St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-18
THE WORK OF A FIEND
a Steamer Badly Shattered at Philadel-
phia by the Explosion of Guam
tity of Dynamite.
Sixteen Persons Receive Serious Injury
The PerpetratOr Of the Outrage
Not Discovered.
AT Lapeer, Mich, a Grand stand Col
lapses and Several Men are
Injured.
Bold Attempt to Defraud Several New
York Banks by an UnskiIl-
full Forger.
ExnInsinm OH a Roaf.

Explosion OH a Boat.
PHILADELPHIA. Aug. IA seriOns eX-
ploSOn occurred on the steamer >. NJ. Eel
ton this morning just after she had left her
docks on her trip to Wilmington. Del, as
she was opposite pier S. The passengers
and crew were startled by an explosion
which shook the boat from stem to stern,
and when the smoke cleared it was found
that the entire forward part of the vessel
above the water line was badly damaged
and a number of passengers injured, some
of them severely. The pilot house and en-
tire upper deck were lifted and fell to the
lower deck. The bow presented a scene of
complete wreck. Tugs proceeded at once
to the injured vessel, and with the assist
ance of the police and tug which was ly-
ing near by. at once proceeded to remove
the injured. The ambulance of the Penn
sylyana hospital soon arrived and took
most of the injured to that Institution. The
steamer is owned by the Pennsylvania Rail-
road company. She was a large, we'll
equipped boat. The passengers and many
of those who saw the explosion from the
shore insisted that gunpOwder or some sim
liar explosive was ignited on the forward
deck and several persons who were stand
ing on the pier declare that they distinctly
noticed the odOr of gunpowder. There has
been considerable rivalry between the FELTON,
and other boats running to Wilmington and
reports have gained ground that malicious
persons placed an explosive on the deck.
There We're over two hundred people on the
boat when the explosion occurred. The
wrecked upper works took fire, and fright
full panic ensued. This was speedily
checked by the GOODNESS of a number Ofmen
who drew the women and children aft and
prevented many frantic women from leap
ing overheard. Besides the seriously hurt,
a large number were stunned by the shock.
The promptneSs with which assistance came
allayed the panic and prevented the fire
from spreading. The steamer is not i'll
jured below her water line. The cost of
repairing will not exceed 81, 800. There
now seems but little doubt about the eXplo-
sion being due to dynamite or gunpowder,
though no one seems TO know how it was
taken aboard. 1t seems marvellous that
half the people on board escaped death
Witnesses say that at the moment of the
explosion everything became envelOped i'm
darkness, and the boat rocked as if in a
heavy storm. 1t is supposed no one leaped
overheard. but a man who secured a life
preserver has since come ashore at Walnut
street wharf, apparently uninjured. The
list of wounded numbers sixteen, as fol-
lows:
THE INJURED.
JESSE BRADLEY of Philadelphia, ankle
disocated.
J. b. CHESTER of Chester, side injured.
GEORGE COCHRANE of Philadelphia, back
and thigh hurt by falling woodwork.
SAMUEL COOPER Of Frankfort, hurt about
the chest and head.
GEORGE ERWIN, a deck hand, severely in
i1lrp6 i'm tho side
JAMES E. McDONALD'S child of Chester,
leg broken.
SILAS REED of Philadelphia, slightly in
jured.
GEORGE MITCHELL deck hand of Bridge
ton, n. D., right hand severely cut and ankle
sprained.
JOHN MCCUSKER, passenger, injured
about the breast.
EDWARD SPEAR of Philadelphia, injured
internally; it is thought he Will die.
JOHN STEVENSON of Camden, N. j.,
Slightly injured.
CHARLES QUINLAN of Philadelphia, badly
burned about the body.
JAMES VALENTINE of Wilmington, Del,
engineer of the FELTON,, cut about the head by
flying glass.
JOHN S. VANTINE of Chester, Pa, COM
plicated dslocaton of ankle.
EDWARD YOUNG of Wilmington, Del,
fireman of FELTON,, injured about the head and
face
w
ing on the wharf when the explosion Oc-
Cured. He was thrown BACKWARD on a
bench and sustained injuries Gi the right
wrist. The passengers We're mostly women.
taking babies for Il fresh air trip on the
river. Their remarkable escape is accounted
for by the proyidential fact that but few of
them We're in the forward end of the
steamer. as the forward canvass awning
had not been set and the sun shining there
mode the passengers seek cooler spots in
the stern of the boat. Edward Young the
fireman, says that when the explosion oc-
Cured he was carrying only thirty-tive
pounds of steam to the square inch. An
drew Tinker said to- day that he inspected
the boiler last May and found it
in good condition. The iron was
tested. 1t is stamped $4,000 pounds
and broke at 56. 900 pounds The indenta-
ton in the head of the boiler, however,
shows beyond doubt that the explosive force
came from without and not from within.
Capt. Wiley, Mr.. Lawrence. Mr.. Aiershon
and Mr.. Linker made q careful examination
of the wreck for the purpose of ascertaining
the cause Of the explosion. The investiga-
ton established the fact that the explosion
was caused by dynamite.
THE EXPLOSIVE
had been placed forward. directly in front
OF the lcau OF the DOllef. 1Ec steamer
came up from Wilmington at $50 o'clock
and lay az her wharf until 10 o'clock last
night She lay in charge of Andrew Jones
of BridgetOn. Y. J. lie could not be COM
municated with, but Capt. Wiley says if a
stranger had boarded or attempted to board
the steamer last night the watchman would
have informed him of that fact. While
the steamer was at her wharf this morning
the passengers came aboard and took
chairs on the hurricane decks or aft. The
officers and deck hands were busy, and no
attention was paid to the movements Of the
passengers. Several of them carried bas-
kets. so that bundle or package might be
carried aboard without attracting attention.
The official report made to ii. +. Kenny,
superintendent of the Philadelphia, Will
mington Il Baltimore Railroad company,
under whose supervision the steamboat is
operated. says: 1.-The head Of the boiler
was indented and cracked about a foot in
length. The explosion is believed TO have
been caused by cartridge of some kind
malcousy placed under the head OF the
boiler" Detectives have been put Oh the
case. The FELTON, was insured for $50, ,00O,
of which S25, 600 was placed in the London.
Liverpool and Globe and S25, 900 held by
the Pennsylvania Railroad company.
Collapse of a Grand Stand.
LAPEER, Mich, Aug. 17.-The roof of
The grand stand being erected for the
Lapeer Driving park races of Wednesday