Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-20

WoouWoIAs bnuttihB Ii tho A"ssoA o"oAA
from the small deck in front Of it, was
blown out of position, and leaned over
towards the starboard side OF the boat,
while the floors of the fore part OF the
cabin were torn away almost entirely. The
roof Of the cabin was blown out of posi-
ton and hung over towards the starboard,
while the surrounding woodwork was
wrenched of in various places.
The pilot house on the hurricane deck
was not much injured in itself, but
greatly leaned over. Many of the
wooden pillars which supported the hur-
ricane roof were displaced from their
sockets on the cabin floor, and window
panes and skylights were smashed in
every direction. Carpeting in the front
part of the cabin was torn up and various
small articles were buried in the debris
on the lower deck. Some of the panel
ing, which runs along the centre of the
saloon on each side to screen the engines
and boilers, was torn away.
In the lower deck part of the flooring
in front of the companionway leading
into the hold was stove in, and the bull
warks on each side of the forward deck
badly demolished. The boiler cont, u
semi. circular planking which covers the
boilers above the lower deck and lies
abaft the companionway, was broken in
various places, and the timber that
strewed the deck was ground into
splinters. The engineers room, on the
felt the effects of the explosion, pieces of
furniture and other articles being
broken in it. The rear portion of
the boat was not seriously damaged,
although lamp and window panes
were broken and woodwork damaged
here and there. A number of dishes
were cracked in the kitchen, and articles
in the captains Office slightly shaken up.
The great part of the damage was con-
fined to the forepart of the boat, and sur
prise was expressed by the crew yester-
day that the pilot house, the front hurri-
cane deck and the main cabin did not
tumble down instead of continuing TO
lean over to starbonrd.
The floors were strewn with broken
chairs, camp stools, &C., and presented IL
scene of general confusion.
The explosion seems to have come from
u space IN the forepart of the lower
cabin, between the boiler front and the
companionway. The boiler, which pro-
jects above the floor, is covered at the
end facing the fore-deck by plaster
composition an inch or more thick, which
acts as non-conductor. Immediately
in front of this was a wooden partition
which closed up the end of the boiler
''coat" that covered the sides of the
latter. Some Is inches in front of this
was a bulwark, or wooden wall, which
extended from the hold to the upper
deck, and formed one side of the two
companionways. One of these COM
panionways led to the hold, and
the other, which was parallel
to it, extended from the lower deck to the
main cabin. This 18-inch space, bounded
in front by the bulwark and in the rear
by the boiler partition, consequently ex-
tended from the floor of the lower deck
to the upper flooring. 1t was usually
closed in at both ends by the companion
way doors, one of which was hinged at
each side of the bulwark and hooked back
against the boiler partition. Under the
flooring of the 1S-inch space thus formed
a large 8x10 inch beam extended, which
ran across from the larboard to starboard
side of the boat. This beam was found
to have been torn in two just near its
centre, toward the starboard side, and the
adjacent boiler was badly dented at this
spot.
From the general appearance of the
beam it was supposed that some explosive
substance had been placed near by, either
on the flooring above it, or Immediately
underneath. The former theory was the
most'generally accepted, as, according to
the crew of the FELTON,, it would have
been very easy to have placed explosive
material in this space.
As the companionway doors were
almost always kept hooked back, any
thing put there might have remained
concealed for some time. Several fire
extinguishers were kept there, and the
steering gear ran through it from the
pilot house to the hold. These articles
did not need frequent attention, and it
was said that the space was accordingly
not often looked into.
The boiler was not seriously damaged,
but had the explosive power proceeded
sideways instead of upwards it is believed
that it would have been badly injured.
As it was, n slight leak was found in it..
The lower companionway was left stand
ing, but the surrounding beams and posts
in the hold were damaged. The plaster
covering the boiler partition and the
bulwark in front were almost entirely
destroyed.
The direction of the explosion appeared
to have been upward, although portions
of the boat not in its course came in for a
certain amount of damage. 1t was esti-
mated Monday Afternoon that $4,000
would cover the injury sustained by the
FELTON,. There was an insurance OF
$50, 900 on the vessel, placed by Atwood
Smith in the London, Liverpool a. Globe
Insurance Company, 1926, 900 in'behalf OF
III. Il. Kenney, as trustee, and like
amount for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company.
The insurance was designed to cover
all damage by fire, and had the boat
taken fire after the explosion the com
panies would have been liable, but fol
damages such as have been sustained
from this explosion the insurance com
panies are not liable. There was III
accident insurance policy on the vessel
An insurance agent from Philadelphia
was upon the bont this morning with
view to ascertaining the state of the case
and the above are the conclusions II
winch ne arrived.
The general impression Monda,
| afternoon was that the accident wa
caused by some one taking an explosiv
material on board and depositing it nea
the boiler, but it could not be ascertaine,
whether this was really the case, or, if SO
what was the explosive substance.
Captain Linden of the Pinkertol
Detective Agency, came down fror
Philadelphia Monday and mnde n pre-
liminary examination of the FELTON,, b.
request of the Pennsylvania railroa
officials. He afterwards said ~ can s
far find nothing ON which to base n
opinion, but | do not believe that gun
powder was used"
| One of the steamboat officers said tim
he thought some ono had deposited th
explosive near the boiler in order thu
the latter might be destroyed and so al
pear to have blown up. One gentleman
who is said TO possess some knowledge {
explosives. Thought it possible TINT nitro
glycerine had been used.
II was reported that there was q whit
smoke around the immediate scene OF I'll
explosion after it occurred. This WI
afterwards said to have been dust froI
the plaster covering around the boil'
front. The only suspicious article foun
in the debris on the steamboat was
short nail, having an unusually lare
head, which was not supposed to ha'
been in any of the wood or iron work.
Some of the men stated that the
noticed sulphurous odor after the expl
sion, while others said it seemed to
gunpowder. Boiler Inspector Hand, wi
boarded the FELTON, soon after the acc
dent, expressed his belief that dynami
had been used.
The crew and officers of the danag,
vessel talked freely of the accident I
a | THAR arrival here They rauarnlly nttl