New-York tribune., 1902-12-04
TWELVE MEN MISSING.
RESULT OF EXPLOSION ON OIL STEAMER
AT SAN FRANCISCO-MANY OTHERS
HURT-I0SS OE 5000 OOO
[URT-LOSS OF s2OO. .OOO.

San Francisco, Dec. 3.-Whie the steamer
Progreso was lying at the wharf of the Fulton
Iron Works at Harbor View this morning an
explosion occurred. AS result twelve men
are missing, a more less seri-
ously injured. and property valued at 100000
was destroyed
The missing men include the first assistant
engineer. named Sparks; Joseph Rex a son of
the mate of the ship W. P Babcock; Charles
Glenn. brother of Second Officer Glenn, of the
transport Sheridan; James Cavatt, an cleo
trician; Jack" Strand a fireman; Harry Small.
a boy working rivet beater; John Ashton.
a fireman: Howard Dove. seaman, and four
shipbuilders.
Sparks Rex Glenn and Dove of the
of the Progreso were shipped only this morn
ing
The disaster occurred at 9:45 o'clock. while
forty mechanics of the iron works and twenty
employees of the ship were on board. Below
the decks the mechanics were busy completing
the work of changing the vessel from coal
burning coal carrier to oil burning oil
carrier when suddenly of the oil tanks blew
up Men were dashed against the steel wall.
and sheet of flame came sweeping into their
faces Those the upper deck were hurled
into the air thrown into the water. Three
sailors engaged in washing paint outside the
pilot house disappeared the cloud of black
more.
Following the explosion. the ship gged in
the centre, showing that she had broken in two.
In the office of the iron works, twenty feet
away every window was shattered, and flying
glass cut the faces and hands of many OF the
officials and clerks AS they rushed out sur
vivors who were able to help themselves. were
leaping from the ship great crowd of me-
chanics came running out of the works AS
soon as the panic had subsided the 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 blazing. adding to the
difficulty of the work of rescue
AS the ship built of steel the hre was
nearly all below deck. There were fourteen on
tanks. containing about four hundred oa1rels Tre
Of oil in ALL and despite the efforts OF the IRE
Department this continued to burn nerceiy LOT
hours after the explosion.
Several minor explosions. due to the flames
going from tank to tank. occurred at snort IN
tervals, but all the injury and loss OF lie We're
caused by the first one One pecunarlty OF the
the other side of the bulkhead from where 1t
occurred. were uninjured, while others further
away were badly hurt. Several men IN the
yards injured by flying debris
The loss to the Fulton company by the wreck
ing of the building and the burning of the
wharf will exceed $4,000 1t Is { ez5ima1eo nnn tha'
The explosion shook all the buildings at Har-
Dor View, and the shock was felt mile away;
In a few instances windows were broken several
blocks from the
James Spiers. jr., general manager or the
Fulton Iron Works. is positive that the explo-
sion was due to the Oil and not to the bursting
of the boiler. His theory is that gas was gen
Grated in one of the oil tanks. 1T was certalnly
the explosion of a tank he said. IF it had
been boiler explosion. cloud of steam would
have arisen but there no steam Instead,
n was hlack smoke from the oil There
only a small pressure of steam at the time
The Progreso owned by the Progreso
Steamship Company Of New-York, and arrived
hera a few months ago from the Atlantic Coast
She was formerly called the Wells City ana
was 265 feet in length. with gross tonnage or
919 tons The repairs her were bout COM
pleted and the boilers being tested when
the explosion occurred.
The Progreso to have started next
Wednesday for New York. and was to be put on
the run between New-York and Galveston.