Morris tribune., 1901-08-31
SPEED TOO EiltHI
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER TO THE
STEAMER CITY OF TRENTON
NEAR PHILADELPHIA.
ENGINEER HAD PREDICTED IT

! Told His Wife Before Leaving Rome
on the Fatal Trip That He Had q
Presentiment the Boilers Would Elk.
plode-LIst Of Casualties Includes
Eleven Dead, Nine Missing and
.1sa.'-- >>----sso,..
Thirty-two injured. :
Philadelphia, Aug. 80. Eleven
1nuwn dead, 9 missing and 81 injured
Is the record made by the explosion
Of the boilers OF the steamboat City
of Trenton on the Delaware river. All
night long city firemen, policemen and
officials and employees Of the Whining.
ton Steamboat company, which owned
the Inflated 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 and they will
continue to do so until all are ac-
counted for. OF the II bodies that
have been recovered 10 have been
identified.
8 According to the statement of the
widow Of the dead engineer he had
a presentiment Of death. Mrs. Chew
says that before leaving home for
work on Tuesday night her husband
said:
Lizzie, may never see you again.
have presentfment that there will
be an explosion on the boat. If there
is there will be no escape for me.
They are running at
Too High Steam Pressure
and If an accident should occur and |
many others will be killed"
OF the SO injured persons taken to |
the hospital and the house OF cor
rection all are reported doing well and |
1t is not now believed that any Of |
them will die.
Augustus Reinhart, an expert ma
chinist employers the Neafe & Levy |
6h1pbuilding company, builders Of the |
City of Trenton, recently overhauled
the boats boilers. He said there Is
no doubt in his mind that the explo-
sion was due to the exhaustion 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 Is minutes late when
she left her wharf and it 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 the officials of the company |
deny emphatically the statement that
The boat 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 ex-
plosion, the former being In the lead.
Those on board the Twilight did not
hear the explosion or know of the mis-
hap to the rival boat until too late to
De of any assistance.
During the present season there has
been keen rivalry between lines Of
liver steamers. On both the upper
Ind lower parts of the river
Races Have Been of Daily Occurrence.
only few weeks ago the crew of the
Trenton steamer Poconoket was GEN.
uTed by Coroner Dugan for failing to
20 to the assistance of some persons
Who were drowned At the time the
'oconoket was racing with the Twi-
light, the boat that led the City OF
'renton when the explosion occurred. )
Between Philadelphia and Whining \
on the steamer lines for time vir-
ually advertised races between their
essels.. For nearly week the City
Chester and Brandywine, on one
me. and the Diamond State on the
theF, met and raced to finish every a
ay. Public sentiment, however, q
aused the patronage to fall OF, and :.
rule was then made prohibiting the
peed contests. s
perlntendent Of Police Quirk de- h
lares that the matter will be thor
ughly Investigated by his department =
nd Il the charge OF racing is sus- G
aimed the officers and crew of the .
rocked steamer will be arrested.
Director Of Public Safety English {
as issued an announcement to the T
ublic through the newspapers call !
lg upon those who have friends or
slatives missing to furnish his de- <
o rr3$h %hnf1s 1o11onc