Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-12
ArRRRInLR EXPLOSION.

FrightfaI Less of Life on Great Lake
 Freight Steamer at Chicago - Fire
 Adds to che Horror-The Cause Of
 tain's Statsment-Nine Bodies Re-
 covered uP so Nine O'clock.
 CHICAGO, July 11.-A frightful explosion occurred to night on the freight steamer Tioga, one of the largest vessels on the great lakes. Thirty-sight people were aboard the steamer at the time. When the work of reseuipg survivors, which commenced al- most instantly, was well under way, only two persons could be found who had escaped unhurt. To make matters worse fire broke out on the wrecked veesel and huge volumes of flames and smoke impeded the searchers for the dead and dying. The bursting of the steamers boilers WAS supposed to be the cause of the catastrophe, although other reasons for it are given. The explosion oc- cured in the Chicago river at the foot of Washington street. This locality Is in the heart of the business section of Chicago, and the terrific shock of the explosion tall buildings blocks away. In the hold near the steamers stern the fire held sway. Through the bursts of fire could be seen great jagged cleft in the Toga's decks and cabin, and aloft on the tall smoke stacks dangled huge framework of timber fan- tsstically swaying backward and forward, telling of the force of the explosion which sent it from thirty feet below. While the fire was in progress an Associated Press re- porter met the captain of the nl-fated steamer on the forward deck. The officer consented to stop long enough in his task of straightening out the confusion prevailing to give . statement of what he knew of the wreck. He said:
 "My name is Captain A. A. Phelps. I arrived here last evening from Buffalo in command of the Tioga and we were unload. ing at this dock when the explosion occurred this evening. I was in the freight shed on the dock when heard a terrific noise and running out saw the north quarter of the vessel enveloped in flames. All of the crew of twenty-five were either aboard at the time or were on the dock or in the freight house. found after carefully searched that all but three were accounted for. Those three were: Second Engineer George Haigh, Lookout Lavelly, Deckhand William Cuth- bert.
 "Besides the three missing who belonged to the crew there must have been from twelve to thirteen men killed, and probably half 6 dozen additional wounded. There were @ number of laborers in the hold doing the | unloading. Eight oolored men are positively l stated to have been below and six or seven others were at work at the hatches | aiding their fellow stevedores lower down. l The explosion occurred in the hold. not iu | the machinery or boilers, as near as could ascertain, and was probably caused by some combustiole freight stored there." The captain was at this moment called away to the wrecked portion of the vessel, which seemed gradually settling in the river. Occasionally 8 wounded man was being hauled ont of the debris as the flames per- mitted the police and fremen to close in | toward the literal black-hole in which the
 bodies of the stevedores lay. The unfortu- mates were gang in charge of John Neils, a white man. Among those supposed to be in
 the hold were Neile himself, Osborne Polk, ] Henry Alexander, John Lewis, Alexander | of people gathered in the neignboring bridges, docks and vessels, watching | the tragic scenes being enacted on the T1oga. The immense iron hull, painted ferbidding black, stretched three hundred feet or more
 along the pier, and 0 swarm of police. fire
 men and reporters were elambering over her | on all sides. It appeared that the explosion
 occurred just after porter named William
 Palmer had gone below with lighted lamps
 He had scarcely reached the decks sgair
 when the fearful shock came. It was said
 that two hundred barrels of oil were among
 the cargo and that these had became igpited
 Others insisted that the explosion must have
 been due to 8 lack of water in the boilers.
 At 9p. m. nine bodies had been taken ou l and five or more have been conveyed to hos
 pitals. The victims were now accessible, tn,
 fire having been extinguished by the in rnsl
 of the river water when the Tioga's s;eri
 finally settled to the muddy bottom of tn | river. The stream is not deep one, tn | steamers decks were still several feet abos
 the surface of the iuky river. One b,
 one the ghastly corpses were recovere'
 and carried into the dimly lighte freight shed on the dock. A clearer idea 0
 the explosion was obtained at midnight, whe
 the vessels boilers and the nature of th | cargo could be examined. The boilers seeme
 intact. The cargo was kerosene, gssolin
 and cotton. differences were drawn ths ! the leaking of kerosene saturated the cotto and generated noxious fumes, which wer
 ignited by lanterns taken into the hold t enable the stevsdores 10 work. The vesse i: and cargo were probably damaged s75, ,0O( and ia fully ipsured,