Daily Republican., 1885-08-20
The steam nsr FeIsou.

The investigation In referance to tho
explosion on the steamer FELTON, is sup.
posed to be progressing, but thus far
there Is very little positive information
TO be obtained concerning the matter.
There are many reports In circu latiOn
as to the cause of the disaster, and it is
now said that q discovery was made
yesterday, which may lead to the solv.
ing of the mystery by which the explo-
sion is surrounded, and which points to
q confirmation of the theory that some
powerful explosive was placed on the
steamer by some unknown person.
Pilot George N. Currey, tosether with
Captain WHEY, renewed early in the
morning the search among the debris
for some evidence of the nature of the
explosive used.
The rubbish and crumbled plaster,
which thickly covered the lower deck
in from; of the boilez, was carried in
buckets to the main deck and deposited
In heap, where 1t Was carefully exam.
ined by Captain Wiley. In short time
the search was rewarded by the finding
ofa fragment of metal, which had
Ievidently belonged on hand satchel,
among the pieces of belts and hinges
that had been shattered by the force Of
the concussion. Soon afterwasd a
bunch of bright, twisted wire, with the
appearance of having once been wrap.
ped around some kind OF package, was
discovered.
A farther disoovery-muoh more
important than the others-was made
of a piece of tin milling the lid Of
a canister of dynamite. This lid IL
about one inch in diameter, and this'i,
the size generally used in mercantile
~ ra m mo nVlir 4
used are one inch in thickness and three
inches long. To intlict the amount o
damage done to the FELTON, would re-
IQuire dozen of such canisters, and &
person carrying that many wou.t
NATURALLY bind the canisters together b.
some such substance as wire.
A colored man who was a passenger
at the time the explosion occurred
stated Immediately afterwards tha
lust before the boat left the warf, b
saw long bearded, sandy. complexion
ed man cautiously deposit hand ba
between the boiler and the forward
bulkhead, after which he hooked til
, companion-w way door back in tn
position in which he found 1t, thus con
cea.ing the small satchel from view.
, 1T is now thought by many that tn
disaster was caused by dynamite o
nitro glycerine, that was taken on boar
, by some one who wished to take it t.
their home for blasting purposes, and il
lconfirmation of this theory Captain Eu
/ gene Rey bold, of the steamer Major Rey
bold says mot long ago had a talk " 1t
3 a man living In this State, who told m
of the wonderful success he had i
blowing up stumps. He told nae tina
he used dynamite which he put on tn
/ stumps and in that way he could bio,
them clean out Of the ground. After h
: got through with his story l asked hin
/ how he managed to carry the stuff il
3 bringing it to his farm.
"Oh, said he, 1 take a satchel
carry it carefully, and nobody is th
wiser for it. Now that is the way IL
t which the Felten was blown up" con
. tinued the speaker. "Some fellow
a wanted lot Of nitro lycerine, whic
: he bought in Philadelphia, and bein
1 afraid to carry it around, he stuck
> between the boiler and the stairway a
q a good hiding place. There the stu
l got too hot and off 1t went. 1t WASH
malice, it was stupidity, and the PEI
pie who 60 about intimating that ii
+ accident was the outcome of bus
j. ness jealousy haven't any sense at al
THE men whose honor is thus impu to
iare not capable of any moanness.
know them, every one OF them, an
they are as honorable men as can b.
mo, it was an accident produced b
= Ignorance, and the fellow who did it
afraid to say 80, of course"