The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-11-28
A DEADLY EXPLOSION.
Partially Wrecks a River Steamer
on the Pacific Coast.
SIX DEAD AND MANY WOUNDED.
Men of the Crew Confined In the Hold
and Terribly scnlded by tho Escap-
ing Steam--Eight of Them Nearly
Roasted Alive.

md Terribly Scalded by tho Escnp
ing steam-Eight of Them Nearl,
Roasted Alive.
Stockton, Cal, Nov. 2s.--The mos
disastrous river accident in the his
tory of Stockton occurred yesterday
near Fourteen Mile Slough, when {
part Of one Of the boilers of the rivel
steamer 4. c. Walker, which left Sal
Francisco about 8 o'clock Saturday
night. was blown out, killing six an(
dangerously woundlng II persons, while
probably Is or 20 were more or less
badly hurt. The 7. G. Walker is owned
by the California Navigation and I'm
provement company, and ran between
San Francisco and Stockton.
The dead are: John Tulan, captain OF
the 7. c. Walker: Y. c.. Blunt, the
agent In charge of the shipping of
sugar beets from the Moss tract to
the Crockett factory: Watson Henry,
engineer Of the H.. C. Walker: Mrs.
Henry. wife of the chief engineer:
Jerry Daily. fireman; Ferdinand Law,
of Seattle. OF the wounded James Cor
coran, deckhand, will probably die.
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 doar.
People rushed from their rooms in
their night clothes. The whole forward
portion of the steamers upper works
were blown away. The electric lights
had been put out and the escaping
steam enveloped the front portion Of
the boat till it was impossible to see
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. Captain 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 against it.
One Of the employees of the boat Sc
cured an ak and cut the upper part of
the room away, and finally removed
him. but not until lie was virtually
roasted alive. When pulled out the
flesh dropped from his bones in large
pieces.
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 a dis.
tancc of 20 feet to the bow of the boat.
She was badly crushed and so badly
scalded with escaping steam that heT
injuries proved fatal at 1870 yester-
day afternoon. Mr.. Henry was badly
Ecalded. He was thrown some distance.
but not as far as 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
making landing short dis
tance above the place where the ex-
plosion occurred.
jerry Daily, the fireman. was In the
fire hold of the boat when the accident
occurred The escaping steam COM
nletely 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 deckhands slept, groans and
screams were terrible, for the unfortu-
nate imprisoned men were receiving
the full force of the steam as 1t came
from the boilers. Eight of them were
almost roasted alive. Those who We're
able made their way to the decl. as best
they could, while the more seriously
injured We're unable to get out. Arms
and faces of those near the main en-
rance were frightfully soalded. Dom
nici, who was on the lower deck, was !
VI int nd hoI to
ashore after his back was scalded.
Louis rBrizZolana, in company with |
'harles Magsini and wife, were stand |
ng near the pilothouse. The force |
hrew him to one side. He was badly |
'urned about the body. Mr.. Maggini |
md his wife escaped without scratch
About an hour after the explosion
he passenger steamer Dauntless, COM
ng from San Francisco. hove in sight.
he rendered immediate assistance and
III the wounded and uninjured were
AIKEN aboard.
On the lower deck the injured en-
loyes of the boat were located. Means
nd screams, which could not be re-
ressed, were uttered by the injured
nen. Everything possible was done
0 relieve their agony.
One of the remarkable escapes Is that
f Harry Polvene. who was at the
heel when the explosion occurred
he pilothouse was torn away, but he
as not dangerously injured, though
omewhat scalded about the lower
mhs
What caused the explosion will prob
bly, never be known. The steam drum
urst with terrible violence. It had
1lit completely across the upper por-
on and the whole sheet turned out.
ard. The four walls Of the engine
'om were demolished by the force of
lie explosion. The lower deck hur-
cane deck and Texas deck were
rocked in the portion directly over
le engine room. The direction of the
wing debris was upward and outward,
ward the bow. If it had been the
her way the loss of life would have
zen much greater. The forward doors
Id stairway We're destroyed.