Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-09-05
Number Il
lWENTY-EICHT VICTIMS
This The Police Estimate Of CITY
Of Trenton Explosion.


Boat Was Racing-Assistant Eng-
neer Chew's Statement Bears This
out-Investigators at Work.
Philadelphia, Sept. 2.-It is now rea-
sonably certain that at least 2S per-
sons perished as result of the ex-
plosion of one of the boilers of the
steamer City of Trenton On the Della
ware river above this cIly on Wednes-
day afternoon. This conclusion is
reached by the police authorities
through the fact that four more bodies
were recovered yesterday, making a
total OF 25 in all Four persons are
still missing, and six lie at the morgue
awaiting identification, but it is more
than probable that one of those re-
ported missing is among that number.
The city and FEDERAL inGpcctor3 are
rigidly pursuing their investigation,
but they cannot accomplish much until
the exploded boiler, which was Flown
clean out of the vessel into the middle
of the river, has been recovered The
owners of the steamer have consented
to raise and place it at the disposal
of the authorities. The theory that
water was let into the boiler aftcr it
had become dry and as d result The
crown sheet blew out is gaining ground
among experts This the engineers
claim could happen only through neg
ligence of the engineer.
Many of the passengers, who escaped
injury, maintain that the City of Tren-
ton which was late when she left her
wharf in this city Wednesday, was
racing at her topmost speed and that
If this had not been the case the acci-
dent would not have happened This
is partly borne out by statement said
to have been made by Assistant Engi
neer John d. 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.
The City of Trenton makes daily
trips between Philadelphia and Tren-
ton, stopping at Burlington, N j.;
Bristol. Pa, and other points on the
way. She left the company's wharf
at 145 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, Is
minutes behind her scheduk. time Her
passenger list was lighter than usua.,
and she carried very little freight. The
vessel was in charge of Captain w. A.
Worrell.
Nothing of moment occurred until
the boat reached Torresdale. At
point opposite what is known as the
Harrison mansion. a spacious building
fronting the Delaware river at this
suburban resort, the steam pipe con
meeting with the port boiler burst with
a loud report. The forward portion of
the upper deck was we'll filled with
passengers. while many others were in
the cabin. Before any of the pas
sengers or employees had an oppor-
tunity of seeking places OF safety an
other explosion occurred. and this time
the port boiler was rent III vain.
Scalding steam and water poured into
the cabin, and sections of the wood
work of the boat We're torn away by
the force of the explosion. Those Of
the passengers who were not scanned
and SCARED by the scalding steam and
boiling water were struck by the fly
ing portions of the splintered cabin.
Legs and arms We're broken and faces
and bodies were parboilcd. The
screams of the Injured could be heard
on shore and the cries of those who
leaped and were blown into the river
were heartrending. So great was the
force of the explosion that piano III
the upper drawing room of the boat
was hurled many feet away from the
boat into the river This proved a
fortunate circumstance for many OF
the injured passengers. Thrown into
the water scalded and otherwise n
jured so that they were rendered
helpless, they clung to the piano,
which had fallen into shallow wa Gr,
until rascuad