STARTLING EXPLOSION ON A STEAMER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3886, 3 January 1884, Page 4

STARTLING EXPLOSION ON A STEAMER.

It is fot'biuiiito indued for tho travelling public, thitt v disaster such as Unit which recently befell the passenger steamer Empress ho seldom happens. This vessel I'. , ft t-liu iliimboi' oau i'riday morning in October, buund to Hamburg, with iibout flit/ passengers on board, rtho wus an iron seixnv steamer of I i»Sl) tons gross, and was owned or managed by Messrs Bailey and LoetUant, of Hull. Very shortly at'tur she hatl left thu river a .small leak was discovereil, to which, apparently at thu outset but little attention was paid. In proportion, however, as she advanced on her course the rougher tho sea became, and her rolling and tossing , caused the leak to increase. Iho captain consulted with the engineer and decided upon heading for tho lluiuber iigaiu. The vessel wiiß accordingly put round, and her engines started tit fullspeod. It mjwus that amongst the t"p portion of tho steamer's cargo, which was stowed in her forward purl, was a quantity of sulphate of ammonia,. High as tho sulphate was placed tho water penetrated the vessel at a point abovo it, and consequently di'uiuod throuyli tho stuff on its way to the bottom of the hold. Tho vessel continued to steam at full speed till through tho iiigbt, and by working , the pumps constantly tho water was kept under. It wan within a couple of hours of daylight when the Empress entered tho llumber, tho Spurn lighthouso being at that time distant about one mile. Tho order was passed to open tho fore hatch that the hold below it might bo examined. sooner was tho hatch cover raised than ono of tho crew of the vessel lowored n lighted lantern. It had scarcely sunk a few feet %vht'ii u> fearful explosion happened. Tho Hound, it is statod, was like a furious burst of thunder; tho adjacent deck was rent and torn into shreds, and four men who woro near the hatchway at the moment ■vvoro blown to pieces, "Nouo of them," eiiyn tho account, " being seen again." A fifth man was tossod to a great height, and fell on a portion of the deck cargo, but by a miruulo etiuaped with his life. Immediately after tho explosion tho steamer took fire, and in a very short time tho whole of her iorwiird interior was full of flamo. To oavo lifo thcro was nothing that her commander (Cupfcain Harron) could do but run the EmproSM aa!>ore>>. Providentially, tho land was clotjo, and the vrseol was easily beaohod at a spot about half a milo off ftom tt& Bptmi lightbo-uw. TJw Itarts

were lowered, and the passengers safely put ashore upon Spurn Puuit. The survivors of tho crew stuck to the burning ship, and strove to extinguish the flames ; but the fire mastered them, and before long all the plates of the vessel above the water became red hot. Later on a shift of tho wind drovo the stifling flames of the sulphate of ammonia aft, and the seamen abandoned tho hopeless task of saving the steamer. She blazed fiercely, lighting up tho scene for miles, and all that now re - mains of her is her iron shell.