River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-03-01
DEATHS AWFUL HARVEST.
A Ferry-Bost Blow Up ia San Francisco
BSy-The Debris Burns to the Waters
Edge-Belief That Forty Lives Were
Lo<f-TweIve Rn,Ifes Recovered.

A Ferry-Boat Blow Up ia San Francisco
Eay-The Debris Burns to the Waters
Edge-BeIief That Forty Lives Were
Lost-TweIve Bodies Recovered.
| VALLEJO, Cal, Feb 2S-The ferry-boat
Julia was the scene of q disastrous explo-
sion at her wharf yesterday morning, and
I il is now believed that fully forty lives
We're lost The Julia was about 10 leave
her mOorings at South Vallejo a few Minutes
after Is O'Clock a. m. There We're seventy
people on board, most of whom We're men
employed in the iumber-yards on the other
side of the strait Just as the deck hands
were hauling in the lines there was loud
! explosion, and sheet of flame shot up n
the air. Those who were on deck at the
time were hurled overheard by the force
of the explosion, and several OF them were
killed outright by being struck by pieces OF
the debris, which We're sent flying in every
direction
A great quantity Of petroleum was stored
on the wharf where the Julia was lying,
and this was fired by the explosion The
flames spread rapidly, running frOlA vat TO
vat The fire companies were unable TO ac-
cOmpgisb any thing, rs there was no water,
owing to the tide being out, and fir
teen minutes after the explosion
600 feet OF wharf, the freight depot
and the telegraph office were burning.
When the tide came in they managed TO get
a supply of water and at noon the fire was
under control While the firemen and
others were trying 10 save the wharf large
number of boatmen were rowing around the
wreck seeking TO recover the bod es A
number of men from the United States
navy yard at Mare Island and from other
steamers assisted in every way to rescue the
remains of the passengers. While the
search was going on women and children
were standing back from the burning
wharf, and } each body was brought to the
surface and placed in a shed crowd
would gather round and an excla-
nation from some one would show that
some relative of the dead had recOg-
nized the mangled remains Soon after
the explosion occurred the steamer
had burned to the waters edge and sunk to
the bottom, with the greater number of
the victims buried in the debris in the
cabin 1t is believed that between thirty
and forty lives were lost Up 10 this time
twelve bodies have been recovered, two OF
which were burned beyond recognition
The names of half the passengers who
We're on the steamer at the time of the ex-
plosion are not known and it is impossible
TO tell how many sunk with the wreck. At
least fifteen naen who are known TO have
Deen On the steamer are still miss
ing. Captain Gedge, of the Julia, was
severely injured, as was also Charles
Heath, the pilot Twelve or fifteen
others were also very severely injured
The record of the Julia is a bad one and
this is uot the first terrible accident on the
steamer. In September 1866, the head Of
her boiler blew out instantly killing nine
of the crew and scalding the clerk and an
other officer OF the boat so badly that they
| fingered for only few days
The cause of the disaster yesterday is not
known, though it is generally believed that
the explosion occurred in the boiler-roOm.
The impression also prevailed that the fire
was IL some way communicated 20 the pc
troleum tank, and that he explosion oc-
CURED in that quarter The steamer
burned petroleum for fuel Vallejo is
twenty-nine miles up the bay from San
Francisco.
Eight of the men who met death had
wives and families and five more were
single. Searchers are still at work on the
wreck trying to find more missing men
Mrs I. Ferrier, wife OF the gunner of Mar
Island navy yard. seems to have been
the only woman on board She was badly
scalded about the head and arms.
The uncovered bodies are now thought
to number eleven. 1t is supposed that, ex
elusive of the crew, there were tifty-two
passengers on board, making sixty three IN
all, and not single one escaped without
injuries more or less serious