The Washington times., 1905-01-04
SCORE ROASTED
AT TER EXPLOSION
Boilers of Defender Send
Crew TO Destruction.
SCENE OF TERRIBLE HORROR
Defamation Shook the Town of Hunt
ington, W. Va.-Few Wounded
Saved
SCENE OF TERRIBLE HORROR

HUNTINGTON, W. Va, Jan. 1.-THE
towboat Defender, one of the largest of
the fleet which plies IN and down the
Ohio River to and from Pittsburg blew
up shortly before midnight, and the ma
iority of her crew, yariously estimated
from twenty-three to forty were sent
into eternity 1t was one of the most
horrible disasters. judged by loss of life,
of the past twenty years on the Ohio
River
The Defender. which was owned by
the MonongaheIa River Consolidated
Coal and Coke Company, of Pittsburg.
was returning to Pittsburg from Gin
cinnau, where she had left a tow of
four barges of coal. She had been ex-
periencing hard weather the entire way
from Cincinnati. owing to the fact that
the river is filed with ice
As result of this she had all steam
on and her Prov at that was barely able
10 cut its way through the foes
Most of Crew Asleep.
Most Of the crew had gone to their
hunks, tired out by the days hard work
Suddenly. with a roar like the bursting
OF thousands of large shells the whole
beat went up into the air and a moment
later what had been the pride of the
worthless timber the funeral pyre of
over score of men. Her boilers strain
ed TO their utmost, had exploded.
The scene following the explosion beg
CARS description. In the river We're half
a dozen OF the crew, burned and hor-
r1bly 1acerated by the force of the ex-
pioslon, but still citnging TO pieces of
timber. momentarily losing their hold on
the icy planks- That any escaped is lit
Tie short of miraculous.
None on Roat Escanad
None of those Left on the Inflated tow
boat escaped 1t was impossible I'm
mediately after the explosion the whole
frame OF the boat, such of it as was
left, caught fire and blazed furiousIy.
Any of the crew who had escaped i'm
mediate death must have persisted mis-
eraDiy In the blaze which followed
The report of the explosion awakened
the inhabitants OF the city. and soon
every available craft was en- route for
the scene to aid in the rescue The
steamer Che-alier was lying at the
wharf with steam half up. and she was
the first 10 reach the side of the
wrecked Defender. On her way she
picked up half a dozen of those who
had been blown into the river, and has
tened them TO the shore, where they
We're placed in private houses and cared
ter by local physicians All are in
precarious condition, and none has as
yet been able TO give any details of the
disaster.
James Woodward, Captain.
The Defender was in charge OF Capt.
James Woodward, of Pittsburg He
was in his pilot house when the ex-
plosion occurred, and was hurled into
the river He was later picked up, half
dead from the cold, but apparently
otherwise uninjured.
The only dead body as yet recovered
and identified IS that of Thomas DUFFY.
of Pittsburg, a fireman on the De-
fender. Another dead body picked up
IS that of another fireman, whose name
Is not known, but who is known to have
lived IN CorreopoliS, Pa about TWENTY
five miles from Pittsburg.
woman, name unknown, who was
a passenger on the steamer is said TO
have been among those whose chaTred
vessel
The fun number of those who lost
their lives cannot be obtained until
Captain Woodward RECEIVERS s1,ffjcj-
emily to give the names of his crew and
board.
Among those known to have escaped
cook
Story of the Disaster.
One of the rivermen whose home is in
a small houseboat wi1tering on the
Huntington river front. was among The
first TO reach the side Of the Defender.
He tells thrilling story of the dis
aster
was just about turning in ne says,
and had put on my heavy coat to go
out and take a squint at the weather. II
was bitter cold and the river looked like
one mass OF noating Ice As stooe on
the deck just outside, | saw the lights
or steamer, and heard her cfug-chug
as she fought her way through che foes
suddenly mass of Name burst into
the air and the whole river seemed to