New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-22
A TUGBOAT BLOWN TO PIECES
TWO MEN KILLED AND OTHERS INJURED.
IhH MAGICS BOILER BURSTS AND PLAYS
HAVOC


IhH MAGICs BOILER BURSTS AND PLAYS
HAVOC IN NEwTowN CREEK.
An explosion that imperilled the lives of several
hundred people and in which two men were killed.
occurred yesterday afternoon at the head Of
Newtown Creek, within q short distance of the
urand Street Bridge. The boiler Of the tugboat
magic burst, and the engineer, Samuel Barker.
and the cook, William Symngton, the only souls
aboard, went up with the flying fragments. The
engineers body was hurled over the mast Of the
schooner Ann En-, lying dagonaly opposite, and
olown distance of over 400 feet from the spot
"here the Magic lay before the catastrophe. The
body Of Symngton could not be found.
Inc smokestack, weighing over 500 pounds,
was carried in the same direction as the body OF
Engineer Barker. but, all twisted and battered
out OF shape, fell upon the other side Of Metro
politan-avc. number of people passing at the
Time had narrow escape from being crushed by
the falling mass of iron. The 2O0pound anchor
was found in Chapmans yard, fifty feet away,
after the explosion. Pieces Of the boiler and
fragments Of metal dew in every direction,
The dozen worl1men on board the schooner p.
Morris Perot unloading wood at Chapman's yard
were thrown to the deck by the force of the ex-
plosion. One Of the gang Samuel Spinningec. was
struck on the head by flying piece of the boiler
and knocked insenslble. lie was removed to St.
GATHERINGS Hospital He is not fatally injured
The body of the engineer was taken to the Stags
Street Station. Just before the explosion the
Magic had steamed up the creek to make fast to
the canal-boat Levi Willard Of New-Yorlx She
was to be towed from Chapmans dock, where she
had Just discharged her cargo of coal The tug
boat ran up to the Willard, but as no one was on
beard the latter Captain Charles King Of the
Magic, went in search of Captain Walter Aldridge
of the Willard. 1t was a lucky errand for King
for only eight minutes had elapsed from the moment
he left his boat until the fatal explosion occurred
Windows and sides of barns in the vicinity were
blown IN, and people for several blocks in all di
rections were deluged with mud and water from
the creek. The ice barge John w. Parker, of the
Long Island Ice Company, had three holes stove
IN her deck by pieces of the flying boiler, and one
Of her crew. John Hackeckaw had narrow escape
many pieces singing by his cars. The canalboat
Union, of Rondout, with q number of other craft
was slightly injured.
The Magic was not large tug, being only eight
cen feet by four, and about twenty tons burden
She was built three years ago by lhghtenshaner
OF New-York, for F. & j. RUSSELL Of the Newton
Creek Towing Line Mr.. Russell said that he was
unable to account for the explosion, unless the
hypothesis that the engineer fell asleep. He had
been up all the night before at the wake of his
brotherin-law and probably, overcome by fatigue
and want Of sleep dropped into a doze
The boat was valued at $4,000 and
was insured for 81, 900 Her boiler
was new, and was inspected either in September
or October last The engineer was but twenty
three years old, and had only recently been mar
ried. He lived in Eighth-st., Hunters Point
His wife was last week taken to the Smallpox
Hospital on North Brother Island. Symington
was a young Irishman, about twenty years old,
and lived on the illfated boat
popularity about the disaster is that Barker
told several of his acquaintances in the morning
that he felt confident that something would hap
pen to him before night. He seemed to have
premonition Of the accident and this remark Of
his has been much commented upon.