Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-05
VANISHING IN AN INSTANT.


pssvss Asssne.
The New York Times gives the fol
loving details Of the explosion Of The
tos boat Dorie Emory Thursday eve
ming:
The tug Dorie Emory, Of lIoboken'
began at dusk yesterday to mako up q
tow to 90 to Rcndoot, by hauling out
from Candee & Smiths dock, 81 the loot
Of east Sixsy-third street, an empty
brick seow. Half dozen men were
en- the scow, aud as soon as the tug
beaded down stream, against the tide,
they sat down in the hold TO eat their
supper. The tug was TO pick up another
scow nj Fifty-third street, and kept
within 4O9 feet Of the New York shore.
she had reached Fifty ninth street
NJ about 5:35 7. NJ. and was off the
bluff known as Riverview Terrace when
she blew up with a report that persons
At the Charity Hospital, on Blackwell's
island, say was much louder than the
last Hell-Gate explosion. Few saw the
accident, and they could distinguish
little on account Of the gathering night.
Two persons on Blackwell's island and
the crew Of the island steamboat Will
liam II. Wickham had the best oPpor-
tunity Of noting what occurred.
The upper works OF the tug ap-
pesred TO leave her suddenly and the
hull spread. There was momentsry
glare, long shock with q sort of lnll
in the middle, aud up went column
Of smoke and steam 700 OF 500 feet in
the air as straight as rocket. With
the column went all sorts OF wreck,
ard some say they saw one man who
moved his limbs in the air. Then
the wrecksge began TO fall over
on area which extended from
First avenue to near Blsckwell's
Island, and for many blocks
mp and down the river. Most OF
the dibris was small and battered like
hailstones in the streets and on roofs,
but loud thuds and crashes told OF
larger pieces falling on houses and pave
ments and in yards. The smokestack
and part ofthe steam pipes were thrown
on the rocks at the foot of east Fifty
eighth street and the shore was strewn
with all sorts ofwreckage. Few win
dows remained unbroken on Riverview
Terrace and in new houses south of il
which are known as Riverview, and
hundreds Of panes Of glass were broken
in the neighborhood Of Avenue A and
Fifty-eighth street, which is known as
Sutton place.
Within q very few minutes 5000
persons we're at the river front or on
their way there, and within quarter
of an hour four times that number were
on the shore or on the terrace in front
of which the explosion took place,
peeriDg into the darkness. Pelice-Cap-
tain Gunner and o section Of policemen
went to Fifty.eigbth street at the don-
bic quick. When the tug blew up
Pilot McAvoy was steering the William
II. Wickham across 70 the island. He
made quickly for the scow, which was
drifting helplessly, partly keeled over,
toward Sixtieth street. Her bowswere
shattered, but those on beard cried out
to him that some of them were hurt,
but that six men on the Dorie Emory
had persisted.
There was not trace Of the tug to
be seen on the water except here and
there piece Of timber. Making fast
to the scow, Captain McAvoy waited
until the Cornell tug Crosby came along
and took her in tow. The men on the
seow, although she was making water
fast, declined to leave her, with the en-
ception Of one who went in the Wiz
liam Ii. Wickham. In the mean time
ut least thirty craft had gathered
around, and the water was patrolled
in every direction to discover those
who were on the tug when she
blew up. No trace was found
except some receipts and bill-heads,
which are believed to have been in the
pockets Of the master Of the tug, which
were washed ashore at Fifty-eighth
street and were taken to the twenty.
eighth Precinct statlon.house. The boat
OF the Health Department, the Franklin
Edison, came down from North Bro
TIERS Island just after the explosion
and made q systematic search in every
direction, and offered the partly-wrecked
scow tow, which she did not need.
The search for those who perished was
SO hopeless that it was abandoned
at 8 O'Clock. The Crosby started
with the scow at 6 o'clock down the
river, and the William Ii. Wickham
prepared to 20 to the island, when it
was discovered that what remained Of
the hawser of the scow when the ex-
plosion broke it had become entangled
in the paddle of the Wickham, so that
she was dragged several blocks before
those on the tug could understand the
signals from the Wickham and under
stand her dangerous predicament. 1t
took some time to get rid Of the hawser,
but the Wickham was not damaged.
When the damage done on shore was
investigated it was found that, although
no one was hurt, hundreds had had
narrow escapes in the streets aud in
houses. A timber which two men
could hardly lift fell at Fifty-eighth
street and First avenue, making a dent
in the pavement. The window OF a
grocery store was broken at Forty-slxth
street and avenue A, and wreck fell at
Sixty-third street and avenue A. Pieces
of iron were found at many places east
Of First avenue. At No. % Sutton
Place, the residence Of W. NJ. Greye
which was like all the houses on the
block which is bounded by Avenue A
Fifty.eighth and Fifty-ninth streets
and the river wall under River
view Terrace, . piece Of iron weighing
about twenty pounds fell on the roof
cut through il. and landed in nursery
where, Just before, two children wer'
playing. A hawser-cleat weighing
eighty pounds was picked up in Fifty
eighth street near Avenue A, where
had nearly buried itself. At No.
Riyerview Terrace, the residence G
A. j. Kerwin, two logs buried then
selves in the roof. They had falle
psrpendicularly and endwiss, SO thu
they stood up in the holes they mad