Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-12-28

Unaecousiable Explosion % Board the
steamer w est Point.

| RIcHNoyD, Dec. 27-
An explosion occurred, Monday, At Wesi
| Poin., Va, on the steamer West Point, ply.
| ing between that place and Baltimore, re.
| sulting in total destruction Of the boat and
| loss of nineteen persons. The following par
ticulars have been received: The West Point
arrived at her wharf Sunday afternoon, but
the discharSing of tbs cargo was not begun
until Monday noon. and after the hands had
been engaged two hours unloading, terrific,
but as yet unaccounted for, explosion occur
ed near the toward hatch, blowing out the
starboard side and almost instantly envelop-
/ ing the toward part of the vessel in flames
There we're twelve colored men in the toward
| hold at the time, all of whom were either
killed by the explosion or burned to death.
| The captain being on shore at the time was
saved. There are some four or five badly
| injured The crew are mostly from Balti-
more, and the laborers from Richmond and
West Point. The West Point was new
ship having only made a few trips. She was
valued at $50, 600, and was insured.
Five other men were att slowing cotton.
These jumped overheard and four of them
were drowned. When it was found that there
was no hope of saving the steamer, she was
cut loose from the wharf, and the tide drifted
her two miles up the Pamunkey river. where
she continued to burn until everything COM
bustible was destroyed, and her iron hull was
broken in two amidships. Among those
killed was S. Bradford, chief of the steve
dores. OF the nineteen killed, eighteen
were colored hands mostly residents of West
Point.
The first officer of the steamer. Peter
Geoghegan of Baltimore, was blown over
board, but was saved badly burned. Quar-
termaster VIM. Bohannon of Baltimore, pos
sibly fatally burned, and VIM. Barnes of
| West Point, assistant stevedore, severely
burned.
| Later. The West Points cargo was made
up of miscellaneous freight, among which
were several barrels of oil. sixty of which
were gasoline. The oil becoming ignited the
flames spread with such rapidity that there
was no chance of saving the vessel nor any
of the people. even if they were not killed
by the explosion. The forward portion OF
the decks and great part of the starboard
side were thrown out, and there is no doubt
but all those ia the hold or near the forward
deck were instantly killed.
The four men who were drowned formed
four-fitths of gang who were slowing bales
of cotton in the aft hold. As soon as thi.
gang heard the explosion and saw the rapit
spread of the fire they. together with the boy
who was assisting them, made for the star
board part and jumped into the river. Jus
then large hatch slid off the deck and fel
upon them, disabling four of them so the,
never rose again. The fifth saved himself
by swimming back to the wharf, while the
boy succeeded in getting onto floating
hatch and was rescued. The cause of tn,
explosion is as yet mystery. The officer,
of the Richmond 4 Danville Railroad Co.
which runs its West Point line in connection
with the Baltimore steamer, which arrived
here today from West Point, state that the
were utterly unable to account for the dis
aster. they say the only fire on board wa
under the boiler which runs the hoisti ng Ell
CINE, and the engineer remained at his pos
and was unhurt. The hold had been oper
nearly two hours when the explosion occurred
so the theories of a boiler or confined ga.
explosion are done away with The fireman
was in the main boiler cleaning it out He hat
light and this was the only light known t,
have been on board.
BALTIMORE, Dec. %.
The steamer West Point made he
first trip from this port Tuesday, of las
week. She was one of the best appointed
freight boats in the Chesapeake trade, being
Us feet in length, and with a capacity of 60;
tons; almost entirely new. The only ole
portion being the iron plates and frame of
the steamer Shirley, which was burned at thu
same place while lying at the wharf in Nov
ember 1880. The vessel was rebuilt at
cost of $685. 900, and named the tWest Point.