The Indianapolis journal., 1883-08-29
The Wrecked Vessel Immediately Heels
Over and Goes to the Bottom in
Less than a Minute.
Widely Divergent Reports as to the
Number of Lives Lost.
First Statements Place the Number OF
Missing at Fifty, Which Is Much Re
duced by Later Figures.

o'clock this afternoon people who were in the
neighborhood of the foot of Fourteenth street
and North river were startled by the sound OF
an explosion coming from the direction of the
river. Looking out in midstream they saw
the steamer Riverdale enveloped in steam.
Less than five minutes afterward she keeled
to one side and capsized opposite Sixteenth
street, she having f1oated that far. Instantly
about fifteen different tugs steamed from
this city and Hobok en- to where the sunken
vessel lay.
There were over one hundred passengers
on board the Riverdale when she left the
foot of Harrison street for Haverstraw.
Some of these were hurled into the air and
then fell back into the water, others were
compelled to jump into the river to escape
the kissing, scalding steam that had filled all
parts of the vessel, or to avoid going down
with her. The cause of the disaster
was the explosion of the boiler,
which was located amidships. When
the boiler burst the air was filled
with flying debris and broken woodwork,
and the pilot-house snapped like pipe-stem
and toppled over into the water. About
fifty people lost their lives, some being
blown to pieces, while others met their
deaths by being drawn down with the whirl-
pool caused by the sinking of the vessel.
Those who we're floating or swimming about
in the river were picked up by the tugs and
rowboats that came to the rescue. Three
dead bodies were also brought in by boats.
Mrs. Sissin, of Tarrytown, N. Y, an un-
known man, whose bo dy was taken to the
morgue, and boy whose identi ty has not
been ascertained, we're also taken to the
morgue. Of the injured, Howard Gardner,
the evangelist of Yonkers, N. Y, was taken
to the New York Hospital John Kelley,
deck hand, of Englewood, N j., arms
broken, taken to the New York Hospital;
John Moran, deck-hand, of williamsburg,
N. Y, legs and side crashed, taken to the
New York Hospital; Thos. ]. Saul, passenger,
of PA Somers street, Brooklyn, scalded, taken
to New York Hospital; John Salair, mate of
vessel left thigh badly crushed, taken to the
New York Hospital; John Giles, of this city,
aged twenty-four, badly scalded and in an
extremely critical condition, taken to New
York Hospital; George A. Dimes, one of the
firemen of the boat badly scalded, taken to
st. Vincent's Hospital.
The firemen of several engine and hook
and ladder companies stationed nearest to
the scene of disaster, were called out, with
out their apparatus, however, and did good
service, as did also the members of the steam
boat squad.
Policeman Michael Killilea, of Charles
street station, was the first to help the
wounded fireman, George A. Dimes,
on shore from a boat at
the foot of Twelfth street. "I never saw
man in such suffering" said the officer, ''and
hope may not witness another such sight
The poor fellow squirmed, and his flesh was
peeling off in blisters 1 called at once on,
an ambulance driver nearest me and had the
unfortunate man sent to st, Vipcents
Hospital. then went in seach OF other in
jured persons, and when 1 came to the foot
of Fourteenth street saw a man pulling
rapidly to the warf. His boat contained the
body of woman whose legs We're evidently
broken; she must have been crushed by fall
ing timbers while sitting on the deck, and
then blown overheard"
Of the passengers aboard the Riverdale,
some were blown up with the explosion, but
from the best accounts obtainable the num-
Der was small, as there were few in the cab
ins at the time. No exact idea can at pres
ent be gained as to the number of passengers
on board or the number of lives lost The
accounts of the number of passengers vary
from fifty to 200, and of the killed from ten
to fifty. The most trustworthy accounts
place the number of killed at from three to
six. There is reason to believe that nearly
all had chances to escape
THE EXPLOSION AND SINKING.
The hour at which the explosion occurred
was between $3.50 and 3:45. The engineer
was about TO enter the engine-room to slow
up, as another steamboat was at their land
ing, when an ominous rumbling was heard
proceeding from the boiler, and in moment
a terrible explosion occurred, blowing out
the entire inside of the vessel and leaving
only the helpless, sinking hull. The force
of the explosion was downward, apparently,
the rapidity with which the vessel sank
showing that the bottom had been blown