The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-12
TWENTY MEN KILLED.
Big Steamer Tioga Wrecked by
an Explosion
IN THE HEART OF CHICAGO.
Kerosene Fumes Take Fire and Rend
the Great Iron Hull.
The Victims Mostly stevedores-six Hum
dred People Thrown from Landing
at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and Sew
eral Drowned.

CHICAGO, July ia frightfut explosion
occurred tonight on the steamer Tioga
one OF the largest boats on the lake.
Thirty-eight people were aboard at the
time. When the work of rescuing the sur
vivors, which was commenced instantly.
was well under way, only two persons
could be found who escaped unhurt. To
make matters worse, fire broke out on the
wrecked vessel, and volumes of flames and
smoke impeded the searchers for the dead
and dying.
The bursting of the steamers boilers was
Chicago river, at the foot of Washington
street, that the explosion occurred. This
locality is in the heart OF the business Sec
ton of Chicago. and the explosion brought
people running in terror out of tall build
ings blocks away.
THE CAPTAINS STORY.
While the fire was still in progress an
Associated Press reporter met the captain
of the ill-fated steassser on the forward
deck. The officer consented to stop
long enough in his task of STRENGTHENING
out the confusion prevailing to give state
ment 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, aud we were unloading at this dock
when the explosion occurred. This evening l
was in the freight shed on the dock, when
heard terrible noise, and running out saw the
north quarter OF the vessel enyeloped In steam.
All of the crew-twenty five meu--were either
~S1.
freight house. found after careful search that
all but three were accounted for or safe.
Those three, sll from Buffalo, were
Second Engineer George Hard. Lookout C..
8. valley, and Decxhand VIM. Cushberr,
Besides the three missing who belonged to the
crew, there must have been from twelve to fif-
teen other men killed and probably half Q
dozen additional wounded. There we're labor
ers in the hold who were doing unloading.
Eight colosed men are positively stated to have
been bei3w, and six or seven others were at the
matches aiding their fellow stevedores lower
down.
The explosion occurred in the hold, not in
the machinery or boilers, as near as could as
certain. and was probably in some combustible
freight stored there.
THE SCENE ON THE STEAMER.
Most of the victims were Chicago steve
dores who we're unloading the vessel Only
three of the Tioga's crew were reported on
the list. The fire proved stubborn one
and made it impossible at any time to
verify the report that the boilers had ex-
pioded. A statement was current that the
explosion was due to, another cause, the
accidental lighting OF q large quantity
OF colnbustibles in the narrow confines Of
the Tioga's deep hold. The hold near the
A. - a
sway. Through the bursts OF fire could be
seen great jagged cleft in the Tioga's s
deck and cabin, and aloft on the tall smoke
stacks dangled huge fragments of the
wreck, timbers frantically swaying back
ward and forward, telling of the terrific
force of the explosion which sent it there
from thirty feet below.
TAKING OUT THE coRrsEs.
The captain was at this moment called
away to the wrecEed portion of the vessel,
which seemed gradually settling in the
river. Occasionally wounded man was
being hauled out of the debris. AS the
flames permitted. the police and firemen
went into the literal bake-hole in which
most of the unfortunate stevedores lay.
Great crowds of people gathered on the
neighborlng bridges. docks and vessels and
watched the tragic scenes being enacted.
The Tioga's immense iron hull, painted a
forbidding black, stretched 800 feet or more
along the pier, and swarm OF people, fire.
men and reporters were claTpbering over
her on all sides. Eye-witnesses after the
explosion were busy telling newcomers the
CORY particulars.
THEORIES OF THE ExPLosIoE
Itappeared that the explosion occurred
Just after a porter named William Paine,
had gone below with a lighted lamp. He
had scarcely reached the decks again wher
the shock came. 1t was said that 200 bar
rels OF oil were among the cargo, and tha
these had become ignited. Many insisted
that the explosion must have been due te
lack of water in the boilers, and the second
engineer, who is known to be missing, wa:
the man whose duty it would be to star
the pony pumps in such an emergency
This, it was declared, would have produced
just such an explosion, wrecking only ons
compartment OF the vessel.
Up TO IL 80 p m. nine dead bodies hat
been taken from the wreck and five o.
more wounded conveyed to the hospital
The TIogas stern sank to the bottom O
the river, out IL Is uOt Ueep. her deck!
are still above the surface. 1t is estimated
that S75 coo will cover the damage to tn,
vessel and cargo. This amount is said t.
be fully insured. Engineer Haig ane
Steamtitter Burns cannst live through tn,
night.
Additional names of colored stevedore
supposed to have been killed are: Waite
Dukes. Henry Weatherspoon. John Golf
Jacob Churl. Alex Smith, J. Braxton ans
Charles Foster.
EXPLOSION OF KEROSENE GAS.
A clear idea of the explosion vas oh
tanned about midnight, when the boiler
and cargo could be examined. The boiler
seemed intact. The cargo was kerosene
gasoline and cotton. The inference i
drawn that leaking of the kerosene satu
rated the cotton and generated gases whicl
ignited when a lantern was taken into hold
SIX HUNDRED In THE WATER.
Landing Full of People Faiis-Loss o
Life Unknown.
HALIFAX, July ia terrible acciden