The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-28
The Inflated Steamer.

| dAO uC
steamer was about to leave her moor
ings few minutes after 6 O'Clock, and
had about seventy persons on board,
many of whom were going across the
strait to work in the lumber yards on
the other side. Just as the deck hands
were hauling in the lines there was a
loud explosion, and sheet of flame
shot into the air. Those who were on
deck at the time were hurled over
board by the force of the explosion.
and several of them killed outright
| by being struck by pieces OF debris,
which were sent flying in all directions.
The explosion attracted the attention
of persons living in the vicinity, and
men rushed to the assistance of the
unfortunate passengers. In a few
minutes all was confusion, for men,
women and children who had relatives
on board the Inflated Julia were wall
ing and wringing their hands as they
rushed around the wharf. Men on the
wharf were anxious to aid, but there
seemed to be but little for them to do.
as most of the passengers were below
decks at the time of the explosion,
and were either killed outright or
drowned, when the water pouied in on
them. 1t had been customary for pas
sengers to 20 below decks in the
morning, as it was cold and foggy.
A few who we're on deck and
were not rendered insensible by the
force of the shock were assisted
ashore by men on the wharf. To add
to the intensity OF the scene, the large
| watts of petroleum stored on the wharf
for .replenishing the steamers tanks,
eau ght fire, and the flames spread rap
Tho IL
| to accomplish anything, as there was
no water, owing to the tide being out,
and fifteen minutes after the explosion
about 600 feet of wharf, the freight de-
pot and telegraph office were burning.
When the tide came in they managed
to get supply of water, and at noon
had the fire under control. While fire.
men and others were trying to save the
wharf, large number of boatmen we're
rowing around the wreck seeking to re-
cover the bodies. A number of men
from the United States navy yard, at
Mare Island, and from other steamers.
assisted to secure the remains of
passengers. While search was going
| on, women and children were standing
back from the burning wharf, ana as
each body was brought to the surface
and placed in the shed, the crowd would
gather around and an exclamation from
some one would tell that some relative
of the dead had recoe nized the ma gled
remains. Soon after the explosion
occurred, the steamer had burned to
the waters edge, and sunk TO The bot
| tom with the greater number of the
victims buried under the debris in the
cabin. 1t IS believed that between
| thirty and forty lives were lot.
Tho noO1oc of tho nfhor for,
are as follows: Melvin Hodgkins, Joseph
Fragas, VIM. Saman, Olef Nelson. Al
| fred Madison, Michael Branley, John
Brevick, William Stark, Edward Rule,
and man named Higgins. The names
of half OF the passengers who were on
the steamer at the time of the explosion
are not known, and it is impossible TO
tell how many sank with the wreck;
but at least fifteen who are known to
have been on the steamer are still miss
ing. Captain Gedge, of the Julia, was
seriously in ured, as was also Charles
Heath. pilot. Twelve or fifteen others
were also very seriously injured.
The RI cord of the Julia is bad one,
end this is not the first terrible
accident on the steamer. In Sep
TENDER, 1866, the head of her boiler
blew out, instantly killing nine of
the crew, and scalding the clerk and
another officer of the boat so badly
that they fingered for only few days.
The cause of the disaster to-day
is not known, though it is
generally believed that the explosion
sion also prevailed that the fire was in
some way communicated to the petro-
leum tank, and that the explosion
occurred in that quarter. The steamer
burned petroleum for fuel. Valleiosis
twenty nine miles up the bay fromSan
francisco.
At p m. the coroner decided to held
an inquest over the bodies that have
been recovered, for the purpose of
identifying them. 1t was no easy task,
as all the bodies were more or
less disfgured. For instance, in one
cornshed lay mass of human remains,
so oharred that it was impossible to
identify them, except by scraps of cloth
ing on the body. Near by lay another
b1dy, the skull cleft in twain and hands
blown off. The face of still another
body was mass of raw flesh on ao-
count of barns, and thu legs were
broken in several places. When the
jury suspended their labors, however,
thirteen bodies had been identified. Most
OF the passengers on the Inflated boat
were day laborers. Had it been an hour
later several Of the heavy capitalists of
San Francisco would nave been on the
boat, as they go up into the valley be-
yond on Saturday night and return
Monday morning.
Eight of the men who met death
had wives and families, and five
more were single men. Searchers
are still at work On the wreck
trying to find more missing men.
Mrs. Ferryer, the wife of gunner of
Mare Island Navy Yard, seems to be
the only woman on board. She was
badly scalded about the head and arms.
The list of unrecovered bodies is now
thought to number eleven. 1t is sup
posed that exclusive of the crew, there
were ffty-two passengers on board,
making sixty-three, and not single
ore escaped without injuries more or
less serious.
Is Consumption IncurableP
Read the following: MIR. G. 81. Nor
ris, Newark, Ark, says; WAS down |
with hSceSS of Lungs and friends and 1