Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-25
PAINE.
An "INFERNAL MACHINE" EXPLODED or TIL
ALBANY STEAMER Drew.

An IMPERIAL MACHINE" EXPLODED on THE |
ALBANY STEAMER Drew.
The passengers On board the steamer Drew
of the Peoples line between New York and
Albany, were startled out of their beds on
Friday night about IL o'clock by loud ex-
plosion amidships. The cry of fire" was in
stantly raised and the crew rallied TO put
out the flames. The floor of the main saloon
was partly covered with slecpers who had
not been able to secure staterooms or berths
the steamer having on board about one
thousand passengers and the men amongst
them being on the spot had made some pro-
grcss at smothering the flames that burst
out, even before the pumps were started,
with blankets and fire exlinguishersa and pals.
Fearing lest there might be loss Of life if the
fire got any Roadway, the captain ordered all
the passengers to he called from their rooms;
and the alarm amongst the passengers, men,
women and children was great, the saloon
being filed with frantic persons endcavorng
in the scantiest Of clothing to get anywhere
and everywhere at once. But it appeared
in few minutes that there was no further
danger from fire or explosion, and some of
the passengers were left uncaled while the
discipline of the crew and coolncss of the
officers soon quoted the frightened pas
sengcrs.
1t appeared that one Of the centre state
rooms on the main saloon WAS completely
shattered and the adjoining rooms torn up
good deal. evidently by IN explosion in the
room and the discovery among the ruins OF
an unexplodcd internal machine or
torpedo made it very certain that
the damage WAS done by one that had
that no one was seriously injured; young
man In one Of the adjoining rooms had the
partition fall on his trunk, without doing
him any HARM and a child was pulled out of
the splnters piled up on the other side, al
most without a scratch, The shock to deli
cate and nervous passengers was very great
| Of course,
The man who had engaged the state room
in which the explosion occurred could not
be found; but it was evident no one was in
the room, at the time. After long search
| a man was arrested whom the steward and
| hall-bovs were sure was the one they had
seen going into the room. He gives his name
as Henry Evans OF Easton. Pa, and denies
| the charge.
! The motive for such II tiendish piece of
work is thought to have been piunder, that
in the confusion following the robbery of pas
sengcrs' valuables and money might he made
But il hardly seems credible that a man could
be found willing to risk so many lives on
/ the CHANGE for theft.
| The indignation ani.Iiigst the Passengers
was intense, and it would have been lucky
thing for the man arrested that there was no
lamp-post there, if it had been certain at
the time that he was the guilty one.
The damage to the vessel was not very
grcai, anil the boat finished her trip in good
timr,
Among the passengers were Thurlow
Weed, Police Commissioner Erhardt and
his family and other men of prominence.
There was also Il large and well assorted
seleptian If sparting men. Almost every
body was III bed uefGte O'Clock. Vt LOO
everybody was out of bed and mostly rush
Ing about the main saloon frightened out of
their wits and nearly all arrayed in white
with instances of blue and red There had
bean /, tremendous shock. The saloon was
filled with the smuke, aid The prevailing
ideas were that tho boiler had exploded and
that the boat was on fire The officers
kent their presence of mind and after hard
work succeeded in persuading the frightened
600 to 20 10 their rooms again and await the
result
Ii was found thai canister Of powder had
been PLACED in one of the rooms forward, and
that the powder had been ignted by means of
Il slow fuse. This room. the two rooms adloln-
ing and the room above it with their furniture
had been totally annihiatcd A gentleman
and his wife and child We're sleeping in one
of the adjoining rooms when the explosion
occurred. They were blown from their herths.
The lady and child went into commissions
and for time their lives wero despaired
If. William H. Barker Of Brooklyn, Journal
clerk of the last Assembly and his wife,
who were asleep in the room above that in
which the powder had been exploded, were
Violently dashed against II partition and
severely bruised. Other persons sustained
slight injuries The search for the person
who had been assigned the room where The
explosion occurred was rewarded by the lind
ing of that individual calmly seated on the
upper deck enjoying the night air To Cap
rain Roe he gave his name as Henry Evans,
his residence as Easlon, Pa, and his occupa-
ton as II waiter. He denied all knowledge
Of the explosion asserting that he had not
been In his room for two hours before 1t oc-
CURED. lie was searched and piece al iuse
found in his possession The officers of
the boat incline to the belief that the man is
insane 1t is known that he was employed
last year as a waiter at one of the Saratoga
hotels and that he was an odd fellow and the
butt of the practical jokers among his breth-
rem. This explosion. it conceived, may be
his revenge upon mankind at large.
1rHlor- CAREER OF THE NAN CHARGED
WITH THE CRIME.
The man who is supposed to have caused
the explosion on the steamer Drew, Friday
night, is Henry Evans, alias \. l.. Barraud,
alias Louis Ramel, alias Henri De Courcelles,
A. VI. Last December, the New York
Herald published some alleged details Of his
early life, furnished by himself when in
Easion Jail on charge of swindling TheiI
improhability was obvious, but the fellows
story of his swindling operations was anus
ing, and in great part authentic. According
To his story he was born in Paris and DIES.
ccndcd from the H0blcsst Of France, anti had
been educated al jesuit school, alltrWaru
at the College OF Louis-le-Grand, and then
ut the Ecole Polytechnique. He spent u
number of years as assistant engineer on the
Sucz canal and had charge of u Russian mine
in the Ural Mountains Returning to France
ut the outbreak of the war he obtained com
mand in the artillery. lie was nj Woerth,
Gravelottr and Sedan, whence he escaped dis
guised as an Italian, after obtaining Il, 5OOf ioi
tonr horses he pretended had been killed, in
pursuance of an alleged device on the part oi
the French to empty the military chest. lie
took part in the siege OF Paris, was wounded
and received the Cross Of the Legion oi
Honor; he also fought against the Commune.
After the war he went To Peru To put up II
pump. Tn returning To Paris he fell i'll love,
and after an elopment married in England.
His wife died, and he accepted II commission
10 come 10 America to look after some eN-
hibitoIs' goods At the Centennial Exposition
and travelled all over the country. He
made quite Il tour then through New England
and paid his respects To Harvard College,
which lac also appreciates. At the close Of
the exposition he returned To Paris and tray
clIrd through Germany, visiting Herr
KuppS cannon foundrry and other places of
mechanical wonders. He returned 10 Paris.
4 SECOND VISIT TO AMERICA.
lie was offered, after his return, To can
yass the United States and Mexico for the
sale OF II new patent ore crushcr. He accept-
cd the offer and left for New York in April,
1877. On his arrival he proceeded Ia the
Pacific coast, thence buck 10 New York,
n.,.l han T.. AuNy