Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-02-28
A FERRYBOAT EXPLOSION.
FROM THIRTY-FIvE TO FORTY LIVES
 SACRIFICED.


 tims of Death Trap-Fire Succeeds
 the Explosion and Renders Assistance
 to the Sufferers More Difficult.
 VALLEJO, Cal, Feb 2S. A disastrous explosion occurred yesterday morning at South Vallejo, on the ferry steamer Julia, plying between South Vallejo and Vallejo Station The steamer was about to leave her moorings 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 loud explosion, and sheet of flame shot into the air. Those who were on deck were hurled overt board, and several of them were killed outright by being struck by pieces of the debris, which were sent flying in all directions.
 Many men rushed to the assistance of the unfortunate passengers In few minutes all was confusion, for men, women and children who had relatives on board the ill-fated Julia were wailing and wringing their hands as they rushed around the wharf. The 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 the deck at the time of the explosion and were either killed outright or drowned when the water poured in on them. It had been customary for all passengers to go below the deck in the morning, as it was cold and foggy. A few who were on the deck and not rendered insen- sible by the force of the shock, were quickly assisted ashore by the people on the wharf.
 To add to the havoc of the scene large vats of petroleum stored on the wharf caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly. The fire con- panies were unable 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, freight depot 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 the fremen and others were trying to save the wharf large number of boatmen were rowing around the wreck seeking to recover bodies. Soon after the explosion oc- cured the steamer had burned to the waters edge and sunk to the bottom with great lumber of the victims buried under the debris in the cabin.
 It is believed that between thirty and forty lives were lost. Up to a late hour last night nineteen bodies had been recovered. The Joseph Fragas, William Samam, Oler Nelson, Alfred Madison, Michael Branley, John Brevick, William Stark, Edward Rne, and a man named Higgins.
 The names of nearly half of the passengers who were on the steamer at the time of the explosion are not known, which makes it inn possible to tell how many sunk widl the wreck, but at least fifteen who are known to have been on the steamer are still missing. Capt. Gedge, of the Julia, was severely injured, as was also Charles Heath, the pilot. Twelve others were also very severely injured.
 The record of the Julia is bad one, and this is not the first terrible accident on the steamer. In September, 1866, the head of ner boiler blew out instantly killing nine ot the crew and scalding the clerk and another officer of the boat so badly that they lin gered for only few days The cause of the disaster yesterday is not known. The steamer burned petroleum for fuel Vallejo is thirty nine miles up the bay from San Francisco At p. m. the coroner decided to hold an inquest over the bodies that had been recov. cred for the purpose of identifying them. Ii was no easy task, as all the bodies were more or less disfgured In one corner of the shed lay mass of human remains so charred that it was impossible to identify them ex. cept by scraps of clothing on the body. Near by lay another body, the skull cleft in twain and the hands blown off. The face ot still another body was mass of flesh on ac count of burns. Legs were broken in severa places When the jury suspended their la. bors, however, thirteen bodies had been iden tified. The most of the passengers on the ill fated boat were day laborers Had it beer an hour later several of the heavy capitalists of San Francisco would have been on the boat, as they go up into the valley beyond or Saturday night and return Monday morning