Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-28
FIRES And FATALITIES.
DESTRUCTION OF TIE ENTIRE BUS.
MESS PORTION OF DURAND, WIS.
Exp1 osiOn of q Cargo of Oil In Steamer
by Burning and DrowniDg-The Boat
Entire1y Destroyed on a
Mississippi River Steamer-Twe1ve Of
the Crew Sca1ded and Three Drowned
Costly Fire In Attleboro, Mass. s.-Other
Fires.
DURAND's DESTRUCTION.

MENoMoNEE, Wis, Dec. 27.-At about
l o'clock Sunday afternoon fire was dis
covered in the roof of the Ecklar house,
at Durand, Wis, and before assistance
could be obtained the fire got beyond con-
troll. A strong wind was blowing from
the South at the time, which carried the
fire up the street, sweeping both sides
and devouring every business building in
the town except hotel, two saloon
buildings and couple of stores, which
lay to the South of the origin of the fire.
About thirty-tive buildings were burned.
The loss is estimated at $4,000; insur-
ance about $4,000. The fire is supposed
to have been caused by defective CHM
ney. Preparations are being already
made to rebuild.
WEST POINT HORROR.
RICHMOND, Va, Dec. 27.-News was
received here this morning from West
Point, on the York river, of terrible
disaster to the steamer West Point, of the
Clyde line, plying between that point and
Baltimore. The West Point arrived at
West Point early yesterday morning, and
the gang began the discharge of her cargo.
They cleared out all the freight between
decks, had gone below into the hold to take
out quahtity of kerosene oil, when at
II m. an explosion occurred, which blew
off the side of the vessel into the river,
and set fire to the ship. Nineteen per-
sons, including four of the crew and
nearly all hands, perished. The first and
second officers escaped, one of them being
badly Injured. The captain being on
sho was saved. The crew were mostly
from Baltimore, and the laborers from
Richmond and West Point It was a
new ship, having only made a few trips
She was valued at 10000, and was in
sured.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
RICHMOND. Va, Dec. 27-.An explo-
sion occurred yesterday at West Point,
Va, on the steamer West Point, plying
between that place and Batto, which re-
suited in the total destruction of the boat
and the loss of nineteen lives. The fol-
lowing has been received: The West
Point arrived at her wharf Sunday even
ing, but discharging of the cargo was not
begun until yesterday afternoon, and
after the hands had been engaged nearly
two hours terrific, but as yet unac-
counted for, explosion occurred, near the
forward hatch, blowing out the star board
side of the steamer and almost en-
veloping forward part of the vessel
in flames. There we're twelve col
ored men in the forward hold, all
of whom at the explosion were killed or
burned to death. Five men jumped over
board and four were drowned. When it
was found there was no hope of saving
the boat, she was cut loose and the tide
drifted her two miles up the Pamunky
river, where she continued to burn until
everything combustible was destroyed.
Her iron hull was broken into amidship.
Among the. killed we're l.. s. Bradford,
Chief Stevedore. First Officer Peter
Georgian, of Baltimore, was blown over
board, but saved badly burned. Quarter
Master VIM. Bohanan, of Baltimore, was
seriously burned Of the nineteen lives
lost eighteen were colored. Three others
were injured.
The boats cargo made up of miscella-
neOus freight, among which were several
hundred barrels of oil, six of which were
gasoline. The oil becoming ignlted, the
flames spread with such frightful rapidi-
ty there was no chance of saving the
vessel, nor any on board, even if they
were not killed by the explosion. The
forward portion of the deck and great
part of the starboard side were
thrown out, and there is no doubt
all in the hold or forward
hatch were killed. Four men were
drowned by the large hatch side Of the
deck falling upon them. They sank at
once. The cause of the explosion has
not yet been solved. Officers of the
Richmond & Danville Railroad company,
which runs its West Point train in con-
nection with the Baltimore steamer, who
arrived to-day, state they were unable to
account for the disaster. They say the
only fire on board was under the
boiler which runs the hosting
engine, the engineer running it remained
at his post and was unhurt. The hold
had been opened nearly two hours when
the explosion occurred, so the theories of
the boiler or confined gas explosion are
done away with. John Harvis, colored,
fireman, was in the main boiler cleaning
it out. He of course had light, and this
was the only light known to be on board.
The steamer West Point was built in
Baltimore, and cost $4,000. This was
her second trip She took the place of
the steamer Shirley, which, together
with the wharves at West Point,
were destroyed by fire on the 2sth of No
vember, 1850, and portion of the Shir-
ley's iron plating was used in the West
Points construction. ALI the upper
works of the Shirley were burned in Bal
timore in 1877, thus making the third
time the vessel or portion has undergone
the ordeal of fire. The West Point was
owned by the B., c. & r. Steamboat COM
pany, and was well insured. The value
of the cargo cannot now be ascertained.
BALTIMORE, Dec. 27.-The steamboat
West Point, destroyed by the explosion
to-day at West Point, Va, was insured
for $40, ,OO0 George S. Needham, gener-
al freight agent here, says all the cargo
between decks had been discharged and
the greater portion of the freight in the
lower hold, which consisted of a carload
of compressed hay, twenty tons fertilizer
and oil and gasoline. The freight in the
hold was separated from the boiler room