The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 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 scalded by the Escap-
ing Steam-Elght of Them Nearly
Roasted Alive.
Stockton, Cal, Nov. 2S.-The most
disastrous river accident in the his
tory of Stockton occurred yesterday
near Fourteen Mile Slough, when a
part of one of the boilers of the river
steamer 7. C. Walker, which left San
Francisco about 6 o'clock Saturday
night, was blown out, killing six and
dangerously wounding II persons, while
probably is or 20 were more or less
badly hurt. The T. c. Walker is owned
by the California Navigation and Inn
proVement company, and ran between
San Francisco and Stockton
The dead are: John Tulan, captain of
the T. c. Walker: T. 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 T. 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
III ptu WIltu the EXPULSION occurred,
and were awakened by the report,
which was as loud as a cannons 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 hoat had hear parriad
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 he 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
tance of 20 feet to the bow of the boat.
She was badly crushed and so badly
scalded with escaping steam that her
injuries proved fatal at 1890 yester-
day afternoon. Mr.. Henry was badly
scalded. 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
f,,ta Ia,, nov 1ia-
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
pletely enveloped him. scarcely a 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 were
| able made their way to the deck as best
they could while the more seriously
| injured were unable to get out. Arms
and faces of those near the main en-
trance were frightfully scalded. Dom
inici who was on the lower deck, was
blown into the water and had to swim
ashore after his back was scalded.
Louis Brizzolana in company with
Charles Maggini and wife, were stand
ing near the pilothouse. The force
threw him to one side. He was badly
/ burned about the body. Mr. Maggini
and his wife escaped without a scratch
oft he ion,
the passenger steamer Dauntless, COM
ing from San Francisco, hove in sight
She rendered immediate assistance and
all the wounded and uninjured We're
taken aboard.
On the lower deck the injured en-
ployes of the boat were located Means
and screams which could not be re-
pressed, were uttered by the injured
men. Everything possible was done
to relieve their agony.
| Ore Of the remarkable escapes is that
J of Harry PolVene who was at the
wheel when the explosion occurred.
The pilothouse was torn away, but he
was not dangerously injured. though
somewhat scalded about the lower
limbs.
What caused the explosion will prob
ably never be known. The steam drum
burst with terrible violence. 1t had
split completely across the upper por-
tion and the whole sheet turned out
: ward. The four walls of the engine
room were demolished by the force of
the explosion The lower deck, hur-
ricane deck and Texas deck were
wrecked in the portion directly over
the engine room. The direction of the
flying debris was upward and outward
toward the bow. If it had been the
other way the loss of life would have
been much greater. The forward doors
and stairway were destroyed.