Evening journal., 1890-07-12
SEVENTEEN MEN DEAD.
A Frightful Explosion on the
Steamer Tioga.
MANcLED BODIES IN THE HOLD.

CHICAGO, July l2.-The big steel steamer
Tioga, Of Buffalo, while lying at her dock
last evening at Randolph and Market
streets, was the scene Of a terrific explo-
sion The night shift Of stevedores had
been at work only short time unloading
her cargo of oil when binding flash
burst from her flfth hatchway, followed by
terrific explosion All Of the upper
works and decks back of the smokestack
We're blown away and volumes OF burning
oil deluged the forward part Of the steam
er The force Of the explosion was SO
great that nearly all the windows Of the
big wholesale houses for blocks around
were shattered. and the report was dis
! tinctly heard several miles away
Fire Tugs 70 the Rescue.
The tugs in the vicinity started their
whistles and in very shorl time the ilre
boats Geyser and Chicago were thriving
a flood of water on the burning boat The
crowd rushed to the river banks and docks,
bridges. approaches, and streets were soon
thronged with humanity, crushing. seeth-
ing crowd, unaware or careless Of danger,
| jamming every vantage point The elang
of engines resounded through the streets
A general alarm had been turned In, and
soon fifty streams OF water from the en-
gines and fire tugs were pouring into the
hold Of the big iron boat through the gap
ing hole amidship. from which the flames
poured In a torrent Of Gre
Eight stevedores Dead.
After an hours hard fighting the flames
were extinRuished When the explosion
took place eight eolored stevedores wore at
work in the hold. Two were regulating
the loads sent up and two were stationed
at the hatchway above. All Of these men
undoubtedly perished.
The Cause of the Disaster.
George HouRe of Buffalo, the second en-
| gineer, is at a loss to account for the explo-
sion. The lamps had Just been lighted and
taken to the hold. and probably iRnited the
volatile gas from the oil that had escaped
! from the casks. Vincent Kirby, one Of the
engineers who was on the boat at the time,
said shat when the explosion took place he
was standing at the far end Of the boat.
and upon regaining his presence Of mind
be ran to the scene and there found one Of
the men who had been engaged in unload
ing freight with his head between two
over Fifteen Killed.
As soon as the debris can be removed it
is believed the list Of killed will swell to
/ over fifteen. Several Of the officers Of the
boat are missing Capt Phelps was fort
unate enough 70 escape without a scratch.
| The 1ioga, which was one OF the largest
and finest propellers on the lakes plying
between Buffalo and Chicago 5 badly
! urrpntfaG Iar 1ty,raar vt4arhn tnsn,. ra.r -,
blown away and her woodwork badly
burned. She was double bottom steel
steamer Yl2 feet long, Of 5000 tons, and
was built in Buffalo in 1885 at cost OF
Sls5,0OO.
Three Bodies Recovered.
At 10 the fire was 50 far under control
that the search for the victims Of the ex-
plosion was begun. Three bodies were
soon brought out, blackened and mangled.
They We're apparently the remains Of un-
fortunate members of the steamers crew
caught aboard at the time of the explo-
sion. When the explosion occurred there
were between ten and fifteen men in the
fantail of the boat, while scores Of others
were forward. There were also several
stevedores ON the dock and in the ware
houses. Bridge Tender Gaynor, at the
Randolph street bridge, less than hun
dred feet away, saw man whirling up
ward into the air in the midst Of a ire
mendous mass Of blazing wreckage The
poor fellow fell into the river, but was res
cued and cared for.
So far as at present known the names of
the killed are as follows;
Alexander Henry, colored stAvedora
Brareton, James, cOured stevedOre.
Cherry, John, coorer stevedore.
Collins. Joseph. a colored stevedore
Cuthbert, William, member Of the crew.
Haig, Charles second engineer.
Lester, Alexander a colored stevedore. 4
Levalle Charles member OF the crew. II
Lewis, John, colored stevedore. zT.
Lewis, Thomas a colored stevedore.
Neiie, John, white, the head steyedore Nc
Palmer, William. porter on the boat &nE
Polk, Osborne, colored stevedore.
Porter, William, eoiored stevedora .elEn
Smith, Andrew. colored stevedora &
Smith, Perry, colored stevedore.
Weatherspoon, Henry, a colored stevedora
The Terribly Wounded.
The wounded, who were terribly maRgled,
were as follows;
Halliday, H., oolored stevedore-
Mcdonald, William.
A Frightful Scene in the Hold.
The scene in the hold when the hremen
had sufficiently subdued the flames to
force an entrance was a sickening one.
Some of the dead had literally been blown
to pieces, and their arms, legs and heads
could be seen mixed up In the debris and
floating in the water. Three or four Of the
dead were blown from the hold on to the
dock, and were mangled so their remains
bore no resemblance whatever to human
ity. Two men were found clinging to bar.
rels, their death clutch being so firm that
it was with difficulty they were unloos-
ened.
The First Mates Theory.
First Mate jackson, who was amidships
at the time the explosion occurred, is per-
haps the best informed man regarding the
cause Of the accident and the losses. He
said: II had just come from the hold. |
where the explosion occurred, and think |
can account for It,
There were some 200 barrels Of oil in the |
hold and behind them a lot Of waste |
There were a number of bales of mer- |
chandise piled up in front Of the oil and |
these were to be unloaded My theory is |
that when these bales were taken down for |
unloading, or at least some of them, the |
fumes or gas from the Oil which had been |
leaking rushed out and was set on fire by
the flame In the lanterns of the steve /
dores."
Porter with Light.
IL is said William Palmer, porter on
the vessel, went down into the hold lust
before the explosion carrying a lighted
lamp and was never seen afterward 1t
was at first reported that the boiler had
blown up, hut this A. A. Phelps the cap-
tain, lnGi euHutiv denied or the CREW -