New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-15
DYNAMITE KILLS TWO MEN.
EXPLOSION IN THE HOLD OF A STEAMSHIP.
THE VICTIMS DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE
uANnIINcARREST or TILE CAPTAIN.

THE VICTIMS DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE
HANDLING-ARREsT or THE CAPTAIN.
Two men were blown to pieces yesterday fore
noon by an explosion OF dynamite cartridges In
the hold of the tramp" steamship q. X. Booth;
which was being unloaded at Richards-st, Brook
lyn. A portion of her cargo consisted OF num-
ber of cases Of dynamite cartridges, packed In
square wooden boxes They were consigned to
Simpson Spence Il Young, of Morrisst. and
Broadway, New-York, and TO be used for
blasting purposes.
The Booth is vessel of $500 tons burden
and arrived in this port on Friday from Sunder-
land, England. On Monday force Of longshore-
men went TO work unloading the vessel. con-
siderable part of the cargo had been removed to
the wharf yesterday morning and the freight In
the lower part of the hold was being taken out.
Two men We're at work in the hold fastening
the hosting tackle to the packages. They were
Cornelius Hayes, of No 80 Chcrry-st, New-fork,
and William Regan, of No. 50 Fulton-st., Brook
lyn. Shortly after 10 o'clock they had just re-
turned to the hold after being on deck for some
fresh air, and had given the signal hoist away
when the explosion occurred
1t is supposed that box of the dynamite cart
ridges either fell from tho tackle or from a pile
on one side of the hold and the conclusion served
TO cause it to explode with great force. The
vessel was shaken from end to end and the men
on deck felt the force of the shock severely.
The sound of the explosion was heard to a con-
siderable distance. A fire alarm at once sent
out by the watchman at the gate, who prevented
any one from entering the police and firemen
summoned. They found the shattered bodies OF
the two men in the hold. One was much more
disfgured than the Other and the fragments of
his body had to be collected in bag to be taken
to the Morgue.
The ambulance surgeon summoned found that his
services were required for William Williams, chief
officer of the vessel, who had sprained his ankle
and had rceived punctured wound in the right
foot, as he stood by the hatchway, and for Eben
Lawrence, a machinist, who had been cut in the
jaw by flying splinters and had his ankle broken.
Foreman Platt Van Cott, of Engine Company No. 2.
also injured his right leg in the excitement, and
was taken to his home in an ambulance. Chief
Officer Williams was removed to the Long Island
College Hospital
A short time after the explosion occurred IL was
found that the vessel leaking badly from
hole in her starboard side, and 1t was discovered
that one of the iron plates had been blown off.
The pumps were set at work and wrecldng
company was sent for to keep her afloat, but she
sank in a short time.
The Booth is owned by the Britannia Steamship
Company. and commanded by Captain William A.
Saville, of Sunderland England. He said yes
terday afternoon: The last place we stopped at
before reaching this port was Hamburg, and there
we took on board eighty cases consigned TO Simp-
son, Spence &c Young, of the Columbia Building,
New-York. They looked like drygoods cases and
| did not know there there was dangerous en-
plosive in them'
The firm of Thomas Hogan & Sons, stevedOres,
had charge of the unloading, and the men were
under r. c. Frank foreman. 1t is expected that
a searching investigation will be made in regard
10 the responsibility for shipping the dynamite and
setting men at work unloading it without giving
them information Of what they were handling
1t is a msdemeanor under the State law TO ship
q dangerous explosive without properly marking
il and giving directions I'm regard 10 handling It.
The Custom House inspector on the wharf said he
knew nothing about the cargo. He knew that the
cases came from Germany but was Ignorant Of
their contents
Captain Savile was arrested by the police Of
the Eleventh Precinct Of Brooklyn yesterday after
noon. and will be held until the matter is fully
inquired into. He is regarded responsible for
not telling the men employed at work on the YES
sci of the dangerous character of the boxes they
handling. He admitted to bail.
AT the office of Simpson, Spence ~ Young, the
agents of the e. r. Booth. il was said that there
were seventy-siX cases invOiced cartridges and
detonatOrs on the manifest of the ship. Such
deut had happened. Ten of the il
derStOod at the Office had been hOisted out of the
hold and placed on the pier when the explosion
occurred.