The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-04
FATAL EXPLO8iOM

"a Al EAFLO3lON
Of Large Steamboat on the
DelaWarS River.
While the stesmboas City Of Trenton,
| OF the Wilmington Steamboat company,
was oa her way from Philadelphia to
Trenton Wednesday afternoon her port
boiler exploded, killing several persons
and injuriug over score Of others.
Nine parsons are known positively to be
dead, at least l9 are missing, more Of
whom are believed to have been on the
steamer, snd two Of the injured still
in the hospital will probably die. The
identified dead ere.
William Nelson, sgsd 81 years, vet
eca1 Of the Civil war and formerly an
irnate Of the soldiers's home, Hampton,
Va: James Mccormick, % years, Viii
mingtoD, Del, fireman; Elizabeth
Green 21 years, Philadelphia; William
Damn, 38 years, Philadelphia; Arthur
R T. Lansing, a years: Trenton, N. j.;
William g. Keen, Philsdelphia; Jessie
Ssratton, Trenton, died in hospital.
In addition to these there are tao
chsrred bodies, believed to be those Of
females, in the morgue. They are be-
yond recognition and will be buried in
petter's field. So great was
TIE FORCE OF TBEuEXpLosIoN
that pisno in the upper drawing room
Of the boat was hurlsd many feet away
from the boat into the river. This
proved to be fortunate circumstance
for many Of the injured passengers.
Thrown into the river, scalded and
otherwise Injured 50 that they were
rendered helpless, they clung to the
piano, which had fallen into shallow
water until rescued.
When the explosion occurred Mate
Vande,7eer and Pilot Curry were in the
pilot house.
Both were hurled with terrific force
from the little enclosure, and the wheel
on the starboard side refused to work
while that on the port side, for some
unaccountable reason began revolving
with lightning like rapidity. As re-
suit Of this the rudder turned the bow
of the boat toward shore and she quick
ly ran aground fastening herself in the
mud.
By this time the vessel had caught
fire and those Of the passengers who
we're still aboard were compelled to leap
for their lives. Fcttunately the water
was not more than four feet deep and
many Of the victims Of the disaster
were able to wade ashore, some how
ever, who were too seriously injured to
help themselves, we're rescued BY mem
bers Of the boat clubs whose houses
line the river front at this point. The
captain and crew Of the boat conducted
themselves as heroes. They rendered
all the assistance possible to the in
jured and Capt. Worrell was the lsst
man to lea7e the boat. All of the Sc
riously injured were hastily conveyed
to the hospital at the House Of Correc-
tion at Holnssburg, about three miles
below Torresdsle.
Although the sesrchers, consisting
Of corps Of city police, having been
dragging the river ever since Thursday
afternoon, they have been unable to
ind any more bodies. That there are
more victims in the river is the firm be.
lief Of the authorities, and the failure
to find any additional dead is supposed
to be due to the strong current in the
river at the point where the explosion
occurred.
The water was pumped out Of the hull
Of the burned steamer, after which .
careful search WAS made for additional
victims OF the explosion, but none was
found. An attempt WAS made at high
tide Thursdsy afternoon to float the
wrecked vessel, but it mas uRsuccessful.
As TO the exact osuse Of the explo.
sion nothing is yet known, but an in
vest;Sstioa IS 20 be conducted at o1ce.
Fire Marshal Lsttiner, Coroner Dugan,
the police department and the Uniued
States boiler inspectors for this dis
trict viii each carry on an indendent
Investigation, but little can ba known
until the survivors have been examined
aud careful inspection Of the wrecked
stesmsr shall have been mada.
May Of the passengers who escsped
injury maintsin that the City of Tren-
ten, Rhich vas late when she left her
wharf in Philadelphia, was racing at
hsr 5opmost speed and that if this had
not been the case the accident would
not have happened, This is partly
borne cut by ststement said to have
been made by Assistant Engineer John
Chew. Chew told his wife that he ez-
pe;ted to be killed by an explosion on
the steamer, as the company made the
ensinee- keen nm Zoo high a Drassure Of