The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-30
BLOWN INTO THE AIR.
TERRIFIC BOILER EXPLOSION.
The Steamer Riverdale at New York
Bursts Her Boiler and Hurls Her Pas
sengers Into the Arrive Killed
and Many Injured.
4 DISTRESSING AFFAIR.

ran between New York and Haverstraw, on
the Hudson, left her dock at the foot of
Harrison street, North River, at 4 O'Clock,
and steamed rapidly up the stream She
was to have touched at the foot OF 23d
street for more passengers and her course
was laid about three hundred yards from
the New York shore When between
Twelfth and Thirteenth streets her boilers
exploded with terrific force, killing three
persons and wounding eight others. After
the explosion the boat drifted up to the
foot of Sixteenth street and there sank.
The explosion was seen by few riyermen
and tug crews who were watching the boat
when the accident occurred.
There was a loud report, the smoke
stack, pilot-hOuse and the body of man
were seen flying through the air, and then
clouds of escaping steam hid the wreck
from view People along the shore went
to the steamer in row-boats and tugs, and
the police were instantly informed of the
accident. The Office of charities and cor
rections was notified by telephone, and all
the city ambulanceS were sent to the foot
of Sixteenth street. The widest and
most exaggerated reports were circu-
lated, and the number of killed and
wounded was placed at upwards of one
hundred. The river front In the vicinity
where the explosion occurred was thr0nged
with people, and while but few of the scores
said to have been killed were brought
ashore, it was averred that dozens had been
drowned. There were about fifty pasSen-
gers on the Riverdale when she left the
Harrison street landing, and a majority of
them were on the after-deck.
AS soon as the explosion occurred scene
of the widest confusion followed. The
Captain, j. p Smith, who was uninjured,
rushed to the after part of the boat and told
the half frantic passengers that if they would
only keep quiet for few moments they
would all be rescued. The steamer was
observed to be settling forward and it was
evident that hole had been torn in her
bottom and that she would sink. The gang
plank was run out into the river and half a
| dozen men jumped upon it, sinking it below
| the surface of the water. They were quickly
| transferred to the numerous row boats,
| which by this time had reached the wreck,
/ The tug Xophar Mills was one of the first
boats to run alongside the Riverdale and she
! took on board the greater number of the
| passengers.
| The body of man, apparently about
/ seventy years of age, was found crushed be
tween the rail and a pile of debris on the
/ forward deck. He had evidently been in
/ stantly killed. The body was not identi-
/ fed.
| The body Of an elderly lady, subsequently
/ identified as Mrs. Charles Sisson, of New
/ York, was also taken from the forward
/ deck.
/ Fireman Charles Dymes was hurled by
/ the force of the explosion through the side
/ of the boat and out into the water. He was
| horribly scalded, and when picked up his
/ skin peeled in shreds from his head, neck
and arms. He was conscious and his suffer
ings were intense. He was taken to the
/ New York Hospital and it is believed he
/ will die
Pilot Nelson Magee was hurled thirty
feet from the pilot-house into the river, and
when he was picked up it was found that
both his legs were broken.
John Salair, the mate, stood almost di-
rectly over the boiler when it exploded. He
was thrown into the river and sustained a
| simple fracture of the thigh.
Howard Gardner, of Williamsburg, who
was on his way to YOnkers to conduct re
| yival meeting, was badly scalded, and it is
feared that he will not recover.
! William H. Henry, aged eighteen, an
oiler, was scalded but his injuries are not
serious.
Thomas Saul, of Brooklyn, a passenger,
was Scalded about the neck and feet but il
is thought he will recover.
Edward TaIlman, the engineer, was Sc
Yerely, but not fatally, scalded.
The following is a list of the killed:
Mrs. Charles Sisson, aged siXty-eight years
TarTytOwn; Thomas Gregg, sixty years. tot
Water street; an unknown man; Mr.. Charles
SiSsOn, who was on the boat with his wife is
missing, and is undoubtedly dead.
The injured are:
r. Nelson Magee, Haverstraw, pilot; Edward
Tallman. engineer; Henry Mosher Peekskill
porter; John Salair, mate; William II. Henry
oiler; Thomas saul Brooklyn; Howard Gard
ner, Youkers; James Clark, So Goerch street
W. b. Chapman, fonkers; Dennis Egan, 30!
West Twelfth street; George A. Dymes, fire
man, Haverstraw; James Tobin, Yonkers
Israel Lazarus, u Mott street
The dead were taken to the mOrgue ant
the injured to st. NmCents and the New
York hospitals
The engineer was about entering the en-
gine-rOom to slow up, as another steambOa
was at their landing, when an ominous rum
j, bic was heard proceeding from the boiler
and in moment the terrible explosion oc
CURED, blowing out the entire inside of tn
! vessel, and leaving only the helpless, sink
l ing hull The force of the explosion wa
, downward, apparently, the Tapidity witt
which the vessel sank showing that the bot
i tom had been blown out. The river wa
C strewn with wreckage-Cabin doors, beams
: boards and furniture floating about AM
proving the force Of the explosion.
: Accounts of the manner of the explosion
4 differ. Those on the boat agree that it wa
q sudden and entirely without warning. !
| policeman, who had been a bOiler-makel
=, and who was standing at the foot of Bloom
? field street, declares that his attention wa
4, ! attracted by the sound Of escaping steam
Looking out on the river lie saw the River
!, dale going up stream, partly enyeloped i
steam, that escaped with a loud roar frOr
: her side. He saw people rush from tn
l lower to the upper deck and make ready t
: throw themselves in the river. The mex
moment the explosion came.
: The steam yachts of Jay Gould and Z.
10 Jaffrey were lying at the foot of Twenty
d third street. Both Gould and Jaffrey ha
IL lust gone ashore when the accident OC
Cured. Upon hearing the explosion the
, Immediately turned about, and, putting on
h to the scene of the wreck in their gig
70 ordered their yachts to follow without de
), lay. Both engaged in the work OF glvin
g aid wherever needed with great zeal. Whe
their yachts appeared all who were in sigt
+ in the water had been picked up.
II The Riverdale was built thirty-five veal
= ago and was first called the Peter q. Coffin
= Afterward she was renamed Alexis, an
d while bearing the latter name received I'll
machinery and fittings of the old Broadwa
n that was blown up in June, 1865, with
10 one hundred yards of the place where I'll
u present explosion occurred. In 1879 81
n was rebuilt and new boilers put in, an
=, named the Riverdale.
4, Thomas j. Sauls, who was injured by Il
explosion. died at midnight, Tuesday. IT
9 following missing people have been inquire
II for: Mrs Longstreet, Mr. Archibald, an
y Mr. Mcconnell, Mrs. Emily Mordaf {
u Haverstraw, Abraham TompkIns, of Tarr!
70 town, and three ladies who were with hin
. WV. F. Tippey, Palisades Mountain HOUSE
Mrs. Langfare and daughter, of Tarr.
10 town; W. W. A. Harris, Superintendent
~ e V.RV