Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-12-28
FIRE AND EXPLOSION.
NINETEEN MEN KILLED.
DANGER OF RIVER NAVIGATION.
SERIOUS LOSSES FROM CONFLAGRA-
TlON.

DANGER OF RIVER NAVIGATION.
| SERIOUS LOssES FROM CONFLAGRA-
| TlOS.
Fatal Falls From Fonrtl-Story Windows.
The steamer West Point, Of the Clyde
line, which exploded at West Point, Va,
yesterday, carried miscellaneous cargo,
among which were several hundred bar
rcls of oil, sixty of which were gasoline.
The oil becoming ignited, the flames spread
with such rapidity that there were no
| chances Of saving the vessel nor any of
the persons on board of her, even if they
were not killed by the explosion. The
forward portion of the deck and great
part of the starboard side were blown out,
and there is no doubt but that all those in
the hold or near the forward hatch, twelve
colOred men, were instantly killed. The
four men who were drowned formed four
fifths of gang who were slowing cotton
in the upper hold. AS soon as this gang
heard the explosion and saw the rapid
spread Of the fire they, together with
boy who was assisting them, made for the
starboard side and plunged into into the
river. At that moment 4 large hatch Slid
Off the deck and fell upon them, disabling
four of them in such manner that they
never rose again. The fifth one saved
himself by swimming back to the
wharf, while the boy succeeded
in getting upon the floating hatch, and
was subsequently taken off by 4 boat from
the shore. The officers of the Richmond
Il Danville railroad company, which
j runs it's West Point line i'll connection
with the Baltimore steamer, state that
they are utterly unable to account for the
disaster. They say that the only fire on
board was under the boiler which runs the
hosting engine, and that the engineer run
ming it remained at his post and was un-
hurt. The hold had been opened nearly
two hours when the explosion occurred.
John Jarvis, colOrcd, fireman, was in the
main boiler, cleaning it out. lie, of
course, had light, and this was the only
light known to have been on board. The
steamer West Point was built at Balti'
more at cost Of SO, 900, and this was hel
second trip.
A steamer bound from New Orleans to
Cincinnati burst her steam pipe near Cat
fish bend, scaldins twelve of the crew,
three seriously. Three negro roustabOuts
jumped overheard and have not been seen
since.
Wilson's mill, at Gur,lan, Ark, was
blown up. Charles Keel was killed and
Coal French fatally wounded. Allen Creile,
r. j. Sappington, and L. MacFarland were
seriously injured. The mill is total
wreck.
Late Losses by Fire.
Durand, Wis, has lost by fire, twenty
one of its twenty-fOur buildings ; loss $25,
600. A block Of business houses in Nor
gan, Tex, have burned; and another in
Marlin, Tex; loss 100000. The Wichit:
school building and Industrial building
adjoining, at the KiOwa, COmanche and
Wichita agency, in the Indian territory,
were destroyed before daylight by an in
employees barely escaped with their lives
Dangerous Torpedo.
While John McCIeary, an employe OF
the Roberts company, was torpedOing q
we'll near Haymaker, the well made a
flow of oil and threw the torpedo out,
causing its explosion. The torpedo con
tained forty eight pounds of nitro glycer.
inc. McCleary started to run as soon as
he discovered the we'll was about to flow
His coat tail was cut Off rs smoothly as
though done by tailor, His back, thighs
and arms were lacerated by flying pieces
of stone, wood and tin, and lie was
thrown about 100 feet, but jumped up and
continued running until lie fell from
fatigue and fright. His escape from death
is considered most remarkable. The der
rick was reduced to splnters, and win.
dOws in houses half 4 mile away were
broken by the force of the explosion.
Fell from Windows.
John Fitzsimmons, patient of the
Presbyterian eye and car charity hospital
at Baltimore, aged 20, fell from 4 fourth
story window of the building and was
killed.
Edward ConnOrs jumped from the fifth
floor Of his residence, No. II Exchange
place, Jersey City, and was instantly
killed. lie was 4 painter and employed
by the Pennsylvania railroad. There is
some mystery in tho case. His wife was
the only person in the room ut the time
of the alleged jumping, and refused to al
low the dead body to be brought into the
house.
While w. d. Wilson was examining his
revolver near the bar of the Loomas house,
Clarion, Pa, it went off and killed Clarion
Shott bartcnder-Twclve miles from Phila.
delphia in Montgomery county three
masked robbers beat VIM Pierce insensi
BILE. robbed him of 500 and his watch
J. Jones, under arrest at Aberdeen, Miss,
has confessed that he murdered the Wal
ker brothers, for 4 mule, a watch and S20.-
In street fight in Eufaula, Indian Terri
tory, with pistols, carpenter named
Ware killed 4 young man named GraysOn,
and made his escape. A Missouri Pacific
section hand, who stood near the scene of
tragedy, became frightened and ran. lie
was ordered to halt by tho Indian police,
and failing to stop, the latter fired and
killed him.
The News in lsrlef.
Sydney, S. w., fears smallpox, Montreal
an ice famine, Indiana 4 flood and damage
to the wheat crop, and 4 rising river gives
Williamsport the promise of freshet.
Five or six hundred South Carolina
negroes, being led to Arkansas, have been
left in Augusta, Ga, by their Moses. Of
$40 patents last week, 25 were to Edison,
the largest number Of patents ever issued
at one time by any government to one
person. Mr.. Edison's patents now number
nearly go.
| PERSONAL.
Judge ALLISON, of Philadelphia, gave 81
bOotblacks Christmas dinner.
Rev. JAMES E. SMITH, of Abingdon,
Mass, pastor Of the Universalist church
there for about q year, has renOunced that
| faith and embraced COnurcratiOnalism