The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-30
And Fully Score of Persons Who
Were Passengers on the Bont
UnaccOunted For.
INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE
RIVER BOATS SAID TO BE IN THE
HABIT OF RUNNING RACES,
And 1t Is Intimated the Disaster Was
Partly Due to Speed Rivalry
Boiler Possibly Dry.

to-day that the result of the explosion OF
the boiler on the steamer City of Trenton
while on her way up the Delaware river,
from this city to Trenton, n. j., yesterday
afternoon was more appalling than was at
first supposed. Nine persons are known
positively to be dead, at least twenty are
missing. most of whom are believed TO have
been on the steamer, and two OF the IN
jured still in the hospital probably will die.
The identified dead are:
WILLIAM NELSON, aged sixty-seven
years, a veteran of the civil war and for
merly an inmate of the Soldiers Home,
Hampton, Va.
JAMES MCCORMICK, twenty-three years,
Wilmington, Del, fireman.
ELIZABETH GREEN, twenty-one years,
philadelphia.
WILLIAM DUNN, thirty-eight years,
ARTHUR t. LANSING. fourteen years.
Trenton, n. j.
WILLIAM II. KEEN. Philadelphia.
JESSIE STRATTON, Trenton. died in
hospital.
charred bodies, believed to be those of
females in the morgue. They are beyond
recognition and will be buried in the pot
ter's field.
The list of missing, which will doubt
less add many to the death roll. follows:
IRENE WELD, aged sixteen years;
CLARE WELD. thirteen: DORA WELD,
nine, three sisters of this city, who were
with their uncle. William Dunn, who was
killed on the steamer.
MRS. WILLIAM III. KEEN, whose hus
band was killed.
JOHN d. CHEW. of Camden. N. j.. as
sistant engineer.
AUGUSTUS MERKLE, fireman. Phiia-
delphia.
Nf0rr,r uEpETp, frep,an Philadelphia
ANNA HERR, sixteen years. Philadel-
MRS. JOHN w. MATTHEWS. Philadel-
phia.
MR. AND MRS. FRANK ALBERT.
Philadelphia.
NELLIE BALLANTYNE, Philadelphia.
MRS. HERBERT CROSS, Philadelphia.
ETHEL STOKES, Trenton, n. J.
HENRY JOHNSON, Hulmeville, Pa.
MARION ASHMEAD, seventeen years.
Philadelphia.
ELIZABETH GILLIsON. twenty-three
years, Philadelphia.
JAMES O'CONNELL. fireman, Philadel
phia.
MISS EDNA KINNEY, Philadelphia.
MISS ELIZABETH LIPPINCOTT. Bris-
tol, Pa
OF the thirty-three persons taken to the
hospital in the House of Correction near
the scene of the explosion the following
are still in the institution:
MRS. EDNA VAN SCHOICK, Hights-
town, ~. J.. will die
MISS FANNIE KEEN, Philadelphia,
will die.
w. c. MERSHON, Morrisville. Pa.
]. w. HASTINGS. Philadelphia
MRS j. w. HASTINGS, Philadelphia.
WHITE LANSING, Trenton. n. j.
MISS CLARA CONNOR, Philadelphia
ID
MISS REID.
Although the searchers. consisting of
corps of city police. have been dragging
the river ever since yesterday afternoon
they have been unable to find any more
bodies. That there are more victims in the
river is the firm belief of the authorities.
and their failure to find additional dead is
supposed to be due to the strong current
in the river at the point where the explo-
sion occurred.
The water was pumped out of the hull
of the burned steamer, after which a care
full search was made for additional victims
of the explosion, but none was found. An
attempt was made at high tide this after
noon to 1ioat the wrecked vessel, but it
was unsuccessful, and another effort will
be made at the next high tide late to-
night.
At TO the exact cause of the explosion
nothing is yet known but a rigid investiga-
| tion is TO be conducted at once. Fire Mar
| shall Lattimer Coroner Dugan, the police
department and the United States boiler in
| spectors for this district will each carry
| on an independent investigation, but little
! can be known until the survivors have been
| examined and a careful inspection of the
wrecked steamer shall have been made.
Many of the passengers who escaped in
| jury maintain that the City of Trenton.
which was late when she left her wharf in
| this city, was racing at her topmost speed
and that, but for this. the accident would
| not have happened. This is partly borne
| out by the statement said to have been
made by Assistant Engineer John ID. Chew
Chew told his wife that he expected to be
killed by an explosion on the steamer, as
the company made the engineers keep up
| too high pressure of steam.
August Renhart. an expert machnist.
employed by the Neafy * Levy Shipbuild,
ing Company, builder OF the City of Tren-
ton, recently overhauled the boats boilers
He said to-day that there IS no doubt I'm
his mind that the explosion was due to the
exhaustion of the water in the boilers. He
gave IL as his opinion that the boat was be-
ing run too fast. and this exhausted the
when she left her wharf yesterday after
noon and ii is stated that much of this lost
time had been made up when the explosion
occurred.
The captain and other officers of the boat
and officials or the company deny emphat-
! ically the statement that the City of Tren-
ton was racing with the steamer Twilight.
of the opposition line. when the explosion
occurred. The Twilight and the City of
Trenton were close together AT the moment
of the explosion. the former being in the
lead. Those on board the Twilight did not
hear the explosion or know OF the mishap
10 the rival boat until too late to be OF
assistance
Never in the history of the Delaware
river has there been such keen rivalry be-
tween lines of river steamers as during
J this season On both the upper and lower
parts OF the river races have been or daily