Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-07-17
SHOCKING CALAMITY.


| Transportation Company's Steamer Tio-
ga at Her Dock in the Chicago River
| The Explosion Supplemented by Fire
| Many Lives Lost and Large Number
| Injured.
| CHICAGO. July 1.-THE steamer
| Tioga, of the Erie Transportation Com
] pany, was badly wrecked by an explo-
sion at fifteen minutes to eight o'clock
this evening, while lying at herr dock
! at Randolph street and the river 1t is
reported that thirteen people are killed.
but at this writing (10:30 p. m.) the re-
port can not be verified. Up to this
time only three bodies have been re-
! covered.
The explosion was terrific one, and
a column of smoke shot two hundred
feet in the air, succeeded second later
by whirlwind of flame. which illuni-
ined bridges, buildings, water and spars
in a frightful glare.
The startled crowds rushed to the
river banks, docks and bridges, and
soon the scene was thronged with an
| immense crowd.
A general fire alarm had been turned
in, and soon fifty streams of water from
the steamers and fire tugs were pouring
into the hold of the big iron boat
through the gaping hole amidship,
from which the flames poured as from a
! furnace.
The Tioga, which was one of the
largest and finest propelers on the
lakes, is badly wrecked, her upper
works being nearly blown away and
her wooden work badly burned.
At ten o'clock the fire was so tar
| nnHQr control that tho aaroh for tho
victims of the explosion was begun.
Three bodies were soon brought out,
blackened and mangled. They were
apparently the remains Of unfortunate
members of the steamers crew, caught
aboard at the time of the explosion.
When the explosion occurred there
were between ten and fifteen men in
the fan-tail of the boat, while scores of
others were forward. There were also
several stevedores on the dock and in
! the warehouses.
Bridge tender Gaynor, at .Randolp PHI
street bridge, less than hundred feet
away, saw man whirling upward into
the air in the midst of tremendous
mass of blazing wreckage. The poor
fellow fell into the river, but was res
cued unconscious and cared for.
The explosion did much damage to
! surrounding buildings, and windows
were broken nearly half mile away.
| Up to midnight seven dead and
! wounded men had been taken from the
boat, and it was then believed that not
| more than eight others were in the
| hold. These men are doubtless dead,
as ten fire engines have poured tons of
waters into the big hole just above the
| spot where they were at work at the
time of the explosion.
1t will be at least another day before
the water can be pumped from the hold
and the bodies recovered.
There is good reason to believe that
the explosion was caused by gas gener-
ated from oil barre Is which were stored
near the fan-tail.
SO far as learned the followi are
the names of the killed and injured:
Walter Dours.
- Cuthbert, Waterman.
INJURED.
Walter Chaplin (colored).
Pompey Smith (colored), fatally.
Thomas Collins fatally.
J. ODonnell, fatally.
Oscar Pope, fatally.
Quite a number of people in the
vicinity were injured by the shock or
Flying debris
The Tioga's fan-tail is compile tie ly
shattered. Every steel rib and plate is
broken and twisted as if it were so
much paper. 1t is impossible to make
an accurate estimate of the damage at
present owing to the fact that the
,r-roolyo1 or cott1a1 in hn
muddy bottom of the river and the ma
chinery compartments are filled with
water.
Forward of the boilers the boat is
comparatively uninjured. Captain
Phelps made an examina ton of the
four compartments, which are all sepa-
rated by steel bulkheads, and found
that they were entirely free from water.
1t is likely that the most of the cargo
will escape damage
LATER.
The following are supposed to have
| met their death:
Tom Lewis, Aleck Smith, Henry AL
exander, Louis Alexander, Jake Shurl,
James Braxton, VIM. Dukes, stevedores
Charles Levalle, lookout man; two I'M
known deckhands; Louis Scott, James
Siessell, - Dickinson, stevedores.
Anxiety in London Over the Illness OF
Henry NJ. Stanley.
LONDON, July 1.-The illness of Mr..
Stanley causes general regret. His
physicians are overwhelmed with anX-
ious inquiries as to his condition, and
messages of sympathy are constantly
arriving. Surgeon Parke states that
the same trouble attacked Mr.. Stanley
in Africa 1t is of an obstinate charac-
ter and yields very slowly to treatment.
The explorer is suffering intense pain
and is seeking relief in enforced sleep.
In reply to questions as to the prob
ability of Mr.. Stanley's recovery to an
extent that will enable his marriage to
take tomorrow, DIR. Parke will only
say he hopes for the best. The general
impression now is that the ceremony
will have to be postponed.
LATER-STANLEY BETTER
LONDON, July 11.-Mr. Stanley is
much better, and if he suffers no re-
lapse will be able to go through the
wedding ceremony in estminster Alb.
bey tomorrow.
All Killed for One.
ToRoNTo Ont, July 12.-An Ottawa
dispatch saws: Sir Charles Upper,