A. B. Ward

Return to Ships of John Gregory

John Gregory built the tug A. B. Ward (US No. 388/381) at the Miller Brothers’ Shipyard in Chicago on April 30, 1866. Her gross weight was thirty tons and her Official No. was corrected from 388 to 381 on December 12, 1894. Her owners were Justine Bowman and John A. Crawford both of Chicago. Her original master was Frank S. Butler.

A.B. Ward Enrollment Papers
LEFT: April 30, 1866
RIGHT: April 26, 1878

Chicago Tribune, 25 July 1865¹:

The tug, A.B. Ward, having on board Governor Oglesby, Col. Bowen and Col. Snyder of the Governor’s staff, U.P. Harris, Dr. Brainerd, several members of the Common Council, and the usual sprinkling of representatives of the Press, was the first to make the circuit of the crib, and soon with the tug Continental (US No. 4352) took a “line” and commenced to tow out the crib to its final resting place. This occupied about an hour and a half, the journey being rendered rather disagreeable by the drizzling rain which set in, and a decent swell, which, however, did not materially retard progress. Before noon the crib was in position, two miles from shore, in the middle of the anchors put down several days before, and whose places were marked by buoys, the lines cast off, and the tugs preparing to return to the city.

The Crib in the Lake, 1867

Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1866

The tug A. B. Ward, Captain Barber, is in Miller Brothers’ dock, and will be out in a few days.

abward

A. B. Ward
About 1900

Chicago Tribune, August 21, 1881

The most fearful and destructive accident that ever happened to a tug-boat on the Chicago River has to be chronicled this morning. Yesterday, a few minutes before 6 a. m., the tug-boat A. B. Ward, then engaged in towing the barge Adams (US No. 85393) to the lake, blew up at the Clark street bridge, the result being the loss of three lives and the destruction of their $20,000 worth of property.

The barge G. W. Adams, heavily loaded with grain, was being towed toward the lake. She had on board over 60,000 bushels of grain,and was taken out by two tugs. One of these had the tow-lined, and the other, the ill-fated A. B. Ward, held the stern-line, and was supposed ti regulate the speed of the vessel. The tug in the rear had only to help the barge through tight places, such as bridge-graws and the like, and did no towing, Yet just as the barge and its convoy reached the Clark street bridge, while passing through the north draw a sudden explosion shook the air.

There Was One Great Crash,
marking the annihilation of the tug Ward, and then an ominous silence. The boiler of the Ward was projected 150 feet, and in its progress cut down the heavy piles in front of the bridge as if they were straws. Splinters, parts of the deck and upper-works of the tug, and fragments of its hull were hurled through the air. Thirty seconds later there were a dozen boats in the water. The Clark street bridgetenders, just as soon as they realized their precious lives had been spared, got to work and threw planks in the water for the victims to catch on to. Three of the crew of the tug were recovered alive. Michael McDonald, fireman, and Frank Winegard, the cook, escaped with slight damage. A Greek sailor, who was the sole occupant of a yawl, which was towing astern of the Adams, also got off with a few bruises. Capt. F. S. Butler, who was in charge of the A. B. Ward, was

Blown Through the Air
and fell on the deck of the Adams. That vessel was towed to the nearest dock at State street, where it found that Capt. Butler’s injuries were such as would undoubtedly prove fatal. His head was terribly lacerated, although the skull was not fractured, as was first supposed, and there was scarcely a square inch of his body but showed a contused wound. He was taken to his house, No. 529 Hulbert street, and no hopes are entertained of his recovery.

Within three minutes from the time of the explosion the tug lay at the bottom of the river. Buried, with it were the bodies of William McDonald, the line-man, and William Weston, the engineer. The latter was recovered later in the day. But McDonald’s body is still in the wreck, which has been towed to Miller’s dry dock. The engineer’s body was brought up by Capt. Peter Falcon, who said it was no use attempting to recover the other body until the vessel was docked. Capt. Butler had a wife and three children. McDonald had a wife and one child, residing in Ogdensburg, N. Y.

