The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-12-06
EIIINJ
wv. G.. NORMAN,
II. Il. JOHN.
j. +. UNDERWOOD,
III. c.. WALL,
Il. l.. SMITH,
KILLED BY EXPLOSION
tx MEN MEET THEIR DEATH ON The
ALAMO.
4 Steam Pipe Burst While the Vessel Was
lying at Her Pier in East

'hYOi'
New York. Dec. 3.-SiN members Of
the crew Of the Mallory Line steamship
Alamo were killed tonight by the burst
ing of Il steam pipe while the vessel lay
ut her pier in East River. The dead
are:
Patrick Murphy. engineer.
Thomas McHugh. fireman.
Patrick Farrell. oiler.
Frank AIcAIahOn, IN
L. Council. fireman.
j. Ryan, coal HEAVIER.
Injured:
John Stoncman. 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 4 tholou h over
hauling, including, it is said, new steam
pipes and boilers. She was scheduled
to sail at 1:3O 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 thirt!
passengers. At the time of the accident.
about I o'clock, the ship had cast off
her lines and the tugboat President had
ii1L ilIC ttut ~ SIS lIt Aidlllo 1Itp
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 filed the engine room and fire
room and that all who had been CON
fined there had not only been parboiled
but sutfocated by it. There was no
sign OF life left i'll one Of the bodies
ana III several instances the skin had
peeled from their hands and faces.
Inc second engineer was found close
to the break i'll Il position which indi-
Gated that he had tried to shut off the
steam at the boiler when the accident
occurred n had died in the attempt.
Two Of he fremen 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; X. =. Robinson. an
assistant engineer. and another escaped.
more or less badly Scalded. The other
men III the engine room were barely rec
o@nizable when their bodies were taken
out an hour or two later.
Most of the passengers were on deck
when the explosion occurred.
John Ryan. the experimenting engi-
neer Of the Mallory Line. was technical
ly placed under arrest.
Robert Mallory. Of the Mallory Line
was at the pier shortly after the acct
dent occurred. He said that 50 far as
he could see no blame could be attacbed
to any one.
Patrick Murphy, the second engineer
Was former1y second assistant engineer
OF the transport Comal. He lived in this
city. Nothing is known about the other
killed. "
The Alamo was inspected by the local
steamboat inspectors and a license is
sued by Captain Petrie. two or three
days ago.
The pipe which was burst was an IL
inch brass pipe running from the stoke
room up through the pump and the on
IHhe room ana thence to the engines
: = u upper engine room was the fiancp
nit parteu. The rlvets were shearcd
on as WIN a Knife. The pipe was test
Gu .! the steamboat inspector and. if
= stated Wlthstood a hydraulic pressure
81 LOU pounds to the square inch. Chief
engineer canning stated that there was
oniH 81 pounds pressure on the pine
when it parted. "