The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-07
A STEAMER BLOWN UP.
Several Lives Lost by an Explosion on
at New York.

The boilers of the steamtug Riverdale,
which has been plying between New York and
various Hudson river towns, exploded when
the boat was opposite West Twelfth street,
New York. There were about sixty passen-
gers on board. Five persons were killed and
fifteen injured. Following are particulars of
the disaster as CLEANED from the New York
papers:
The Riverdale, which has been plying dailyI
throughout the summer between New York.
and Haverstraw, stopping to land passengers
10y the way at Peekskill, Sing Sing, Nyack,
Yonkers and Tarrytown, left the pier at the|
foot Of Harrison street a few minutes after 81
p. NJ. So far as can be ascertained there wasI
little freight and less than the usual conf
plement of passengers on board, the number
being %variously stated from fifty to 120
The IN put well out into theI
middle of the river or leaving theI
pier, and then headed up stream.
Suddenly, when opposite Twelfth street, there|
came a deep, mutiled roar, followed by the'
crashing of timbers, and the whole of theI
center of the upper deck was thrown intOI
the air in shattered fragments, which wereI
shrouded in dense columns of steam and
smoke. Some accounts given by eye-wit-
nesses of the disaster speak of human figures
as being plainly seen among theI
debris, and one man who was watching the|
Inflated vessel from the shore says he dis
tinctly saw the forms of three men. Sol
thick, however, was the steam and the shower
of falling timbers that none of those ON board
the boat can speak with certainty; they only|
know that for a moment it seemed as if thel
whole boat was going to pieces and that the
air was absolutely darkened.
The Riverdale Immediately keeled over onI
her starboard side, and as she did so those onI
the river and the shore saw flames burst Quit
inst ahOVa tba NVnfpr-Imp A fearful scene OIL
confusion ensued. None of the passengers
appear TO know what happened i'll the few
terrible moments which followed. Some wereI
rushing about looking for friends whom they|
had last seen on the upper deck or near whereI
the explosion had occurred Others wereI
seeking some place of safety for themselves.
The water was already washing over the star
board side of the main deck, but 1t gradually
grew deeper toward the bow as II slowly set-I
tied, and the passengers crowded together mi
the after part of the boat. A few had already
jumped overheard, and as the vessel sunk
lower and lower it seemed doubtful whether
a fOothold would remain above water for anyI
one until the boats and tugs which at once|
put out from either shore reached the wreck.
Meanwhile the vessel had been dwrifting|
slowly up the river, and when the c. II. Mar
shall-the first tug to get alongside-came up,
she was nearly opposite Fourteenth street.
The Marshall Immediately began taking off the|
passengers, who were crowding in the stern,
while other boats picked up those living and
dead, who were floating in the water. Barely
had the last man been taken off when the|
small remaining woodwork above water be
gan to disappear more quickly, and just oppo-|
site Sixteenth street, with a sudden plunge,
the boat went to the bottom of the river. In7|
vestigation showed that at least five persons|
"a fireman and four passengers-lost theiI
lives. The dead passengers are; Thomas|
Gregg, e~ighty-two years old; Thomas j. Saul
and Mr.. and Mrs. Sisson. of Tarrytown-