The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-05
River Tug Blown Up and Death and Injury
Scattered in Every Direction BY Flying
Portions Of the Boiler and Boat.
Terrible Havoc Among a Throng of
Sight-SeerS Who We're Standing Near.
Bodies of Three of the Tugs Employees Carried
Down with the Wreck-NO Hope for the
Six EntOmbed Pennsylvania Miners.
TUG BLOWN UP,
And Eight Persons Killed and Twelve Hurt
at Chicago-The Dead and Injured.

And Eight Persons Killed and Twelve Hurt
at Chicago-The Dead and Injured.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
CHICAGO, Oct. 4-Eight persons were
almost instantly KILLED and a dozen others
injured, this afternoon, by the explosion OF
the tug Charles Parker, IN the south branch
OF the river. near the Archer-avenue bridge.
Three of the dead belonged to the crew of
the boat. while the others were by ISLANDERS.
who were killed by flying debris The
Parker, together with the tugs Van
Setback, Percy and Shields. had been work
ing all day. endeavoring TO Tree the pro.
peller III. :. Pickards, which had grounded
in the south draw of the bridge. They had
puffed and pulled away almost incessantly
until shortly before 8 o'clock, when,
with comparatively little steam. the
boiler of the Parker exploded. Columns
of water were thrown into the air. falling
upon the other tugs. drenching and blind
ing the crews. A moment later the debris
showered upon the ground on either side of
the river. Pieces OF broken iron and wood.
work fell upon the docks and the streets.
AT the time Archer avenue. near the scene
of the accident. was crowded. The noise of
the explosion and the falling wreck caused
terrible panic. When the spectators par
TALLY recovered their senses it was discov-
cred that eight persons were dead. while
many moro were injured, some of them
probably fatally. The dead are:
MRS. A. NJ. RICE. aged twenty three. of No.
3Ol3 Archer avenue, head crushed by falling
debris.
BARBARA RICE. eighteen months old, daugh-
ter OF Mrs Rice, head crushed. IT,.
man OF the Illinois Steel Company.
BARTHOLOMEW CURTIN. aged ten: of No.
3239 Pauline street, struck on the head by an
JONES b. CARTER. captain of the tug. mar
ried, body not yet recovered.
JOHN g. MOORE, of Highland Park, engineer
sAMUEL A W 4RMsTRoNG. OF Manistee. cook of
the tug body not yet recovered.
Unknown man. killed by piece OF the furnace
door, about thirty years of age, dark complex
ion. brown mustache, body at klaner's morgue.
The injured are:
JosEPH CULLEN, No. 800 Maxwell street, fire.
man OF the Parker; terribly scalded; will die.
HENRY BELL, lineman OF the Parker; badly
scalded.
FRANK WAGNER, No. IS South Green street,
arm broken
JOSEPH BoMARACK, No. 500 South Ashland
avenue, skull fractured; may die.
GEORGE JEWELL, captain Of the ting Van
Setback, leg aud back bruised.
Louis DEMAAs, hnesman OF the Van Setback,
back injured.
JAMES CUNNINGHAM, eek u she Van Setback.
head cut.
\. MINUS fruit-dealer hip injured.
EDWARD MAILER. both knee-caps badly injured.
RICHARD POWERS, ten years DID, hurt about
legs.
JOIN MORTON, twelve years old, slightly hurt.
When the feeling of fright caused by the
catastrophe had passed away, the specta-
tors crowded around the spot where lay the
body of Mrs. Rice, her little daughter and
ba uyIn laxv
side. her face crushed and bruised, while
blood poured from her mouth, nose and
ears. BY her side lay her little daughter.
The fate of the two was peculiarly sad. Be-
fore the ex plosion Mrs. Rice had been stand
ing on the south side of Archer avenue hold
ing the babe In her arms and in endcav oring
to escape when the crash came, her skull
was crushed by piece of IRON. st the
same moment her little daughter was
struck on the head by q piece OF the fur.
mace door. On the other shore Barthol-
omew Curtin and Richard Powers, boys
aged ten and twelve, were standing watch
ing the tugs. Curtin was struck on the
head by on iron bolt and fell to the ground.
His skull had been cut open aud the brains
were Oozing out when he was picked up.
1OuuS IOWeTS was also struck Dy the uy
ing missile and injured.
AS the air cleared after the explosion,
the Parker was seen rolling slowly and
settling, stern foremost, into the water.
moment later Joseph Cullen and Henry
Bell were seen struggling in the water.
Life lines were thrown to them. and they
were helped on board one of the other
tugs. Cullen's flesh was almost parbOlled,
and in clinging to the life ropos the skin
was torn from his hands. The explosion
was apeculIar one. The fatalitieson shore
in each case occurred some distance from
wrecked tug, and in places where the VIC
TINS would seem to be in almost perfect
safety.
The unanimous opinion of vesselmen is
that the explosion was caused by the filthy
water in the river. 1t is so full of grease
and dirt of every sort that when it gets
into q boiler it foams up just like soap suds,
which makes it very dangerous.