The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-04
KILLED BY EXPLOSION
SIX MEN MEET THEIR DEATH ON THE
ALAMO.
A Steam Pipe Burst While the Vessel Was
Lying at Her Pier in East
River

New York, Dee 3.-Six members Of
the crew of the Mallory Line steamship
Alamo were killed tonight by the burst
ing of steam pipe while the vessel lay
at her pier in East River. The dead
are:
Patrick Murphy. engineer.
Thomas McHugh. fireman.
Patrick Farrell, oiler.
Frank Mcmahon, fireman.
l.. Council. fireman.
j. Ryan, coal HEAVIER.
Injured:
John Stoneman, passenger. Albany,
scalded. not seriously
The Alamo has only recently been dis
charged from transport service for the
Government and is fresh from Roach's
yard, where she received a thorou IN over
hauling, including, it is said, new steam
pipes and boilers. She was scheduled
to sail at 1870 p. m. yesterday for Gal
weston via Key West, but was detained
in order to place on board an unusual
quantity of freight. She carried thirty
passengers. At the time of the accident
about Z. o'clock, the ship had cast off
her lines and the tugboat President had
her line taut to assist the Alamo into
mid-stream. Her engines had made but
two or three revolutions when the eX-
plosion came
The flooring of the deck Immediately
over the engine room 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 minutes
Then it was found that it had COM
pletely filled the engine room and fire
room and that all who had been con
fined there had not only been parboiled
but suffocated by ii. 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 second engineer was found close
to the break in a position which ind-
Gated that 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 grip
ped in one another's arms at the foot
of the ladder leading from the fire hole.
Hugh Canning, chief engineer of the
vessel: John Ryan. the port engineer of
the Mallory Line; II. =. Robinson. an
assistant engineer. and another escaped,
more or less badly scalded. The other
men in the engine room were barely rec
equitable when their bodies were taken
out an hour or two later.
Most of the passengers We're ON deck
when the explosion occurred.
I'll. a., Il
neer of the Mallory Llue, was technical
ly placed under ares
Robert Mallory. OF t9A> Mallory Line.
was at the pier shortlt aster the acci-
dent occurred. He sale tllat so far as
he could see no blame could be attached
to any one.
Patrick Murphy. the senHul engineer,
was formerly second assiNtaltt engineer
of the transport Comal. h iirrd in this
city. Nothing is known about the other
killed.
The Alamo was inspected ny the local
steamboat inspectors and Il license is
sued by Captain Petrie, TIVE. NF three
days ago.
The pipe which was burst va ap IL
inch brass pipe running from The stoke,
room up through the pump and ihe en-
CINE room and thence to the eAl&UleS.
In the upper engine room was thu. fpngcI
which parted. The rivets were shn"ted,
off as with a knife. The pipe was t"st-'
ed by the steamboat inspector and, It
is stated. withstood Il hydraulic presstln|
of $50 pounds to the square inch. Chlei
Engineer Canning stated that there We
only so pounds pressure on the pipe
when it parted.