Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-10-08
MANY KILLED.

| was drawn from the Chicago river.
caused the boiler of the tugboat
Charles w. Parker TO explode Sat
/ urday afternoon at $50 o'clock, killing
eight persons and severely wounding
ten others The Parker, with three
other tugs, were trying to extricate the
/ propeller H. 5. Pickands. of De
troit 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
/ filed 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 a large crowd to the scene
Fully 1,50O people We're 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
4 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 tugboat.
| Samuel Armstrong, the steward, was
in the cabin of the boat and was car
ried down with the wreck. A small boy
about Is years old had clambe from
the bridge to the tug and was sitting
in the bow, the object and envy
I of 100 smaller boys No one
connected with the vessels knew him,
but it is thought that he was Charles
Boyke of No. 3O57 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
intiicting 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 a hole in her side Her child Law
! gasping on the pavement half buried
| by the senseless form of its mother 1t
was carried to the bridge tenders shed,
/ but died few minutes after the ex-
| plosion.
An unknown man, whose appearance
bespeaks 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 lesser crowd was grouped
around the dead body of man
on the opposite bank. In the yard of
the Union rolling mills before the acct
dent Samuel Sawyer stood on 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 of
steam pipe and laborer named Joseph
Bomorazk received a fracture of
the skull Joseph Cullen, the fire.
man, and Henry Bell, a deck
hand, were standing on the right
deck and We're thrown into the water,
but not before they had received in
juries which viii probably prove fatal.
Cullen was fearfully burned He was
standing on the deck near the
door of the fire hold and when
the furnace doors were blown
off a deluge of burning Goals
and steam was poured over him
He was drawn out of the water
by the crew of the tug Van Setback,
who threw towing ropes overheard as
soon as the nature of the disaster was
known. Engineer J. a. Coyven, of the
Pickands, Immediately ordered a boat
lowered, which was rowed to the spot
where Bell had been seen struggling in
the water. Before it reached him, how
ever, he had swan to the west bank of
the river where he was drawn out. Of
all the crew of the Inflated tug he is
the only one who stands a chance for
life. He was badly scalded about the
hands and face and his left leg is tenn
porarily paralyzed. Six others re-
ceived severe injuries,
When the waters Gained down a
6-foot length of bow of what was re-
Gently well-built tug boat was all
that showed its position The Parker
belonged to the line Of the Chicago
Towing Company. 1t was built in 1878
for the Vessel-Owners Towing Com
pany in this city About ten years ago
it blew up. off Lincoln park, killing
four out of the five in the crew
The remains were raised and
brought into the harbOr where they