Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-03
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.

A Minute Description of the Fatality and
How it Game About-Two Killed Out
right-Tbousands Scared and Several
Injured.
The killed are George Wilson, of Wheel
ing, engineer of the Return, and Wilson
Cochrane, fireman on the Two Brothers.
Wilson lived at No. 81 Diamond street with
his family, consisting of a wife and two
daughters. He was a resident of Wheel
ing, w. Va, and was son of Steamboat In
spector Wilson, of that place. Cochrane
was a resident of Kittanning, Pa, and
boarded in the city. He was about q years
of age and unmarried.
The following are the injured:
EDWARD ]. HULINGs, commander Of the
Return; slightly injured about the face and
neck. He also inhaled some of the steam, but
was able to be about in few hours.
WILLIAM ROTH, deckhand on the Return;
cut on the side of the head, nose and hand.
He is resident of Kittanning, and has wife
living at that place.
WILLIAM BoNER cook on the Two Broth
ers; badly bruised about the body and chilled
by being blown into the river. He was fished
out and was able to walk about He lived on
the boat since the date of his employment,
January Il.
HARRY CRICK, deckhand on the Return, had
his left foot badly bruised and broken about
the ankle. He is % years of age and resides at
No. 1926 Smallman street.
JOSEPH GRAHAM, engineer on the Two
Brothers; cut about the head by flying timbers.
He was picked up and was able to walk to his
home, on Lacock street, Allegheny.
JOHN BRoEN, fireman of the Return, was
hurt about the body by flying timbers and
blown into the river. He was chilled about
the body.
HARRY HULINGs, commander of the Two
Brothers, was coming up from below at the
time of the explosion. He was knocked down
and stunned by the conclusion,
A GERMAN by the name of Stork was walk
ing over the Fort Wayne bridge at the time
He was thrown violently against the iron work
of the bridge by the conclusion of the shock.
A piece of iron from the boiler of the Two
Brothers struck him above the left eye. He
staggered away to his home, supposed to be in
the upper part of Allegheny. He was former
ly engineer on the Modoc, which blew up four
years ago and was owned by the Duffy's.
SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE,
who were on the bank of the river, are sup
posed to have been slightly injured by fly
ing debris. They got away before their
names could be learned. Further details,
as developed by investigation, are as follows:
The two men who were killed were horribly
mutilated and presented ghastly appearance.
As soon as pulled out from the ruins they were
taken to Morrow's morgue, where they were
washed and dressed. Cochrane had nearly the
whole of his intestines pulled ont and the top
of his head was blown entirely off. A large
cut, which had TO be sewed mp, extended clear
across the stomach, and the flesh on his breast
hung in shreds
Wilson's arms were badly twisted and torn in
addition to being broken. The top of his head
was blown off and he had large hole in his
side, as if something had pierced it. He was
also badly scalded about the body and face.
At the time of the explosion Cochrane was
standing in the coal box, preparatory to firing
up. He was within two feet of the boilers on
the Two Brothers when they went up. He was
thrown out of the starboard side of the boat
clear across the space of water between the
two boats, and landed against the bulkhead of
the Return. His head struck against the side
of the coalbox and was split open. His brains
oozed out on the deck of the Return and when
the rescuers reached him the body was already
growing cold. A large Jagged piece of iron
pierced his stomach and tore out his entrails.
George Wilson, the other man killed, who
was the engineer of the Return, was found at
the head of the boiler. A cap on the latter
had been blown off and the scalding water and
steam poured out over his head and upper
from the wreck.
Harry Crick, the deck hand who had his foot
crushed was not injured directly by the explo-
sion, but from trying TO get away after it had
occurred. At the time the shock occurred a
train of cars was being run down the Junction
railroad trestle to the float. The cars were
going at pretty lively rate, and Crick, in
jumping from one track to the other, slipped
and fell. One of the cars ran over his foot at
the ankle. He is lying at the Homeopathic
Hospital
HIS VERY CLOSE CALL.
John Broen, who was blown into the water,
had a very narrow escape from drowning.
When he was thrown into the river his hands
mechanically grasped guard which was stick
ing partly in the water. In a semi-conscious
state he managed to hold on to this until pulled
out of the river by Captain Harry Hulings.
The two boats were owned by Messrs. L ].
and H. P. Hulings, who formerly resided at
Fairview. According to the books in the
Steamboat Inspectors office, the Two Brothers
was built at Pittsburg, and was inspected at
this port May l9 1885, At that time her boiler
was in good condition and was allowed a pres
sure of l30 pounds by Inspector Sullivan. The
boat was commanded by 81. B. Hulings and
had burthen of 4Sl3 net tons. The boiler
was q feet long by 3S inches In diameter and
was made of iron in 1872 by Thorne Co., of
had a tensile strength of 81 pounds to the
square inch. The seams in the boiler were
double riveted and the hues were 27-l00 of an
inch thick. She was allowed one pilot, one
engineer and a crew of four men.
Inspectors Sullivan and Neeld visited the