New-York tribune., 1902-08-14
TITG EXPLODFS AND KILLS
BODIES AND SPLINTERS HURLED II IL
THE AIR OFF ToA1PhINSNILLt'

The tugboat Jacob Kuper, belonging 10 T. y
Kuper & Sons of No. 20 South-st-' Die" up oiI
Tompkinsville yesterday morning. almost "iP
,r. o,,+ her crew and tearing herself TO pieces
After the explosion pieces of the nun OF 'iie Jug
hoated about on the water, with fragments ol
her ,,nnzr works indicating that the destruction
had been almost total
yr 1,,s steward eorty years OLD Eishtysixth-st
JOHNSON Harry acting captain Of the boat.
MEYER. Henry fireman Of No II Presiaent-s'- 7FooA
The wounded are:
cRG Christian thirty Years old a. q S2 No b:3i.e 123 3s s
cut. At : R smith Infrmsry.
HANSEN william. deokhand on Kuper; injured a'"'O'
Larsen Charles Of Broo injured about loTer ses- P@g
~ BODY: taken n < r Smith lntirmsry ana lale' Il
turned to the barge
Although a couple Of hundred people were not
far away they were paying no attention to the
ing and the lighter she had in tow When tney
heard the explosion, they saw a cloud OF stean'
which threw bodies and splinters into Ihe All
and from which emerged the cotton ladeh
lighter Quick aid was rendered by the Tug
Valiant and bv the Castleton, of the staten
Island service, but the majority Of those on lhe
tug were presumably blown TO pieces.
The Kuper tied up Tuesday night at the Bat
1e-v and received orders TO proceed to the Ger
lighter Stanley. cotton laden, and 10 tow her
10 Pier No > of the American Cotton Docks. at
Tonpkinsville Captain Landberg, the COM
r7ander Of the huper, wanted day on duty
and so turned the command over TO Captain
johnson
The tug was off st. George q few minutes
before Z o'clock The ferryboat Castleton was
then in the slip at ST George. loading up for her
= o'clock trip 10 whitehan-st- The Baltimore and
zTS- 79orgo T-pd n
the piIing The cotton docks are about nan
a mile or more below the ferry slip on the
south
The tug and lighter passed the ferry slip ana
started down toward the cotton docks Ihe
Kuper's whistle was blown to attract the at'en-
tion of men on the docks to be ready to take the
lines from the lighter she passed into the
basin James Mckee, a cotton hanoIer al 'ile
docks looked out if the whistle was
meant for him, and says that as he DID so 1heIe
was q hurst Of steam and a roar. That was all
he knew OF the disaster
CAPTAIN Larsen of the lighter was the Only
man on either boat who escaped injury HIS
escane was due to the fact that he had gone to
the stern of his craft and stopping over
making ready the stern line to heave TO 1s
dock Lane was with MIN, but a little forward
IF where the captain was making ready tne
breast line. Gregg was forward making reaoE
the bow line Gregg was also hit by fragments
of wood and iron and was scalded by hot water
rr steam from the boiler Of the tug being blown
over him.
Captain Larsen said:
On the deck to take our lines. We had crossed
me bay rather slowly sllo si MSIe took laoe
There had been trouble on the hlper 50 Tar as
fbi1E fi9T the safety valve had been working prop
erly think was partly stunned; for | cearE 5I
fTrf1rz
and men made her fast few minutes later 1
was all right NV two mon were sent TO the nos
rital
The other eyewitnesses knew little more The
tug to them appeared to be lifted slightly up
ward at the stern. and then all else was blotted
out BY the enveloping cloud of steam 1he
N1eckage floating about indicates that the eX-
lloson must have exerted almost as much force
down ward upward
Captain Roberts of the Valiant slipped his
lines at once and put to the aid Of the lighter
and those on her.
William Pur1y. engineer. scalded about face
and hands cut on head and face, cut on both
legs. left hip dslocated. right thumb dislocated-
At United States Marine Hospital Clifton Con
dition serious.
Engineer Purdy was hurled into the ar ana
landed on the lighter
Captain Johnson's body was also hurled INTO
the air and struck in the water and sank ana
has not been recovered Johnson, Cose ana
Never were instantly killed Purdy said he had
no knowledge of the affair, and said he could
not remember where he was when the explosion
occurred
The lighthouse tender Daisy spent the day
graphing for the bodies without result Inc
Sender viii resume the search this morning.
The Kuper was one of the best known tugs IN
the harbor. Her gross register was l44 tons
her length 105 feet and beam 2312 feet. She
was built at Charleston. s. c, in 1870, for the
government. She in the revenue service
under the name of the Cheyenne. Several years
.po she nassed 10 the Kupers who renamed her
she cost the Kupers $4,000, who insured her for
81 00G The lighter suffered no damage, but
many of the bales Of cotton were burst open
and some fell into the water, but We're recov-
cred