with the exception of the bodies of lit
tie girl and woman, which are in
ishermans shanty on Fighting Island.
A full list of the passengers and crew
cannot be obtained. The crew number
ed nineteen or twenty, all told, and
Capt. Howard is of the opinion that he
had nine passengers. The books are all
Lost, and consequently the names of
some of the lost cannot be ascertained.
The cause of the explosion is un-
known, but Capt. Howard is of the
opinion. that to Lack of water in the
boilers the catastrophe may safely be at
tributed. He denies that the Brooklyn
and Cuba were racing, which is asserted
by the steward and some of the men
declares that his vessel was carrying no
more than 80 pounds of steam and not
making over 10 miles an hour.