The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-04
STEAM SCALDS SIX TO DEATH.
EXPLOSION IN BOILER ROOM OF
THE MALLORY LINER ALAMO.

Sound of Escaping steam Mingled
With Shrieks of Dying Men-Ai"-
mo Was Preparing to Leave for
GalvestOn-Hnd Been a Govern
ment Transport, but Was Thor
OughIy OverhauIed-Pipe stood 150
Pounds Pressure when Inspected.
New York, Dec S.-Six members of the
crew Of the Mallory Line steamship Ala
mo were klhed tonight by the bursting of
steam pipe while the vessel lay at her
pier IN East river
The Alamo has only recently been dis
charged from transport service for the
government, and is fresh from Reaches
yard, where she received thorough over
hauling, including, It is said new steam
pipes and boilers.
She was scheduled to sail at 1:s0 p m.
yesterday for Galveston, via Key West,
but was detained in order 10 place on board
an unusual quantity of freight. She car
ried thirty passengers.
At the time of the accident, about z
o'clock, the ship cast off her lines, and
the tugboat President had her line taut
to assist the Alamo into mldstream. Her
engines had made but two or three revo-
lutions when the explosion came.
The flooring of the deck Immediately
over the engineroom was torn up, and
the steam poured through the open seams
in clouds. The sound Of the escaping steam
was mingled with the shrieks of the dying
men who were enveloped In it. The flow Of
steam was checked with great difficulty,
and not until the lapse of five or six min
utes.
Then it was found that it had completely
filled the englneroom and fireroom, ana
that all who had been confined there had
been not only parboiled, but suffocated by
1t. There was no sign of life left in one
of the bodies, and in several instances
the skin had peeled from their hands and
faces.
The dead arc:
Patrick Murphy, second engineer.
Thomas McHugh, fireman.
Patrick Farrell, oller.
Frand Mcmahon, fireman.
l.. Connell fireman.
J. Ryan, coal HEAVIER
Injured: John Stoneman, passenger, AL
bany, scalded, not serious.
The second engineer was found close to
the break in position which indicated he
had tried to shut off the steam at the
| boiler when the accident occurred, and had
died In the attempt
| Two OF the firemen were found grlpped
| in one anothers arms at the foot of the
ladder leading from the fire hole.
! Hugh Canning, chief engineer Of the ves-
| sci; John Ryan, the port engineer of the
Mallory Line; r. r. Robinson.
an assistant engineer, and another,
escaped more or less badly
scalded. The other men in the engine room
were barely recognizable when their bodies
We're taken out an hour or two later.
Most of the passengers were ON deck when
the explosion occurred.
John Ryan, the experimenting engineer
of the Mallory Line, was technically placed
| under arrest
Robert Mallory Of the Mallory Line was
at the pier shortly after the accident oc-
CURED. He said that so far as he could
see no blame could be attached 10 any one.
| Patrick Murphy the second engineer
was formerly second assistant engineer OF
| the transport ComaL He lived I'm this city
| Nothing is known about the other killed
| The Alamo was inspected by the local
| steamboat inspectors and a license issued
! by Capt. Petrie, two or three DAYS ago.
| The pipe which burst was an eleven inch
| brass pipe running from the stroke room
| up through the engine room and thence to
| the engines. In the upper engine room was
the fiange which parted. The rivets were
sheared off as with knife. The pipe was
tested by the steamboat Inspector and il
is stated withstood a hydrauiIc pressure
of $50 pounds to the square inch
| Chief Engineer Canning stated that
there was only 50 pounds pressure on the
pipe when 1t parted.