The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-18
Four Seriously If Not Fa-
tally Hurt.
Explosion of a Steam Pipe on
the St. Paul.
Accident Happened at the Steamers
Dock, New York.
The Victims Were Nearly All Englishmen
and ScOtchmen.

New York. Dec. ls-Five men were killed
and xix injured this morning by the explo-
sion Of steam pipe ON the American Line
steamer st. Paul, while the vessel lay at her
dock at the foot Of Fulton street. North
River.
The dead are:
JAMES FAwNs assistant engineer. OF En-.
gland.
.-- MANNINC. fourth assistant engineer.
ROBERT CAMPBELL, machinIst. New York.
GEORGE WILLIAMS machinist, Hoboken.
N.
Brooklyn.
The injured are:
FRANK vEsPERs. third assistant engineer.
Roxbury. Mass.
ANDREW HEARD. storekeeper. Scotland.
- DuHHAM, machinist. Scotland.
ROBERT WILSON. inschnist. England.
A. FoGEI. cleaner. Scotland.
EDWARD WIsCHERT. engineer.
All these were seriously scalded and were
taken TO the Hudson Street Hospital.
At the time OF the accident. shortly after z
o'clock this morning. there were 30 men of
the crew in the fro room, and 10 in the en-
gine room.
in diameter. runs from the engine TO tho fire
room. 1t was this pipe which exploded. The
main stop valve was blown out.
The accident is believed to have been due
TO a flaw in the pipe.
OF the injured men. Robert Wilson. 30 years
old. machinist, who gave his address as PSF
West street; Frank vespers, % years old.
third assistant engineer of Roxbury. Mass. !;
of
number s3 Washington street, and August
Heard. % years old, a storekeepcr. livag in
woolsey. Eng. were taken to the Hudson
Street Hospital. They were all severely
scalded. ana an hour after they were taken
to the hospital. the doctors could not tell just
how badly they were injured, or whether or
not they would recover.
Fortunately none OF the passengers was
aboard of the vessel. and panic in this direc-
ticn was averteu. The passengers are NJ
allowed on the vessels sailing day until s
o'clock. The explosion occurred at o'clock
Just why the explosion occurred is what the
men attached TO the vessel are speeulating
upon. IL occurred in a section of the main
steampipe. which runs from one end Of the
vessel 20 the other and supplies all OF tho
heat Of the vessel. The section where the ex-
plosion took place was just at the bend at the
bulkhead and at ono end of the engine room
The cause is said to be either defect in
the casting or that sufficient space was not
left at the joint OF the pipe to allow OF ex-
pansion. IL was said by the chief engineer
that there was not an over pressure of steam
on at the time.
1t was said by the engineer that he did not
know exactly what the amount of the pres
sure at the time was. but he said that he was
sure that it was not nearly sufficient to cause
the pipe to burst.
He said that he was not able at this time to
tell just what caused the explosion, whether
there was no. sufficient room to allow of ex-
psnsion or whether there was flaw in the
casting. 1t is certain from what superintend-
ing engineer Clark said that there was no
more men in tho engine room at the time of
tho explosion than there We're injured or
killed. He said that he was among the first
To reach the scene, and that no one was in
the engine room but those known to bo killed
nr In furaa