The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-12-11
OIL STEAMER WRECK
A Score of Men Were Seriously In.
jured.
II PERSONS MISSING; HEAVY LOSS
Boilers of an OIL Steamer Explode
Breaking the Vessel In Two With
Fatal Results.

steamer Progeso was lying at the
wharf Of the Fulton Iron Works at
Harbor View, ar explosion occurred.
AS a result eleven men are missing. A
score were more or less seriously in
jured and property valued at 5000, 600
was destroyed. The missing: First AS
s!stant Engineer Sparks. Joseph Rex
Charles Glenn, Howard Dove. James
Cavatt, Dan Gallagher. Joseph Ma
guire. F. Nelson, c. C. Mcclure, Jack
Strand, Jack Ashton, First Assistant
Engineer Sparks, Joseph Rex. Chas.
Glenn and Howard Dove. OF the crew
of the Progeso, were shipped only this
morning Joseph Rex is a son Of Mate
Rex, of the ship W. P. Babcock. Chas.
Glenn is a brother of Second Officer
Glenn, of the transport Sheridan James
Cavatt, was an electrician and Gala
CHER, Mcguire, F. Nelson and McGregor
were ship builders. Jack Strand was
employed as fireman. and Harry
Small, boy, was working as river
was a fireman on the Progeso, and
Dove was a seaman.
The list of seriously injured in
cludes: Henry Comma. aged IS, arm
amputated; Robert Gibson. both legs
broken; A. Kane, fractured leg and
foot: R. Bucoll, fractured left wrist;
George McNeemy, severe burns; ].
Morgan. injured about arms and legs;
T. McGil, severely burned; Willie Van
derset. head bruised; Peter Hanson.
fracture Of right leg.
The disaster occurred a. 9:45 o'clock,
while 40 mechanics of the iron works
and twenty employees Of the ship were
on board. Below the decks the me-
chanics were busy completing the
work Of changing the vessel from
coal-burning coal-carrier, to an OIL
burning oil-carrier, when suddenly one
Of the tanks blew up. Men were hurled
against steel walls and sheet Of fame
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 out
side the pilot house disappeared as the
cloud Of black smoke came up from the
ship and were seen no more.
Following the explosion, the ship
sagged in the centre, showing that she
had broken in two. In the office Of the
iron works. 20 feet away. every win
dow was shattered and flying glass cut
the faces and hands Of many Of the
officials and clerks. AS they rushed out
into the open. survivors, who were
able to help themselves, were leaping
from the ship. A great crowd of me-
chanics came running out Of the works.
AS soon as the panic had subsided
these men set to work to rescue men
from the burning vessel. A stream Of
burning oil. running from the tanks
spread out until the ship lay on waves
Of fire. The flames crept under the
wharf and soon the timbers were blaz-
ing, adding to the difficulty OF the
work Of 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 ef-
forts OF the fire department. this con-
tinued to burn, flercely for hours after
the explosion. Several minor explosions
due to the flames going from tank to
tank. occurred at short intervals, but
all the injury and loss OF life was
caused by the first.
One popularity of the explosion was
that several men who were on the
other side Of the bulkhead from where
1t 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 wrecking Of the building and the
burning Of the wharf will exceed $2O,-
600. 1t Is estimated that the Prcgeso
was Worth about $175.000. The explo-
sion shook all the building at harbor
view and the shock was felt a mile
away. In many instances windows
were broken several blocks away.
James Spriers. Jr.. general 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 that gas was generated in one
OF the oil tanks. 1T was certainly The
explosion Of tank" he said. "If it had
been boiler explosion, cloud OF
steam would have arisen, but there was
no steam. Instead It was black smoke
from the oil. There was only a small
pressure OF steam at the time"