Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-02-19
SEVEN ARE killed
BY Blast ON ship
BOILER ON STEAMER vALDIvIA
BLOWS UP CAUSING IN.
SLANT DEATH.
UPPER WORKS OF
VESSEL WRECKED
Victims Of Disaster Are Terribly
Mangled-one Man Seriously In.
jured = Damaged Boat Brought
Safely Into Harbor.


American line steamer Valdivia, fruit
laden from the West Indies, came into
port Saturday with her forward decks
shattered, her funnel fiat upon the
deck, and the story of a boiler explo.
sion on board last Wednesday morn
ing which caused the instant death of
seven members of the crew and the
serious injury of another. The dead
are:
Fourth Engineer j. Steinhagen, of
Hoboken, N. j.; Fireman A. Seldom,
colored; Coal Passer w. Hanna, Coal
Passer ]. Salonski, Sailor P. Dytho,
Sailor w. DIETRICH, Steward William
Simmons, colored.
Victims Killed Instantly.
The exploding boiler was known as
the auxiliary, and supplied steam to
the various hosting engines, capstans,
steering gear, etc. Off Hatteras last
Wednesday it was decided to turn
steam from the auxiliary boiler into
the main steam pipes to help out in
making the speed necessary to con-
tract requirements and to save the
perishable cargo. All through the
loading ports in the West Indies, it
is said, the auxiliary boiler had been
working with 80 to 100 pounds Of
steam, whereas just before the explo-
sion occurred the steam gauge showed
pressure of only 35 pounds. This
was being increased by forced draught
when suddenly there came puff" as
1T was described, and seven men lay
dead in the companionway of the for.
ward tween decks.
Captain Kruger, commanding the
Valdivia, was in the chart house for
ward when the explosion occurred. He
was stunned by the force of it, but
amid the crashing of heavy timbers
and the roar of the falling smokestack
he rushed for the bridge and seized
the engine room indicator of tele-
graph, but the lines had been broken
and so Captain Kruger sent his quar-
termaster to the engine room to have
the engines stopped. The steering gear
also had become deranged and the
ship had begun to swing in a big cir
Gle. The first and second officers of
the ship had gone to their posts of
duty, and it is said that within a very
few minutes after the explosion &C.
CURED the Valdivia was standing to
and the injured were being cared for
and the bodies of the dead being col
lected for burial. Repairs were soon
under way and when canvas had been
rugged up for draught purposes in
place of the broken stack the ship was
headed for Norfolk, the idea being to
care for the injured there.
Injured Taken to Hospital.
Arriving off the Virginia capes, the
weather was heavy and Captain Kru-
ger decided to keep on to New York.
When the Valdivia reached her pier
Saturday the injured member of the
crew, whose life is all but despaired
of, was taken off and conveyed to a
hospital. The first officer of the Val
diva also had been hurt by the expls-
sion, but his injuries had been dressed
On board.
There was but one passenger on the
ship, j. H. Roys, of Columbus, Ohio,
who had been on business tour of
the West Indies. Mr. Roys, who for
merly was lieutenant in the United
States navy, joined the Valdivia at
Jeremie, Hayti, where the chip called
on February 8. The last stop made
by the big frutter was at Inagua,
in the Bahamas, on February 10. She
then headed for New York under all
possible speed, and 1t was just three
days later, Wednesday, February 10,
when the explosion of the boiler oc.
cured.
super-structure Torn Open.
The chief officer, who was on duty
on the bridge, was buried in the de-
bris when found. He stated when the
explosion occurred everything appear.
ed to fall over the bridge onto the
deck and the super-strncture above the
smokestack and the decks were torn
open. All of the life-boats were dam
aged, one SO smashed that it was
thrown overheard. The smokestack
fell down to the deck but was secured.
All of the inner structures abaft of the
bridge were completely torn out.
When the explosion occurred the
steamer stopped and everybody rush
ed to the rescue of the injured. The
dead were SO mangled that it was with
difficulty that the bodies were secured.
After some delay in clearing the
wreckage, the funnel was secured to
derricks attached to the main mast
and the life boats were secured in the
chocks for repairs. The dead were
buried at sea.
Fhe Valdiyia is passenger and
freight steamer belonging to the Ham
burg-American line and plying in the
Atlas line service to Hayti and other
ports in the West Indies. Her sched-
ule on this voyage included ports in
Ssnto Domingo and Hayti, her calls
being at Jeremie, which she left Feb
ruary 10, and Inagua, in the BAHIA
mas. The vessel was In command of
Captain Kruger.
VIII Arhitrate Disputes.
Washington, Feb. 15.-Dispatches
received by the president Thursday
from the presidents of Nicaragua and
Honduras rive acc,,ropoa ~ +La ,,,o;,,