The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-12-19
STEAMPIPEBURST
Frightful Accident on Board the
American Line Steamer
ST. Paul.
Six Men Dead ana Several Others
Badly Scalded as q
Result.
German Ship Blown Up by a
Naptha Explosion and Four
teen Killed.

NEW YORK. Dec. l9.-Five men were
killed and six injured by the explosion
OF a steam pipe on the American Line
steamship st. Paul, while the vessel lay
at her dock at the foot of Fulton street.
North river. The dead are:
James Fauns, assistant engineer. of
England: - Manning, fourth assist
ant engineer; Robert Campbell, ma
chinist, New York; George Williams,
machinist, Hoboken; Daniel McCulion,
machinist helper, Brooklyn.
The injured are: Frank VeSpers,
third assistant engineer, Roxbury,
Mass; Andrew Heard, s~torekeeper,
Scotland; - Durham, machInist,
England; A. Fogel, cleaner, Scotland;
Edward Wischert, engineer.
All these were seriously scalded and
taken to the Hudson street hospital.
vt the time of the accident. shortly
after ! a. M. there were 30 men of the
crew in the fire room and 10 in the en-
CINE room. The main steam pipe, which
Is three feet i'll diameter, runs from the
engine to the fire room. 1t was this
pipe which exploded. The main stop
valve blew out. The accident is believed
to have been due to a flaw in the pipe.
Were Preparing to Sail.
Preparations We're being made for the
sailing of the vessel at II o'clock, but.
fortunately, none of the passengers
were aboard the vessel. The explosion
was of terrific force and shook the big
vessel from stem to stern. Following
the report was the sound of escaping
steam. 1t poured up to the deck from
the engine room in clouds and com
pletely enveloped the vicinity.
Far above the noise Of the escaping
steam could be heard the cries of the
men who had been at work in the en-.
CINE room, injured by the explosion.
The nature of the explosion was such
that it rendered access, to the locality
extremely difficult. AS quickly as pos
sible the steam was turned off. Almost
simultaneously four half dead men
scrambled upthe iron stairway and were
lifted up TO the deck.
1t Was a TerribI. Explosion. ;
As soon as the steam had cleared
away sufficiently to render seeing the
surroundings possible, five men were
found lying near, i'll various parts of
the compartment, dead. They had all
been scalded to death and their faces
and those parts of the body which were
not covered by their clothing, looked as
if they had been parboiled. The bodies
We're covered over where they were
found lying with pieces of tarpaulin,
and word was sent to the cOroner's
office. The greatest excitement pre-
vailed aboard of the vessel for some
time, and it was thought that the
boiler had blown up. The force of the
explosion was SO great that it blew out
IA portion of the bulk head and shattered
every particle Of glass within a radius
Of 30 feet.
The Main steampipe Burst.
On investigation it was found that
the main steampipe, at the bend near
the bulkhead, had burst. The pipe is
10 inches in diameter and extends from
II end of the ship to the other.
It was said by experimenting En-
gineer Clark that he did not know ex.
actly what the amount Of the pressure
at the time was, but hat 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 expo
sion, whether there was not sufficient
room to allow of expansion or whether
there was a flaw in the casting.
Cannot sail for a Week.
Mr.. Clark said that he was sure that
the vessel could not sail within a week,
for it would require at least that time
10 make the necessary repairs. The
steamer has made three round trips.
The probable result Of the injuries
received by Wilson, Vesper, Folker and
Heard cannot be foretold by the sur
geons. 1t is likely. however, that some
of the men cannOt survive.
AGolrh Folker, Il of the injured
died in the hospital, making the fatal.
ties six thus far.
FOURTEEN WIRE LOST