The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-24
BURSTING BOILER KILLS SIX
BARGE CAPTATvANDs 4CHINTSTS
BLOWN TO PIECES.

Only Gpns VI seves: IN the Paierson's Mold
R~capcs Instant Death -Iae o. Badly ln-
Jured what Madr ii,c Oeuke ~ Engines
Boiler Blow Up May Never Ne known.
When seven men we're ~ work u cramped
quarters in the forehold Of the coal barge
Paterson Of the Erie Railroads. feet lying at
Tietjen a Lang's drydocks in the Wee
hawken basin ~ the foot Of seventeenth
street. Hoboken, yesterday morning. The
boiler OF the donkey eDgihc hurst and all
but one we're blown TO pieces The seventh
man was lifted fifteen feet through the open
h~atchway and fell on to the deck. uncon-
sciOus. He was badly injured. but il was
believed last night that he had a fighting
chance Of pulling through
THE DEAD.
HOPKINS. MORRIS ". Is years old. married. OF
~ White street. East Boston: captain OF the barge.
GIBBONS, &. A., 80 years old. the negro engineer
OF thr barge.
NIEr. CLAUDE w.. % years old. a student A.
Stevens Institute Of Technology In Hoboken. acting
as u nachinlst's helper: ss4 Central avenue. West
Hoboken.
HEHdHs. EDWARD PETER. % years old. married.
a machInlst; 42s New York avenue. Jersey City.
DYER. JOHN. "a wears old. married. a machinlst's
helper: 3oo Fourteenth street. Hobokcn.
F~ITzsiMNoSs. LAWRENCE. d years old. married.
a machinist; 1895 Park avenue. weehswkcn.
The injured man was Oliver Brighton,
20 years old, a deckhand on the barge,
who hailed from Winthrop. Mass. His
legs, arms and head were badly bruised and
lacerated
The six bodies we're taken to Anthony
j. Volk's morgue. at ess Washington street,
Hoboken, where County Physician G b.
Converse examined them and issued GER
t~ificates setting forth hat death was due
TO injuries resulting from an explosion
Of q boiler" The County Physician directed
Coroner James McLaughlin Of Hoboken
to order an inquest i" the case OF Edward
Peter Herche for the purpose Of fixing the
responsibility for the accident.
The Paterson recently experienced a
good deal Of trouble on a trip TO Boston
and about eight DAYS ago she went into
drydock. She was aAoat yesterday when
Capt. Hopkins. the negro engineer Gibbons
and four men employed by the drydock
concern went down into the small engine
room in the bow Of the boat.
IL will probably never be known exactly
what they. were doing. although il was
generally believed that they wanted TO
test the workings Of the donkey engine.
which is rarely used except for hosting
purposes. Gibbons evidently got his orders
to get steam up. as he was seen CARRYING
pals Of water into the hold. While the
men were huddled about in the narrow
compartment the boiler burst aDd they
were hurled with terrific force in all d.
~rections.
The boiler room was Immediately filed
with clouds of steam and sprays of hot water.
h forward deck was ripped OF. and Leroy
Hopkins. the captains sixteen yesr-old
boy who was painting a boat on deck lust
out of range OF the damage, was knocked
down. He quickly came to his senses and
went 10 the hatchway. He was driven back
by the steam and then ran ashore shrieking
Historically. |
The muAied sound OF the explosion was
heard only a short distance from the barge
and attracted but little attention. The I
men at work on the dry docks surmised
what had occurred and telephone bells
were soon jingling for ambulances and
doctors. /
Brighton. the lone survivor was bandaged
by physicians on The pier alongside which
the coal barge was lying and hustled to st.
Mary's Hospital. He was unconscious the
greater part OF the afternoon and was In no
condition, the hospital sisters said, to tell
had happened.
The bodies were found twisted and
doubled up in heaps. Capt. Hopkins's
more than the others. II took two
hours to remove them to Volk' g morgue
Mrs. Hopkins. wife Of the captain, was at
work in the family quarters in the cabin
AT the stern OF the barge when the six men
were killed. She was uniniured. She was
FRUSTRATED by the shock Of her husbands
tragic death
Claude ". Nief, the Stevens Institute
student. was spending his vacation working
to perfect himself in a course Of mechanical
and incidentally to earn money
with which to pay his way through school.
He was a sophomore.
Edward Peter Herche was a brother OF
Policemen George and William Herche OF
Jersey City He leaves a widow and small
daughter The Herches had prepared to
celebrate the ffty-third birthday anniver-
sary of their father. Jacob Herche. last night
The Second precinct, Hoboken, police
said last night that they had been informed
at the drydock that the Paterson's boilers
were tested two days ago and were reported
IN he in good conditiop