The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-10-10

TERRiBLE EXPLOSION or A Tuo
IN THE CHICAGO RIVER
Scores Of Spectators struck bowa ~
Fiying Pieces Of Wood ana Metal
ssew shs AecIdcns Occurred.

CHICAGO. Oct 6.--Eight people were
killed. two fatally injured and an un-
known number more or less hurt by
the explosion of the boiler of the tug
Charles w. Parker In the south fork OF
the Chicago river near Archer avenue
and Thirty-first street.
There were great many in proxi-
nifty TO the boat at the time of the ex-
plosion, either rs spectators OF the tug
at work or employed near by. Many
OF these were struck by the flying
splinters and pieces of the tugs ma
chinery which rained down immedi-
ately after the explosion for many
yards around
This frightful disaster. which paral-
lels In its extent the Tioga explosion
of fifteen months ago, is due almost to
a certainty To the use In the tug
boiler OF the filthy, greasy water OF
this part Of the south fork. IL Is tae
same element which caused the explo-
sion of the boiler OF the tug Success n
little farther down the river something
over two years ago.
The tug Charles w. Parker. belong
Ing To the Chicago Towing company,
together with the tugs Perry, A. a..
Van Setback and Shields were engaged
in trying 10 get the barge H. s Pick
ards through the east draw of the
bridge. The barge had been aground in
the draw ever since early yesterday
morning. She was coal laden and drew
fourteen feet of water. The river at
this point Is three feet lower than
usual. there beng not more than
twelve feet Of water in the draw
Heavy clouds of black smoke hung
over the entire neighborhood. IL was
n desperate case and the tugs were
being worked To their utmost capacity
The novelty of the predicament in
which the barge was and OF the efforts
made To extricate her had attracted
quite "A crowd of spectators Suddenly
without the least visible premonition.
there was an explosion. There was a
report. not loud, tor il was heard by
very few half block away and the
boiler OF the Parker, a massive affair OF
sixty or eighty horse power. shot up
in the air, dying In n northwesterly
direction, crushing through the ore
dumps OF the Illinois Steel company,
striking and bending the rails on the
Alton track just west OF the bridge,
then bounding through solid board
fence and landing finally in the ditch
on Ashland avenue. fully five hundred
feet from where IL started.
The same force that carried the boiler
up forced the hull of the tug down.
sinking il TO the bottom and out of
sight, except small portion Of the
bow, which alone marked the place
where the tug had been.
The fireman. Joseph Cullen. and the
deck hand, Henry Bell, were blown up
by the force of the explosion and
thrown. scaled, bruised and with
broken bones, into the water. whence
they were speedily rescued by the crews
of the other tugs
Capt. Carter, Engineer Moore and
Steward Armstrong were caught in the
sinking wreck and went down with IL.
Death in their cases must have been
instantaneous. Their bodies have not
yet been recovered
IL was one of those things which
happen SO quickly that they cannot be
described. Capt. Wilson OF the barge
IA. ;. Pickards was standing in the
pilot house of his vessel at the time.
IL saw Il all, he said, but | can't
d sscribe what ! saw. There was an
explosion; the boiler went mp and the
hull down. Then IL rained splinters
and bolts and pieces OF iron, and eight
men were killed. IL was sudden and
awful. | don't like To think about IL. I"
Il can't tell You what ] saw said
one of the crew of the PiclSards. 81
guess saw all there was, but IL was
such mighty quick shift, and-yes, !
was scared, just couldn't think of any
thing--and all | remember was seeing
the fireman and deck hand blown up
I'm the air and then fall back into the
water
The killed are.
}. H. CARTER. captain OF the tug.
j. G. MOORE, engineer.
SAMUEL ARMSTRONG, steward.
SAMUEL SAWYER. switchman for
the Illinois Steel company.
Mrs MARY RICE
BARBARA RICE, infant daughter of
Mrs. Rice.
BARTHOLOMEW CURTIN. . years
old.
An unknown man.
The seriously injured are:
JosEpH CULLEN, fireman of the tug;
scalded and will die.
HENRY BELL, lineman; badly scald-
ed and partially paralyzed.
Others severely injured are:
FRANK WAGNER. arm broken.
JosEPu l5oMoRAzK, laborer; skull
fractured may die.
GEORGE JEWELL, captain OF the tug
A. q. Van Schaack; leg and back
bruised
LOUIS DE MAS, deck hand ON the
tug Van Setback; back sprnined.
JAMES CuNNINGnAM, cook on the tug
Van Setback; scalp wound.
LATEg-it has been learned that
Rice was not killed Finding the
bridge open he turned about and went
down the rail track and reached Nor
ris packing-house in safety. lie
works all night and did not hear Of
the death OF his wife and child until