The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-27
DEATH ON BIG LINER
Steam Pipe Bursts on Steam
ship st. Paul.
MEN FALL AT POSTS OF DUTY
Nine Killed and Two Injured
Steamer Just Ready to Sail
for Europe.
MEN FALL AT POSTS OF DUTY

st. Paul horror, as given in the New
| York Herald, will be found of general
Interest,"
By the bursting of a steampipe on the
American line steamship st. Paul yester-
day morning, five men We're killed out
right, four others were so badly injured
that they died in the Hudson street hos
pital, and two others were less seriously
hurt. Those killed outright were:-
Campbell, Robert, machinist, thirty-four
years old, of No. 4S2 Hudson street.
Fawns, James, second assistant engin-
eor, 2S yearS old, whose home was in Eng
land.
Manning, William K, fourth assistant
engineer, % years old, of No. Al Winthrop
avenue, Chicago.
McCallion, Daniel, machinist's helper,
q years old, of No. 7S1 Myrtle avenue.
Brooklyn.
Williams, George machinist, S5 years
old, of No. SOS River street, Hoboken.
Those who died in the hospital are:
Fogel Adolpffus, cleanerf H years old,
of No. 4S Washington street
Heard, Andrew ships storekeeper, 45
years old, of England.
Vesper, Frank, third assistant engineer,
29years-old,' OF Roxbury, Mass.
Wilson's Robert. machinist, S5 years old,
The injured are:-
Durham, Frank, machinist's helper
scalded on arms and face; wounds dress
ed on the pier; sent home.
Wishart, Edward, electrician, slightly
scalded: sent to ships hospital.
The disaster occurred at two minutes
10 Z o'clock. The port watch, headad by
Second Engineer Wells, was on duty. FIJI
teen men were in the engine and boiler
rooms working on the machinery.
Mr.. Wells had just finished tour of in
spection of his department, and found
everything In order, and went on deck.
The particular work in hand yesterday
morning was warming up the engines pre- |
paratory to getting the vessel under way, |
as she was to have sailed at II O'Clock |
In the morning. The operation consists !
OF letting steam into the cylinders.
The boiler room is in the lower part of
the hull, little aft of amidships. Just
art and separated only by a bulkhead. |
IS the engine room, and still further aft.
is the electrical compartment. There are
two sets of boilers and engines on each
side of the steamer, to work each of the
twin screws The disaster occurred on
the starboard side.
The main supply pipe leads from the
boiler room to the engines, passing
through the bulkhead. 1t is about fifteen
feet long-ten feet from the boiler to the
bulkhead. the remaining five forming an
elbow, which feeds the engines.
The break occurred in the engine room
only few inches from the bulkhead. It
made clean fracture, separating the two
parts of the broken pipe at least a foot.
Five men who were at work in that
room must have been scalded to death in
a few seconds When found they all Law
at the very spots where their duty COM
PEELED them to work The escaping steam
had scalded them almost beyond recogni-
tion.
Six were in the boiler room, and made
their way out, more dead than alive.
Two were in the shaft alley leading aft
from the engine ROOM They ran for
their lives, reaching the extreme after
portion of the vessel, where there are ven
tilators, and the current of air saved
their lives.
In the electrical compartment was Ed
ward Wishart. When the steam poured
In he grabbed the nozzle of hose, and
holding the nozzle above his head allowed
The water to pour over him until the ter
life heat from the steam had exhaustor
eself. By that rleans he saved his life.
The noise which followed the cracking ,
Of the pipe was heard in all parts of the
steamer. Every man who was working in
he vicinity Of the engine room went to
he assistance of his shipmantes. Eighteen [
reached the engine room. Half blinded by
steam, they sought the victims. The
bodies of Williams and McCallion were ,
irst discovered. They lay as did all the
'thers face downward, their arms extend (!
ID. They were within a foot of each :
)ther, on the low pressure cylinder. Man (
ling was lying on the second platform.
lie prot ably had been on his way to the {
leck when the steam belched forth. &
Campbell was Just back of the engine
md Tawns was not two yards from where 1
he pipe had parted.
In the arms of their shipmates the dead 8
men we're borne to the after square on the I
lain deck and carefully covered with tar 7
,aulins. A hurry call was sent for an ]
ambulance surgeon to care for the wound l
d. G
Coroner Fitzpatrick arrived about noon, !
1ut It was o'clock in the afternoon be-
ore the bodies were taken from the ves- I
jel Four were removed to the under I
akers' establishment in Great Jones 9
street McCallion's body was taken to ]
lis home in Brooklyn. 4
Although the st. Paul was advertised n
o sail at IL o'clock no passengers had '
cached the pier, when the accident oc- {
'urred. When they learned that the ship :
;ould not sail for several days, many were !
but complaints soon gave
way to expressions Of sympathy. Clement !
\. Griscom. Jr., second vice-presldent Of
he line. was on hand. and told the pas
engers that the company would do ev- /
rything in their power to Compensate I
hem for the inconvenience caused by the
elay.
He said any who desired could take pas J
age on the Red Star line steamer Ken /
ington. which was berthed on the north
ide Of the pier. and was due to sail fori I
at noon. He told them the Ken
y hrst-cabin, sixty seeond-cabin. and I25 /
teerage passengers accepted this offer, I
hose who cared 10 walt. Mr.. Griscom {
aid. would be kept in New York at fhel I