Warren sheaf., 1898-12-01
STEAMER ExPLoDEs.
Disaster Near Stockton, CAL, IN
Which Six Lives Are LOst-Many
Persons Are Injured.

winch SIX Lives Are LOst-Many
- Persons Are Injured.
Stockton, Cal, Nov. 2s.-The most
disastrous accident in the history Of
Stockton occurred Sunday morning at
4:2O o'clock near Fourteen Mile Slough.
When part of one of the boilers of the
river steamer T. C. Walker, which left
San Francisco about six o'clock Sat-
urday night, was blown out, killing six
and dangerously wounding II persons,
while probably Is or 20 were more OF
less badly hurt. The T. c. Walker is
owned by the California Navigation and
improvement company and ran be-
tween San Francisco and Stockton. The
dead are:
John Tulan, captain of the T. c. Walker
w. A. Blunt, the agent in charge Of ship
ping Of sugar beets from the Moss tract TO
the Crockett factory
Watson Henry, of Stockton, engineer Of
the =. c.. Walker. -t '..-.
Mrs. Watson Henry, wife of the chief en-
gneer. sstt.
Ferdinand Law, of Seattle.
Jerry Daley, fireman.
The majority of the passengers were
in bed when the explosion occurred and
were awakened by the report which
was as loud as cannon's roar. People
rushed from their rooms in their night
clothes and found the whole forward
portion of the steamers upper works
blown away. The electric lights had
been put out and the escaping steam
enveloped the front portion of the boat
III TO ,ol,
of the boat had been carried away.
The screams of the men who were
locked in their rooms near the pilot
house were heartrcnding. Capt. John
Tulan had been blown from his bed
against the door of the stateroom and
SO seriously injured that he could not
move. The door could not be forced
open. as he was jammed up against it.
One of the employees of the boat secured
an AK and cut the upper part of the
room away, and finally removed him,
but not until he was virtually roasted
alive When pulled out the flesh
dropped from his bones in large pieces,
and, although he was suffering excru-
tiatingly, he bore it bravely and not
groan escaped him as he was taken out
of. the steam.
Watson Henry, the chief engineer,
and his wife were in their room near
the pilot house when the explosion oc-
CURED. Mrs. Henry was blown through
the roof. The flooring was blown up
ward and she was hurled with great
violence a distance Of 20 feet towards
the bow of the boat. She was horribly
crushed by the fury of the explosion
and also badly scalded with escaping
steam. Her injuries proved fatal at
1880 Sunday afternoon. She retained
consciousness until a few moments be-
fore her death. Her sufferings were so
intense that she begged the physicians
in attendance to end her life but all
that could be done was to deaden the
pain by the use of narcotics. Mr..
Henry was terribly scalded. He was
thrown some distance away, but not
as far as was his wife. He died shortly
after being brought to the city.
Mr.. Blunt was instantly killed. He
was standing on the lower deck, as he
intended making a landing short dis
tance above the place where the explo-
sion occurred.
Jerry Daily, the fireman, was in the
fire hold Of the boat when the accident
occurred. The escaping steam com
pletely enveloped him, scarcely por-
ton of his body escaping the scorch-
ing vapor. He died at the receiving
hospital. " .@
Underneath the lower deck, where
the deck hands slept, groans and
screams were terrible, for the unfortu-
nate imprisoned men were receiving
the full force of the steam as it came
from the boilers. Eight of them were
almost roasted alive. Those who were
able made their way to the deck as best
they could, while the more seriously
injured were unable to get out. Arms
and faces of those near the main en-
trance were frightfully scalded. Dom
inici, who was on the lower deck. was
blown into the water and had to swim
ashore after his back was horribly
scalded. Louis Brizzolana, in company
with Charles Maggini and wife. were
standing near the pilot house on the
texas deck. The force threw him to one
side, but not until he was badly burned
about the body. Mr.. Maggini and his
wife escaped without a scratch.
At eight o'clock Saturday night the
Walker ran into mud bank near Beni-
cia. Shortly after the steamer had been
gotten off John Yorke and his wife.
passengers, heard noise which they
supposed to be escaping steam. No at
tention was paid to it, however. What
caused the explosion will probably
never be known. The steam drum burst