The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-17
SEVENTEEN MEN PERISH
AWFUL EXPLOSION ON
STEAMER IN CHICAGO.

The Tioga, of the Union Line, Wrecked by
the Ignition OF Gas in Her HOld-FIames
Attack the Wreck and Char the Bodies
of the Unfortuhates-A Horrible Catas-
trOphe.
Chicago dispatch: BY a terrific ex-
plosion that shook ali the buildings in
the center OF the city and startled thouS-
andS of residents the stern of the mag
niiicent freight steamer Tioga was blown
out and no less than seventeen men met
instant death.
There was IL rush of steam and smoke,
a cloud of shattered timberS, and the
agonlzing cries of those not killed who
were unable to escape from the flames
that at once be gan to eat up everything
within reach of their awful fury.
Thousands fi3cked to the docks of the
Union Steamboat company, on the river
back of Market street between Wash
ington and Randolph, and the fire en-
gineS were soon in the vicinity doing
good work to prevent the threatened
complete loss Of the big vessel.
Theories differ as to the cause of the
explosion. Some claim that the com
buStible cargo of oil stored in hold s,
directly aft the boilers. was the cause.
Others claim that the water in the
boilers had bee in allowed to run low and
they were u1 able to withstand the
strain brought to bear upon them.
At o'clock the porter, William Pal
mer of Buffalo, descended into the hold
with several Ia mps, which he placed
about on the deck that the roustabouts
might see 10 continue their work far
into the night as the vessel was TO have
left on her return trip to Buffalo this
evening.
No sooner had Palmer assembled to
the upper deck after joking with the
men below tina In the explosion came.
1t is believed that the vapor from few
barrels of naph tina communicated with
the light of The lamps and did the fear
full work.
The noise of the explosion was heard
nearly q mile distant from the scene.
Immediately following it came a shower
of wood and iron thrown hundreds of
feet into the air, with here and there
the burned and mangled form of some
human being plainly visible to the hOr-
rifed SPECTATORS and then falling into
the murky waters of the river, probably
never to be seen again.
A sheet of fla me wrapped the gigantic
vessel from about amidships to the
stern, shooting hundred feet up into
the air, lighting up the neighboring
warehouses a nd shipping with dull
glow which only added terror to the
scene.
From the de pth of the vessel cORld be
heard the no ar of the flames and the
occasional explosion of q barrel of oil,
while the forms of half score of un-
fOrtunates pehned in the fiery furnace
could be seen writhing in agony and
unable to escape.
The sight was an awful one and the
firemen, who nj ade heroic efforts to rem
der assistance, were steadily driven
back from their position.
On the upper deck lay the unconscious
forms of sever al men who were hurled
up from below by the force of the ex-'
plosion.
The first body taken out was that of
o colored roustabOut. 1t was found
hanging partly over the cOmbing of
the hatch leading into hold 5. Not q
vestige Of the clothing remained, the
body being burned almost to a crisp and
twisted and distorted in a horrible
shape. The face was entirely unrecOg-
nizable and tn body was quickly con-
veyed to the morgue. A dozen patrol
wagons and the ambulance, which had
been summoned, now drove up to the
dock to receive the dead and wounded.
The surviving members of the crew,
under the com nand of Capt Phelps, and
the truck co mpanies, lowered them
selves into the hold, and supported by
planks laid &C ross the open hatchways,
recovered five more bodies and carried
them out to the dock Two of these
were white me and two were cOlored.
but they were SO burned and distorted
as to be entirely unacceptable. They
were taken to the mOrgue and placed
among the uni known dead
The seventeen men killed were all
StevedOreS or members OF the crew.
About as many more were Injured, soma
of them fatally.