The New York herald., 1879-10-30
FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION.

THE TUG DANIEL BROWN BLOWN TO ATOMS
DECK HAND AND A FIREMAN KILLED.
MIRACULOUS ESCAPES. -
The boiler Of the steam tug Daniel Brown exs
ploded between ten and eleven O'Clock yesterday
morning. killing two men and utterly demolishina
the tug. which was ''berthing'' the bark Kobbes
at pier 40 East River. As yet the Of the ex.
plosion is unknown. Captain Hewlett E. Smith
says that he looked at the steam gauge in the pilot
house few minutes before the explosion occurred
and it regis tered seventyfve pounds while the en-.
gineer. now in a hospital. declares it registsred
eighty few seconds before the explosion occurred.
The captain inclines to the belief that there was
flaw in some Of the plates of the boiler. The crew
Of the Daniel Brown consisted Of five men. includ.
ing the captain. follows: George Coon. engineer:
Daniel Havlin. deck hand. Van Aken. who was in
the hold. and Havlin. who was in the pilot house,
killed outright; Coon. who had his hand on
the engine lever. and stewart. who was aft 1t ths
bits, were both thrown overheard and the captsin,
having iSst gone on board the bark; wa: out Of
Havln after the explosion. Those who
were in the Immediate vicinity Of pier
OF man gyratlng ono hundred feet in the air.
among the shattered timbers thrown up by the
force OF the explosion. is supposed that this
the dock hand Havlin. 1t appears that the engineer
leaning out OF the door or the engine with
his LETT hand firmly grasping the lever whom the
boiler burst He was looking at the bark and LISTEN
ing to Captain Smith calling his orders to the deck
hand in the pilot house. Several persons board
the steamer Amos c.. Barstow. OF the Providence
line OF steamers, which was moored at the head OF
pier 49, were stunned and knocked on their feet by
THE SURVIVORS STORIES.
Captain Smith was also stunned but only for Z
second or more for he described the whole sc sno
said ~ had just left the tug for the bark as to
better direct the work of putting her In her place
forward and call out to the man in the pilot house
to 90 ahead when the explosion occurred
hind me at tho capstan. handling the tow
ing hawser, and the shock was so great that
every one of them fell on the deck. There
tremendous cloud of smoke and steam, and bits Of
wood md iron flew around In all directions. Just q
second before had seen tho perfect boat ahead OF
me- Hasiin was looking out OF the pilot house win
dow and Coon was looking out of the door of ths
engine house. In q moment nothing was there but
a lot OF broken joiner work and tho broken null.
When recovered enough to realize what had hap
pencd I saw Coon foundering In the water and
then saw Stewart. Terrible excitement ensued on
board the boat and tho mon rushed wildly here and
there. Some boatmen who were the south sido
OF pier 50 put out and picked up Coon and Stewart
boat-something over three months--we have i'm
proved her in various ways had dupi-
cate gauge put in the pilot house. The engineer is
self" e. ''''"''' '"'' '"' "AA''0 " 'e' ''' my
Coon. tho engineer. who was taken from the dock
to the Chambers Street Hospital. found to bo
suffering from superficial injuries. but the doctor
discovered no symptoms of internal hurts. Not
withstanding the severe shock he sustained he
members all that happened just previous to the ex.
plosion. His story tales with the Captains con-
corning the position OF the at the time the
boiler BURST but to the best of his recollection tho
steam gauge registered eighty pounds when he
he looked Ut 1t last He says he stunned by tho
shock and was thrown over the side OF tho
tug. He recovered fow seconds after no
was in the water. He remembers going
down three times and being unable to
make any effort to himself. "Jorry Haskins
the boatman who picked him up. says that he was
sinking rapidly. Jerry was not two hundred feet
away when the explosion occurred. He was resting
on his looking at the bark when the noise
deadened his His boat "bobbed about as
though sea was on; he was almost unseated, and
narrowly escaped being killed by an immense stick
gunwale of his boat. Mr.. A. Jackson. agent of tho
Providence line. who thrown to tho deck OF the
steamer Amos G.. Barstow. declared to HERALD re-
porter that he one OF the mon ON board the tug
20 up fully hundred and nifty feet in the air. He
could not recognize him, but believes that he was
the unfortunate dock hand who stationed In tho
pilot house. ~
his face and when he was brought ashore he walked
to his home at No. ~ Norfolk street. t..iae
DREDGING THE RIVER
All day and during the night party of dredgers,
we're Mt work In the slip between piers 40 and so
dragging the river bottom tor the bodies OF Havlin
and Van AIKEN. The strngpiece OF pier 80 and the
bulkhead walt were lined with eager spectators,
Both tho victims unmarried mon. The boiler
of the tug made at Norfolk Va, and by tho in
spectors there was licensed March ~, 1879, TO-
carry pressure OF eighty pounds.