Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-12
Fatal Blowing Up of a Steamer on Lake
ndicbinou

Fatal Blowing Up of Steamer on LAX
michigan.
CHICAGO, July 11th.-A frightful explo
sion occurred tonight on the steame
Tioga. one of the largest vessels on tn
great lakes.
Thirty-eight persons were aboard tn
steamer at the time.
When the work of rescuing the surviv
ors, which commenced almost instantly
was we'll under way. only two persons
could be found who had escaped unhurt.
To make matters worse, fire broke ou
on the wrecked vessel, and large volumes
of flame and smoke impeded the searcher
for the dead and dying.
The bursting of the steamers boilers wa,
the cause of the catastrophe.
1t was in Chicago river, at the foot O
Washington street. that the explosion oc
CURED. This locality is the heart of thu
business section of Chicago, and the explo
sion brought people running in terror ou
OF the tall buildings for blocks away.
Most of the victims were Chicagoans. anG
stevedores who were unloading the vessel
Only three of the Tioga's crew were re
ported on the list.
The fire proved astubborn one, and made
1t impossible at the time to verify the re-
port that the boilers had exploded. The
statement was current that the explosion
was due to another cause, the Academia
lighting of large quantity of combusti
bles in the narrow confines of the Tioga's
deep hold. In the hold near the steamer:
stern was where the fire held sway.
Through the bursts of fire could be seer
great jagged cleft in the Tioga's decks
and cabin, and aloft on the tall smoke
stacks dangled huge frame work of tim.
Der, fantastically swaying backward an6
forward, telling of the terrific force of the
explosion which sent it there from thirty
feet below
The Captain was at this moment called
away to the wrecked portion of the vessel
which seemed gradually settling in the
river. Occasionally wounded man wa:
being hauled out of the debris. As the
flames permitted, the police and firemer
closed in toward the black hole in which
the bodies of the unfortunate steyedores
still lay.
Great crowds of people gathered on
neighboring bridges, docks and vessels, and
watched the tragic scenes being enacted on
the Tioga.
Her immense iron hull. painted black
stretched three hundred feet or more along
the pier, and swarm of people, firemen
and reporters were clambering over her on
all SlQeS.
Eyewitness of the explosion were busy
telling newcomers the CORY particulars. l,
appeared that the explosion occurred lust
after porter named William Palmer had
gone below with lighted lamp. He had
scarcely reached the decks sgain when the
fearful shock came.
1t was said that two hundred barrels o.
oil were among the cargo, and that these
had become ignited; others insisted thai
the explosion must have been due to the
lack of water in the boilers, and that the
second engineer, who is known to be miss
ing, was the man whose duty it would bt
| to start the pony pumps in such an emer
gency. This, it was declared, would have
produced just such an explosion, wreckine
only one compartment of the vessel.
While the fire was still in progress, an
Associated Press reporter met the Captain
of the ill-fated steamer on the forward
deck. The officer consented to stop Ions
enough in his task of Strengthening out The
confusion prevailing, to give statement
of what he knew of the wreck.
Said he: "My name is Captain A. A
Phelps. / arrived here last evening from
Buffalo in command of the Tioga, and W,
were unloading at this dock when the ex
plosion took place this evening. / was il
L
terrific noise. and running out, saw thu
north quarter of the vessel enveloped il
steam. All of the crew of twenty-five mer
were either on board at the time or wer.
on the dock or in the freight house
found after careful search that all bu
three were accounted for and safe. Thos,
three are all from Buffalo, and were
Second engineer George Haid, lookout c
Levalley, and deck-hand William Cuth
bert. Beside three missing men who be
longed TO the crew, there must have beer
from twelve to fifteen other men killed. anc
probably half dozen additional wounded
These were laborers in the hold, who wer,
doing unloading. Eight colored men ar,
positively stated TO have been below. Sil
or seven others were at the matches aidin:
their fellow-stevedores to lower down
The explosion occurred in the hold, not il
the machinery or boilers, as near as
could ascertain, and was probably in som,
of the comhustible freight stored there"
Up to 1870 A NJ. nine dead bodies havt
been taken from the wreck, and FIVE o.
more wounded were conveyed to the hos
pital
The Tioga's stern settled to the bottom
of the lake but as it is not deep there the
decks were still above surface.
1t is estimated that SO, 900 will cover tn,
damage to the vessel and cargo. Thl
amount is believed 10 be fully insured.
Engineer Haid and steam filter Burn
cannot live through the night. Additiona
names of colored stevedores supposed to
| have been killed are: Walter Dukes
Henry Weatherspoon, John Goff, Jacol
Church, Alex. Smith, ]. Braxton ant
| Charles Foster.
A clearer idea of the cause of the explo
| sion was obtained at midnight when boil
ers and cargo could be examined. Tn
! boilers seemed intact. The cargo wa
Kerosene, gasoline and cotton. The in
| ference is drawn that a leakage of kero
sene saturated the cotton and generate,
gases which ignited when the lantern
/ 10 Ee, IN, ha hold