Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-10-10
MANY KILLED.
Eight Lives Lost and Ten or n Dozen Per-
sons Injured by tho Explosion OF n Tug
Boat Mt Chicago.

boat Mt Chicago.
CHICAGO, Oct. Bad water, which |
was drawn from the Chicago river.
caused the boiler of the tugboat |
Charles w. Parker to explode Sun
day afternoon at $50 o'lock, killing |
eight persons and severely wounding |
ten others. The Parker, with three |
oUher tugs, were trying to extricate the |
propeller III. S. Pickands, of De-
.=cit, which had become wedged |
in the draw of the Archer
avenue bridge. When the Parker ran
out of water the captain ordered that
the boiler be supplied from the river,
as there wasn't time enough for the
tug to go after clear water. The
river at Archer avenue is thick and
filled with the refuse of the district
through which it runs. To the use of
this water is the dreadful calamity at.
tributed.
The putting of the tugs, the open
bridge and the hapless steamer soon
drew large crowd to the scene
Fully 1,500 people were gathered
on the two approaches of the
bridge and lined along the rails,
watching the maneuvers of the boats
Capt. James B. Carter master of the
Parker. was standing on the top of the
cabin when the explosion took place,
issuing orders to his men. That was
the last seen of him. Harbor Master
Dean is of the opinion that his body
was blown to atoms, as he stood di-
rectly above the boiler The force
of the explosion seemed to go
directly upwards. John C. Moore, the
engineer. was in the engine room and
it is supposed that he was scalded to
death by the escaping steam before he
had a chance to escape, and that his
body was carried down with the wreck
of the tugboaJ.
| Samuel Armstrong, the steward, was
in the cabin of the boat and was car
ried down with the wreck. A small boy
about 10 years old had clam bered from
the bridge to the tug and was sitting
in the bow, the object and envy
of 100 smaller boys. No one
connected with the vessels knew him,
but it is thought that he was Charles
Boyle of No. 3057 Locke, street, who
was seen on the bridge a short time be-
fore the explosion, and of whom moth
ing has since been seen.
A large piece of the furnace door was
shot out of the wreck and crashed
down amid the throng of people who
| crowded the eastern abatement of the
bridge on Archer avenue. 1t struck Mrs.
Mary Rice and her daughter, Barbara,
crushing the life out of the mother and
infiicting a mortal wound on the little
infant in her arms. Mrs. Rice's body
was horribly mutilated by the furnace
door. Her face was covered with
blood which flowed from her eyes
and ears. Her dress was almost
torn from her body and blood gushed
from hole in her side. Her child lay
gasping on the pavement half buried
by the senseless form of it's mother. 1t
was carried to the bridge-tender's shed,
but died few minutes after the ex-
plosion.
An unknown man, whose appearance
bespealzs the occupation of a mechanic,
was also stricken down close to Mrs.
Rice. While these scenes were being
witnessed on the bank of the
river a lesser crowd was grouped
around the dead body of man
on the opposite bank. In the yard OF
the Union rolling mills before the acci-
dent Samuel Sawyer stood on a heap OF
ore watching the tugs at work. When
the steam had cleared away he was
found lying face upward, dead.
Charles kirtin, who was standing on
the bank, was struck to the ground
and his skull fractured. 1t is thought
that he cannot recover Frank Wag
ner's arm was broken by a piece o1
CT 1,b a,ol
Bomorazk received fracture oi
; the skull. Joseph Cullen, the fire
man, and Henry Bell, a deck
hand, were standing on the right
deck and were thrown into the water
but not before they had received in
: juries which will probably prove fatal
, Cullen was fearfully burned. He wa.
r standing on the deck near the
, door of the fire hold and wher
2 the furnace doors were blowr
+ off deluge of burning coall
t and steam was poured over him
i He was drawn out of the water
/ by the crew of the tug Van Setback
who threw towing ropes overheard q!
D soon as the nature of the disaster wa
r known. Engineer j. A. Coyven, of tn,
= Pickands, Immediately ordered boa
a lowered, which was rowed to the spo
= where Bell had been seen struggling il
d the water. Before it reached him, how
t ever, he had swan to the west bank O
t the river, where he was drawn out. y
$ all the crew of the ill-fated tug he i
n the only one who stands chance TO
t life. He was badly scalded about tn
: hands and face and his left leg is TEN
l. porarily paralyzed. Six others re
: ceived severe injuries,
U When the waters calmed down
d 6-foot length of bow of what was re
: Gently well-built tug-boat was a.
Q that showed it's position. The Parke
y belonged to the line of the Chicag
o Towing Company 1t was built in 1877
for the Vessel-Owners' Towing Com
pany in this city. About ten years ag
it blew up off Lincoln park, KILN
four out of the five in the crew
i