Daily Republican., 1885-08-18
he furnace; injured about the head and


when the explosion occurred, thrown
backward over bench, and sustained
iDjurlss on the right wrist.
WHERE THE DAMAGE WAS GREATEST.
The damage was greatest on the
starboard side of the main deck for
ward, that part of the vessel being
com pletely wrecked. The afterpart of
the boat was but slightly damaged. The
hurricane deck was torn away, the for.
ward bulkhead was completely gone
and the forward saloon blown out.
The stanchions.on the side were wrench
ed from their fastenings, and on the star.
board side were entirely gone, letting
the promenade deck down to within
two feet of the main deck. The panels
around the engine room were all loosen
ed by the force Of the shock, and the
windows in all parts of the steamer
were shattered.
A portion Of the frame work Of the
engine room was stove in, and one of
the projecting pipes was hurled inward
several inches. The chairs of the
promenade deck and on the forward
deck we're thrown into the all. and some
of them went overheard. The stair.
way leading from the main deck to the
forward deck was demolished. and tn Q
main deck was covered with debris.
Broken planks were heaped up near
the boiler and around the furnace be.
low. the engineers room, en- the star
board side, was badly wrecked, and
pieces Of window glass was driven firm
ly into panel eight feet distant, thus
indicating the intensity Of the shock.
The floor of the pilot house, which is
tx,,n slxxk i'd I.,,r Aank
was blown out on the right o. the
wheel and struck the top of
the house, falling in front of the pilot,
Gterge N. Currey, who stood on the
port side, and was thus saved from in
jury. The whole floor was thrown up
ward and then fell back TO its place.
A splinter about three inches long was
sticking in the board ceiling of the
pilot house, where it had been driven
by the violence of the conclusion. The
captain directed that it should remain,
where 1t bore testimony TO the fate that
would have awaited those on board had
they unfortunately been in the track OF
the flying splinters. The engine was
not damaged. 1t will cost about 8, COG
to put the vessel in proper repair.
WAS 1T DYNAMITE?
A mum ber of those on board the i'll
fated boat are positive that the explo-
sion was caused by dynamite, which IL
supposad to have been placed on the
main deck, just in front Of the boiler.
There is an open space of ten or fifteen
inches between the jacket or WOO en-
covering of the boiler and the bnlkhead
OF the stairway leading down to the fire
room. The doors opening into the
stairway are kept open and hooked
back. thus inclosing this space 80 thai
lsnything placed there would not be no
| tioej.
| J. Downes, the mate, said that non'
of the crew were engaged on the for
ward part of the boat, and any
one could easily have placed package
behind the bulkhead without being OBJ
served.
CAPTAIN TYLER's STATEMENT.
Captain Tyler, of the steamboa
Columbia, which was alongside tn
FELTON,, was on the deck of his vessel a
the time aud had good opportunitie
for observing. Before the Columbi
left for her trip up the river yesterda,
he said
"I was on my boat look ing out, AM
|, saw the freight taken on board tn
FELTON,. Two boxes, and l think,
barrel of fish were the only pieces
saw. These were placed In the bay
about where the explosion took place
| | have no doubt whatever that dynamit
! or ritro-gly cerine was the cause. Fron
: what have heard of dynamite l d
mot think 1t was the agency, as tn
conclusion caused very little damag
underneath the seat of the explosion
"It certainly was not gunpowder, non
lof the concommitant circumstance
being similar TO the discharge {
powder. Nitro.glycerine seems O b
the most probable substance uset
> The report was loud, but short, and tn
shock was tremendous. l felt IL on m
boat and at first thought an accident
the boilers had occurred. The aosenc
of smoke, steam and smell convince
me that the destructive material WI
!, one of the Internal machines usual
', classed as dynamite.
~ do not think 1t could have been
= !, the boxes or barrel, as there was n
y enough OF it. If it had been placed
!. either of those, 1t seems TO me mo
u would have been used. Whatever
was, 1t exploded from thejar produc'
. tby the engines and wheels of the DO
{ as soon as they began to move. The
. is always q considerable jar to DO
l lust getting under way, and this u
. eeldonbtedly produced the exploslo
~ Any body with any sense must nay
N known that dynamite or nitro-giycerl
i would not Withstand such q pressul
De and therefore 1 think 1t must ba
been placed on board for the purpose
se explosion"
4 CAPTAIN wILEY's STATEMENT.
rel CAPTAIN Wiley OF the FELTON, "
,r Thoroughly exhausted after the excl
10 ment had passed ove-, and when
a. came ashore after the boat had tied
4 lat the Pussy & Jones wharf look
~ like a man who was just getting over
ly severe spell of sickness. He said:
w az was on the hurricane deck
ofl when the explosion occurred anG
an W ould have been blown overheard ]
hadn't held on 10 post. We had aot
ia. one hundred and fifty passengers
of! ooard and it's, a mercy that more W
he not injured. If We had been head,
north while we were at the wharf
ofl won Id have been terrible. ABOUT ma
N. past nine o'clock We turneo tne "
%. shout thus throw lining the bow II
VI the sunlight. The people came on
and stay ed there and, as the exI
,1sl sion occurred just after we left
In. wharf, there was nobody forwa'
mi. When We were getting away | was
the hurricane deck in charge.of the 81
100 bells. The pilot blew his whistle
in after seeing that the lines were all ol
al. walked forward 70, he ring post =
Just then the pilot rama the 'ail cie
oflbell and the explosion came. The I
lep thing thought was that the boilers
mn. hurst and my next thought was !
there must be fire. l called to the n
ott TO get out the hose and then l saw IL
nd was no fire, either. Ther we all, W