Evening star., 1901-08-29
FHIRFY-FWO INJURED IN EXPLOSION
GrappIers at Work at Wreck
Searching for Bodies.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT

ton Steamboat Company, which owned the
ill-fated vessel, worked in and around the
burned and blackened hull searching for
bodies of victims of the disaster, believed
to be either in the vessel or in the water.
Hundreds of men are dragging the river
bottom with. graphing irons today, and
they will continue to do SO until every per-
son that was the boat is accounted for.
OF the eleven bodies that have been re-
covered, ten have been identified. The iden-
titled dead are:
John 2. Chew of Camden, n. j., assistant
engineer of the City of Trenton
Miss Elizabeth Green of Philadelphia,
crushed to death.
William Dunn of Philadelphia, a passen-
ger
Arthur Lansing, fourteen years of age,
Trenton, n j.
James OConnell, fireman. Philadelphia.
Mott Mable, fireman. Philadelphia.
August Mable, deck hand. Philadelphia.
William Nelson, sixty-nine years old,
Hampton, Va
William H. Keen. passenger Philadelphia.
James Mccormick, Wilmington, Del, pas
senger.
The unidentified body is so badly burned
that its sex cannot be determined.
Some of the Missing.
Among the missing are Miss Ethel
Stokes of Trenton and Miss Helen Briest.
daughter of former Mayor John Briest of
Trenton.
According to the statement of the widow
of the dead assistant engineer, John p.
Chew. the man had a presentment of
death. Mrs. Chew says that before leav-
ing home for work on Tuesday night her
husband said:
Lizzie, l may never see you again.
have a presentment that there will be an
explosion on the boat. If there is there
will be no escape for me- They are run
ming at too high steam pressure, and if
an accident should occur and many others
will be killed"
OF the thirty-two injured persons taken
to the hospital attached to the Philadel-
phia house of correction all are reported
as doing we'll today, and it is not believed
that any of them will die.
Augustus Reinhart, an expert machinist,
employed by the Neafie & Levy Shipbuild-
ing Company, builder of the City of Tren-
ton, recently overhauled the boats boilers.
He said today there is no doubt in his
mind that the explosion was due to the ex-
haustion of the water in the boilers. He
gave 1t as his opinion that the boat was
being run too fast and this exhausted the
water.
The boat was fifteen minutes late when
she left her wharf yesterday afternoon
and 1t is stated that much of this lost time
had been made up when the explosion oc-
Cured
Officers Deny Racing Rumors.
The captain and other officers of the boat
and the officials of the company deny en-
phatically the statement that the City of
Trenton was racing with the steamer Twi-
light of the opposition line when the ex-
plosion occurred. The Twilight and City
of Trenton were close together at the mo-
ment of the explosion, the former being in
the lead. Those on board the Twilight did
not hear the explosion know of the
miShap to 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 the lines of river steamers as dur
ing this season. On both the upper and
lower parts of the river races have been
of daily occurrence. Only few weeks
ago the crew of the Trenton steamer POGO
noket was censured by Coroner Dugan for
failing to go to the assistance of some
persons who were drowning. At the time,
1T is said, the POconoket was racing with
the Twilight, the boat that led the City of
Trenton yesterday when the explosion oc-
CURED.
Races Practically Advertised.
Between Philadelphia and Wilmington
the steamer lines for time virtually ad-
vertised races between their vessels For
nearly a week the City of Chester and
Brandywine one line and the Diamond
State on the other met and raced to a
ever, caused the patronage to fall off, and
rule was then made prohibiting the speed
contests.
Superintendent of Police Quirk declared
today that the matter will be thoroughly
Investigated by his department, and If
the charge of racing is sustained the OFF,
GERS and crew of the wrecked steamer will
be arrested.
Director of Public Safety English issued
an announcement to the public through the
newspapers calling upon those who have
friends or relatives missing TO furnish his
department with their names In response
to this request the department today has
the following list Of missing:
Irene Weilde, sixteen years. Philadelphia.
Clara b. Weilde, thirteen years, Phila-
delphia.
Dora Weilde, nine years, Philadelphia
Mrs Matilda Cross, Philadelphia.
Marion Ashmead. seventeen years, Ger
mantown, Philadelphia.
Anna Herr, sixteen years Of age. Ger
mantown, Philadelphia.
Emma Eastburn, eighteen years, Ger
mantown, Philadelphia.
Miss Helen Ballantyne, forty years, Ger
mantown, Philadelphia.
Louisa Tillison, twenty-five years. Phila-
delphia
The police are certain that some of these
are dead and that their bodies will be
found in the river or the hun OF the City
of Trenton. In addition. two or more Tren-
ton people are known to be missing.
1t is believed that the body so badly char
adelphia.
The three Weilde girls, who are mentioned
as missing are supposed to be dead.
Capt. Worrell Of the City of Trenton Wis.,
tied the wreck this morning, and In an
swer to questions. insisted that his boat
was not racing. There is, however no ex-
PLANTATION as to the cause of the explosion
beyond that offered by Expert Machinist
Reinhart.
G. A. r.. Veteran Among Victims.
PHILADELPHIA, August 29.-It devel-
oped during the day that one Of the bodies
at the morgue which had been identified
as James Graham Of Trenton, N. r., was
that Of VIM. Nelson. aged sixty-seven
years. Nelson was a veteran Of the civil
war and was an inmate OF the Soldiers
Home. Hampton, Va. He was spending a
few days with relatives In this city.
Fire Marshal Lattimer today took per-
sonal charge at the scene of the wreck and
will make thorough investigation. He
says he will be unable to make report