The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-10
STEAMER BLOWN Up.
Twelve Men are Killed and a Score
Are Seriously Hurt.
\ BIG TANK OF OIL EXPLODED.
Hrcaking the Ship in Two and
spreading the FLAMES All
over the Surround
ing Water.

\ dispatch from California says
while the steamer ProgreSSo was lying
at the wharf of the Fulton Iron
Works at Harbor View Wednesday
morning. an explosion occurred. rs d
result j. men are missing. \ score
were more or less seriously injured
and property valued at 100000 was
destroyed.
The disaster occurred at 9:43 O'Clock
while 10 mechanics Of the iron WORKS
and 20 mpioyeS of the ship were on
! board. The machinistS were busy COM
pleting the work Of changing the veS-
sci from a coal burning career to an
oil burning carrier, when suddenly one
Of the tanks blew up. Men were
hurled against the steel wall ana a
sheet of flame came sweeping into
their faces. On the upper deck men
were hurled into the air or thrown
into the water. Three sailors engaged
in washing paint outside the pilot
house. diSa ppeared as the cloud O!
black smoke came up from the ship
and were seen no more.
Following the explosion the ship
sagred in the centre. showing that she
had broken in two. In the Office OF
the iron works. 20 feet away, every
window was shattered and flying glass
cut the faces and hands OF many OF
the officials and clerks.
WAVES OF FIRE.
As they rushed out into the open.
survivors. who were able to help them
selves. were leaping from the ship. y
great crowd Of mechanics came run
ming out Of the works. AS soon as the
panic had subsided these men set to
work to rescue men from the burning
vessel. 4 stream Of burning oil: run
ming from the tanks. spread out until
the ship lay on waves OF ire. Ihe
flames crept under the wharf and soon
the timbers were blazing. adding to
the difficulty Of the work or rescue.
As the ship was built Of steel the fire
was nearly all below the deck. There
were fourteen oil tanks containing
about four hundred barrels Of oil in
all. and despite the efforts OF the fire
department, this continued to burn
fercely for hours after the explosion.
Several minor explosions. due to the
flames going from tank to tank. occur
red at short intervals, but all the in
iurv and loss Of lie was caused by the
first one. One pecullarlty OF the en-
plosion was that several men WHO were
on the other side Of the bulkhead from
where it occurred. were uninjured
while others farther away were badly
hurt. Several men in the yards were
injured by flying debris. The loss to
the Fulton company by the wrecNlng
of the building and the burning OF the
wharf will exceed $50. 900. 1t is esti-
mated that the PrOgreSSo wac worth
about $4,000.
FELT 4 MILE AWAY.
The explosion shook all the build
ings at Harbor View and the shock
was felt a mile away. In few in
stances windows were broken several
blocks away. James SpierS, Jr., gen.
eral manager, Of the Fulton Iron
Works, is positive that the explosion
was due to the oil and not to the
bursting of the boiler. His theory is
is that gas was generated in one OF the
oil tanks. 1T was certainly the ex-
plosion Of a tank" he said. If 1t
had been boiler explosion, a cloud OF
steam would have arisen, but there
was no steam. Instead. it was black
smoke from the oil. There was only
small pressure Of steam at the