The Portland daily press., 1881-12-28
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
A Steamer Blown Up and Nineteen
Lives Lost.


RICHMOND. Va, Dec. 27.-An explosion oc-
CURED Yesterday at West Point, Va, on steam
ar West Point plying between that place and
Baldwin which resulted in the total destruc-
ton of the boat and the loss OF nineteen lives.
The following particulars were received n ere
wharf Sunday afternoon. but discharglng OF
cargo was not began until yesterday noon, and
after the hands had been engaged Two nonrs
unloading terrific, nnaccounted for'exploslon
occurred near the forward hatch, blowing out
the starboard side of the steamer and almost
instantly enveloping thelforward part in flames.
There were twelve colored men in the forward
hold at the time, all of whom were either Eli
ed by the explosion or burned to death. rive
other men were aft slowing cotton. These
iumped overheard and four of them were
drowned. When it was found that there was
no hone of saving the steamer she was cut
loose from the wharf and the tide drifted her
two miles up the Pamunkey river where sne
continued to burn until everything compustlDle
was destroyed, and her iron hull was broken
in two amidships. Amongthose killed was Il. 5.
Bradford, chief of stevedores. OF nineteen
killed eighteen were colored hands mostly resi-
dents of West Point.
Steamer West Point made her first trip from
this port Tuesday of last week. She was one
of the best appointed freight boats in the Cnes-
apeake trade, ITO feet long q capacity OF 625
tons, almost entirely new, Just from the snip
yard, the only old portion being iron plates and
frame of the steamer Shirley which was
burned at the same place while lying at the
wharf in November 1880. The vessel was re-
built at cost of 65000 and named WEST
Point"
The first officer of the steamer Peter Geohe-
gan of Baltimore was blown overheard but was
saved badly burned. Quartermaster William
Bohannon of Baltimore is possibly fatally
burned William Barnes of West Point, as
sistant stevedore was severely burned
The West Points cargo was made up OF mis-
| cellaneous freight, among which was several
| hundred barrels oil, sixty OF which were gaso-
| line. The oil becoming ignited the flames
spread with such rapidity there were no chance
| of saving the vessel nor Any OF the people on
board even if they were not killed by the ex,
| plosion. The forward portion OF the decks and
| ont and there is no doubt all those in the hold
or lnear the forward hatch were instantly
| killed.
The four men who were drowned formed
four-ffths of gang who were slowing bales o.
cotton in the aft hold. AS soon as this gang
| heard the explosion and saw the rapid spread
| of fire, they, together with boy who was as.
sisting them made for the sstarboard port ano
| plunged into the river. Jast then large
hatch slid off the deck and fell upon them dis
abing four of them SO they never rose again
The fifth saved himself by swimming back tt
| the wharf, while the boy succeeded in getting
on the floating hatch and was rescued Int
cause of the explosion is as yet mystery Tht
officers of the Richmond and Danvllle raiiroaf
company which runs its West Point line IN
connection with the Baltimore steamer which
arrived here to-day from West Point state thel
were utterly unable to account for the disaster
They say the only fire on board was under th'
| boiler which runs the hosting engine, and tne
engineer running it remained at his post ant
was unhurt. The hold had been opened nearl.
two hours when the explosion occurred. 81
the theories of the boiler or confined gas ex
ploson are done away with. The fireman was
light and this was the only light known to b.
on board