Daily Republican., 1880-12-22
.BLOWH INTO ETERNITY.

BaFsts, this MorninE wish FesF.
faI EnesI-EnGiaeer Killed and
BOat Torn ts Pieces.
About quarter past 7 O'Clock, this
morning, . report which sounded high
above the din In the ship.yard OF
Pusey Jones & Company, whore the
work for the day had fairly commenced,
startled the workmsn, and was In
mediately followed by the crash oi
falling timbers around the tug best
Martha. II took but q moments in
yestigstion to show that the
BOAT HAD BLOWN UP
and that the explosion was aceompa-
MED by very serious results. The work
men whs ran TO where the tug lay saw
that the wood work was . perfect
wreck.
Part Of II lay In water ovsr the side,
and pile Of tho debris OF what had
been the pilot.houss lay high up on
the wharf. In the bottom OF the boat
among the twisted pipes and broken
wood work and beside his engine, lay
the mangled and apparently lifsless
body Of Theodore J. Miller, the engl-
neer.
TEE DEAD ANcIERKR.
Four workmen-James MoGovern,
John Wright, K. R. johnson and John
Bradford-who were near at the time
boarded the boat and lifted the engi-
nser ashore. He was alive but NO
more, and while he was still in their
hands he gave q few expiring gasps,
aud was dead inside Of three minutes
after the explosion. Word was al onos
taken 10 Millsr's residence, No. ll08
Poplar street, by Mr.. Johnson, and the
coroner was summoned. The coroner
ordered the body to be removed 70 his
Office at Martins undertaking estab-
lishmsnt on shipley street, and DR..
Ogie, the coroner's physician, was
summoned TO make an examination,
with view to ascertaining whether an
inquest was necessary.
TIE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION
is unknown and can only be surmised
at. The Martha came into the wharf
on Monday night and lay there all
day yesterday rsady for work with
steam on, and the Are vas kept up all
night. The engineer was the only one
on the boat at the tina. The cause
may have been the frepsing Of a steam
pipe, and II Is quite likely that pipe
may have been frozen as suggested,
and the explosion followed as . matter
Of course when steam was gotten up.
1t is q natural supppsitiou that Miller
was working tie machinery at the time
for he was fonnd lying across the bot.
tom Of the boat, between his engine and
where the boiler vas before 1t explOd-
cd. Miller was an engineer Of consider
for ever three years. Those who know
able experience, and had teen en-
ployed in the steam tug business
him are confident In their opinion that
the sad accident was not due In any
sense TO oarelsssnssS on part Of ths
engineer. The explosion was of
ASTONISHING FORCE
aud sounded like the report OF a small
sAunon. The substantislIyAbui!t tug
ooSt Was fairly "gutssd" Of hsr ma
,hipery, and nothing was LIFT but the
hulk. The boiler has entirely disap-
peared. The cook Of the lighthouse
steamer Arbutus, which was moored
near, declared that ne saw large frag-
meut OF iron, evidently q piece Of the
boiler,) flying through the air, aud
going nearly across the Christisns. The
top OF tie piiot-house vas blown almost
across the creek, and fragments of iron
and wood were sent hurtling through
the air for many rods ON all sides. A
yawl boat, which was lying on top OF
che house a. the time, has not been
seen since. In view Of all this 1t Is not
Ia the least surprising that the engi-
nesr was almost killed outright by the
shock. The poor fellows
1SJuRERs wERR NAKY.
Both arms were broken, he was
msnglsd elsewhere about the body, his
head and face were badly out and
deep wound was over his right eye
evidently made by . sharp piece Of
iron entering his skull. In addition
to this he was scaldsd all over the
body by the hot water from the boiler.
Miller was RbOut "A years Of sgs. He
was q siHgle man and lived with his
parents. He has . brother, whe, up to
a short time ago, has bean employed as
engineer upon the tug-boat Falcon.
BARRow BaoAPB
was made by Captain W. N. Downing,
OF the Martha. Yesterday he hurt
himself severely by falling down lad
der, aud, in oonseluence, did not leave
home this morning for the boat as early
rs usual. But for this, It Is quite like
ly that he would have been on board
when the boat blew up, and shared the
fate of Miller. The captain is uIde-
cided as TO the probably cause Of the &C.
cident.
TIE MARTHA
was built at Bordsntown, N j., In
June, 1878, by J. s.Lsmbson, and con-
tains the machinery used In the old
tug Martha, of which she is the Success
for. She is As feet long, 4 fset deep
and II feet wide, and is owned By
Francis Barry and others, being used
for towing in and about Wilmington.
The damage to the boat is estimated 81
from q, 500 TO o. 900. The boilsr was
inspected In June last, was pro-
nouncsd to bs in good condition and
the explosion cannot be directly attrib-
butsd to any fault of the machinery.
THE IE0UgsT.
The coroner held an inquest about
8. 80 O'Clock to day, and after examing
a number OF witness, rendered o yer.
dict that the deceased came to his
death by an accidental explosion.