Explosion On A Liner

New Yoek, Dec. 19.- Five men were killed and six injured Wednesday by tha explosión of a steampipe on the American line steamship St. Paul while the vessel lay at her doek at the foot of Fulton street, North ri ver. Thedeadare: James Fawns of England, assistant engineer; Manning, fourth a.-sistant engineer; Robert Campbell of New York, machinist; George Willirim, Hoboken, machinist; Daniel McCullion, Brooklyn, maehinist's helper. The injured are: Frank Vespers, Roxbury, Mass., third assistant engineer; Andrew Heard, Scotland, storekeeper; Dunham, England, machinist; A. Fogel, cloaner, Scotlijpd; Edward Wiachert, engineer. Probably Due to a Flaw. All these vere seriously scalded and taken to the Hudson Street hospital. At the time of the accident thero were thirty men of the ore w in the üre room and ten' in the engine room. The matn steampipe, which is three feet in diameter, runs l'rom the engine to the il re room. It was this pipo which exploded. 'i'ho main stop valve was blown out. The accident is believed to have been due to a flaw in the pipe. Preparations were being made for the sailing of the vossel at 11 o'clock, but fortunately none of tho passengers were aboard of the vossel. The explosión was of terriflc force and shook the big vessel froin stem to stern. Following the report was the sound of escaping steam. It pourod up to the deck from the engiue room in clouds and completely enveloped the vicinity. Cries of the Injured Men. From above the noise of the escaping steam could be heard tho cries of the men who liad been at work in the engino room injured by tho explosión. The nature of the explosión was such that it rendered access to the locality extremely difflcult. As quickly as possible the steam was turned off. Almost simultaneoualy four half dead men scrambled up the iron stairway leadiug from the engine room and feil prostrate upon the port side of the vessel. They were hurriod into the cabin and restoratives administered to them. Two othor men terribly scalded were found in an almost unconscious condition lying near tho bottom of the stairway, and were liftod up to the doek. As soon as the steam had cleared away sufiiciently to render seeing the surroundings possible five men were found lying near in various parts of the comparfcment dead. They had all been scaldod to death, and their faces and those parts of the body which were not covered by their clothing lookod as if they liad been parboiled. Grcat Excitenient on lïoard. Tho bodios were covered over where thoy were found lying with piecos of tarpanltn and Word was sent torthe coroner's office. The greatost excitement prevailed aboard of the vessel for a time and it was thought that the boiler had blown up. The force of tho explosión was so great that it blew out a portion of the bulkhcad and shattered every partióle of glass within a radius of fifry feet. On investigation it was found that the main steam pipe at the bend of tho buikhead had burst. The pipes is sixteen Laches in diameter and extends from one end of the ship to the other. It was said by Superintendent Engineer Clark that he did not know exactly what the amount of the pros3ure at the time was, but that he was sure that it was not nearly suffleient to cause the pipe to burst. He said that ho was not able at this time to teil just what caused the explosión, whether there was not suffleient room to allow of expansión or whether there was a üaw in tho casting.