The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-12-01
RIVER ACCIDENT.
steamboat Boiler at Stockton, CAL, Ex-
piodes-Slx Killed and Many Hurt.
mo scre"ms of the Injured Passenger.
were Heart-Rendlng - D~o& Hands,
f'nned in Their Banks, Received
The Pull Force of th. Steam.

STOCKTON, Cal. Nov. 2s.-The most
disastrous river accident In the history
Oh stockton occurred Sunday morning
near Fourteen Mile slough, when a
part OF one OF the boilers of the T. c.
Walker, which left San Francisco about
o'clock Saturday night was blown
out killing five and dangerously
wounGing II persons, while probably
10 or 20 were more or less badly hurt.
The I. c. Walker Is owned by the Cali
1ornla Navigation and Improvement
Co., and ran between San Francisco
and Stockton.
The majority of the passengers were
IN bed when the explosion occurred
ana were awakened by the report
which was as loud as a 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 cleo
trlc lights had been put out and the es-
Gaping steam envoloped the front por-
tion OF the boat till 1t was impossible
to sec how much of the boat had been
carried away.
The screams of the men who were
locked in their rooms near the pilot
house were heartrending. Capt. John
Tulan had been blown from his
bed against the door of the state room
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 re-
moved him, but not until he was vir-
tually roasted alive. When pulled out
the flesh dropped from his bones in
large pieces, and although he was suf-
fering excruciatingly, he bore it brave
ly and not groan escaped him as he
was taken out of tho 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 toward
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 1890 Sunday afternoon.
She retained consciousness until few
moments before her death. Her suf-
fering was 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 mar
cotics.
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 this
city.
Mr.. Blunt was instantly killed. lie
was standing on the lower deck as he
making a landing a short
distance above the place where the
explosion 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 a por-
ton of his body escaping the scorch-
ng vapor, lie died at the receiving
hospital at 12:45 Sunday afternoon.
Underneath the lower deck, where
he deck hands slept, groans and
screams were terrible, for the unfor-
unate imprisoned men were receiving
he full force of the steam as II came
rom the boilers. Eight of them were
Ilmost roasted alive. Those who were
bile made their way to tho deck as
,est they could while the more seri-
'usly injured were unable to get
mt. Arms and faces Of these near the
main entrance were frightfully scalded.
Dominica, who was on the lower deck,
vas blown into the water and had to
win ashore after his back was horri- 6,
ly scalded. :
Ferdinand Law, of Seattle, died at 8 D..
clock Sunday evening at the receiv-
lg hospital, making the sixth death. =