A boiler explosion occurred on the river Saturday afternoon at aboutaquarter past 6 o'clock, and was attended with lamentable loss of life, during the trial trip of a steam launch called the Chi-divan or Benevolent Streams." Some time ago a mandarin from Hangchow wanted a launch built and he invited aChinese supply his want. The price he was willing to pay was considered by the native firm plied to too low and they told him that a launch of the size he required could not be made properly for the money. The mandarin went elsewhere, and finally bari /ho carried on the ud copper smith in alone opposite Hunt's Wharf, to build and engine the boat for Tls. 2,800. The launch was 55 feet long and the boiler had been built some time ago Hy, a Chinese firm on the Soochow Creek for another launch, but as it would not keep steam, it had been rejected. According to a remark made after the accident by the surviving fireman the boiler was intended to carry 160 pounds of steam. How far this is correct, we are not in a position to state, because this fireman was suffering from' severe fright at the time, and was laughing and swearing by turns.
The boat was nearly ready on Saturday morning and apparently only wanted a steam gauge to complete the engine department, but the builder declined to purchase good gauge as it was considered too expensive, and it is believed that he bought a second-hand one somewhere, and consequently it could not be relied upon, though no one can say for certain that this was actually the case, because all those who knew anything about it are dead. The launch started on a trial trip on Saturday afternoon, and there were on board eight men connected with Dong Mow's, that is the master of the shop, his wife's younger brother, and six workmen and boys. There were a Weiyuan representing the owner of the boat, with two of his Hangchow friends, one engineer and two firemen, a tailor who made the cushions for the launch, and a number of guests, making in all somewhere about thirty people on board at the time of the accident. The launch steamed up to Kin-lee-yuen without accident, and on the down trip three of the workmen went on shore ina sampan, end landed at the Foochow Road jetty. The
flood tide and passed between the Fungshun, ecerdat dows these inst the which was moored to the Old Dock Buoy, and the Kuling. A number of guests in long robes showing that they belonged to the better class were sitting in the bow of the launch while @ fireman who had been overcome with the heat, had come up on deck and was sitting aft. Suddenly a dull thud was heard by people on shore and afloat in the vicinity and then a volume of steam shot up, while high above it rose const mass in the shape of an inverted cone, of wood and iron, prominent among it being the body of a Chinaman which rose as bighas the Fungshun's mast, and a large Tad exploded. piece of the launch's boiler, for the latter
The concussion was felt severely on board the steamers alongside the Associated Wharves, and on board the Receiving Ship Yuen Fah. In one vessel, the officers were at dinner and they rushed on deck under the impression that some vessel had run into them, so violent was the concussion, The explosion was witnessed by many people and those who cond, hastened to the scene to render assistance. One eye witness says that only four or five people came to the surface and they were rescued. The Chief Officer of the Fungshun jumped into a sampan and saved the fireman who: had been sitting aft. This man was in a great rage with the engineer because he: said the latter had carried too much steam.. He has since stated that he expostulated:
ith the engineer but the latter told him to mind his own business. The other men who were picked up in the water were taken to the Hospitals. One was not much hurt but two others were fearfully scalded, one of them being the Weiyuen. Another was a brass fitter, and he is burnt: all over the body, and now lies in St. Luke's Hospital. How many really were on board at the time, it is impossible to tell, but ten bodies have been recovered, Among these dead or missing are Dong Mow, the builder, and six men pelon, ing to Dong Mow's shop, also the engineer avd one fire and the tailor making ten persons, Nine of the bodies which were recovered were taken to a piece of ground in Li Hongkew, nearly opposite the Filature and they wer fearfully scalded, the clothing being almost wholly torn off, while there were wounds, of them, supposed that at the time of the: accident those on board were trying Bass cargo-boat tug going in the same direction.
Of course, after the explosion, there wasa great deal of wreckage floating' about and sampan-men and cargo-bontmien eagerly wreck, One piece of the launch measuring busied themselves picking up pieces of the
some twenty eight feot long is now at the Hongkew Station. Two men are at the Shantung Road Hospital, and one of them is severely scalded, while the other has a few injuries about hi The man that Mr. Frahm, Chief Officer of the Fungshun, dragged into his boat, had been supported in the water by Mr. F. Hanisch; till Mr. Frahm arrived on the scene. One rong had heard the explosion, and jocking out of his window, saw a' piece of the boiler in the air.
One of the men saved had an iron rod his boot, but beyond king and a few slight cuts, he was not hurt.
Most of the bodies recovered have been cetined and taken away. The body of t he tailor, we are told, exhibited no marks of injury. According to native report some twelve people are still missing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.