Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-07-17
SEVENTEEN MEN PERISH
AWFUL EXPLOSION ON A
STEAMER IN CHICAGO.

y
the Ignition OF Gas In Her Hold-Fiames
Attack the Wreck and Char the Bodies
OF tho Unfortunaies-A Horrible Catas-
trophe.
Chicago dispatch: BY terrific ex-
plosion that shook all tho buildings In
the center OF the city and startled thous-
ands of residents the stern OF the mag
Diiicent freight steamer Tloga was blown
out and no less than seventeen men met
instant death.
There was rush of steam and smoke,
a cloud OF shattered timbers, and the
agonizing cries OF those not killed who
were unable to escape from the flames
that at once began to eat up everything
within reach Of their awful fury.
Thousands flocked TO the docks OF the
IIninn Staamhnat rnmnany- ON The river
back OF Market street between Wash
ington and Randolph, and tho fire en-
gines were soon In tho 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 5,
directly aft the boilers, was the cause.
Others claim that the water in the
boilers had been allowed TO run low and
they were unable to Withstand the
strain brought to bear upon them.
At o'clock the porter, William Pal
mer OF Buffalo, descended into tho hold
with several lamps, 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 ascended to
the upper deck after joking with the
men below than the explosion came.
1t is believed that the vapor from few
barrels of naphtha communicated with
the light of The lamps and did the fear
full work
The noise of the explosion was heard
nearly mile distant from the scene.
Immediately following 1t came 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-
rified spectators, and then falling into
the murky waters OF the river, probably
never to be seen again.
A sheet of flame wrapped the gigantic
vessel from about amidships to the
stern, shooting hundred feet up into
the air. lighting up the nelghboring
warehouses and shipping with a dull
glow which only added terror to the
scene.
From the depth of the vessel could be
heard the roar of the flames and the
occasional explosion Of a barrel of oil,
while the forms of half score Of un-
fortunates penned in the fiery furnace
could be seen writhing In agony and
unable to escape.
The sight was an awful ono and the
Ger assIsoh aaes-- eSsakSortH "a reaa
back from their position.
On the upper deck lay the unconscious
forms of several men who were hurled
up from below by the force OF the ex-
plosion.
The first body taken out was that OF
coored 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 horrible
shape. The face was entirely unrccog
nizable and the body was quickly con.
veyed to the morgue. A dozen patro
wagons and the ambulance, which hao
| been summoned, now drove up to the
| dock TO receive the dead and wounded
The surviving members OF the crew
under the command of Capt. Phelps, and
| the truck companies, lowered them
selves into the hold, and, supported by
| blanks laid across the open hatchways
recovered five moro bodies and carried
them out to the dock. Two of thes'
were white men and two were colored
| hut thau Dara bsasaAad- -distortnf
as to be entirely unrecognizable. The.
were taken to the morgue and places
among the unknown dead.
The seventeen men killed were al
stevedorcs or members of the crew
About as many more were Injured, som
of them fatally.