The Fated Tug.
The tug Ward was built in 1866. She was believed to be a staunch and reliable vessel, and was inspected April 22, and stood an hydrostatic pressure of 165 pounds to the square inch, which is far above anything that should have been called for in ordinary use. The boat was owned by John A. Crawford, John Bowman, and Frank S. Butler. It was valued at the $6,200, and was not insured.

The Cause of the Explosion
is shrouded in mystery. An engineer who examined the boiler as it lay under the bridge offered to stake his professional reputation that everybody had been asleep, and that there was but one drop of water in the boiler. He alleged that engineers and firemen were required to work twenty hours per day, and therefore could not possibly attend properly to their business. It appears, however, that Capt. Butler and his crew quit work early on Friday, and did not go on duty again until 5 o’clock in the evening.

Strange Experiences.
There were some strange experiences recorded. Everything north of the bridge was cut down to the water’s edge. The sidewalk for a space of twenty four feet was blown into the air, and two men who were standing upon it found themselves in the road in short order. The safety valve of the Ward, weighing some forty or fifty pounds, was landed in the Northwestern freight house, east of Clark street. A five foot length of supply pipe was blown over the barge and settled in Pat O’Brien’s saloon, twenty feet from the road, but fortunately did no harm. Ha the accident occurred an hour later, when Clark street bridge is crammed with pedestrians, the loss of life would have been frightful. Traffic over the bridge has been stopped, and can scarcely be resumed before tomorrow.

Michael McDonald, the fireman, and Fred Winegard, the cook, were picked up by a tug as they were clinging to the wreck of the sunken vessel. Both men were scalded and burned, but not seriously. The Greek, who was in the yawl, and who is known only as “Charley,” was

Badly Shaken Up,
but not seriously injured. The Captain has been in charge of the boat since she was launched in 1866, and has the reputation of being one of the most careful and temperate seamen in the harbor, thoroughly reliable in every way. He was at the wheel when the accident happened, and landed on the deck of the Adams with some spokes of the wheel in his hand. The fireman, cook, and linesman were attending to their duties at the time, and there seems to be no reason to suppose that there was any neglect shown. The tug was supposed to be in good shape, and the boilers had been inspected and pronounced sound. The vessel was overhauled and repaired last spring, and was in good condition.

There is a great diversity of opinions among tugmen with respect to the cause of the disaster. Several said that

The Practice of Overworking Engineers
was responsible, and others claimed that this was the one of the mysterious “blow-ups” which periodically occur, without rhyme or reason, and defying all explanations of practical men or scientists.

Two jagged projections, parts of the upper works of the tug, showed where she lay, but in the afternoon the entire debris was removed to Miller’s yard. Probably a scientific examination of the boiler may throw some light on the cause of the explosion. The engineer of the tug, Kramer, who examined the wreckage, said, said there was no water in the boiler when the blow-up occurred. The pipe which was blown into O’Brien’s saloon showed an old fracture, oxidyzed all through, and it seems that the fixtures, at least (leaving the boiler out of the question), were not in good shape. The owners of the vessel state that they cannot account for the accident, and that they believed the Ward was in first-class shape.

The approaches to the bridge were crowded all day, although it was difficult to say what the people hoped or expected to see. The operation of the divers were watched with breathless interest, and the crowd spent the afternoon discussing the causes and the probabilities of the blow-up. A man who alleged that he was standing on the west side of the bridge, just over where the boiler cut into the woodwork, and who claimed to have been blown into the middle of the street by the force of the concussion, related his story to all and sundry, but varied his yarn so greatly that after a while the people began to drop on him, and his chances for beer diminished in like proportion.

At a late hour last night Capt. Butler was lying unconscious at his home, in a heavy stupor. His physicians did not think there would be any change in his condition for forty-eight hours at any rate. It appears that Capt. Butler is subject to epileptic fits, and what is feared is that his injuries will bring on one of these fits, and that it will be very likely to end in his death.

poster

The A. B. Ward at the Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad Bridge that crossed the Chicago River at an angle north of 12th and south of Taylor Street, 1900

Cleveland Herald, August 24, 1881

The remains of the tug A. B. Ward, that was blown up at Clark street bridge Saturday morning, were got into Miller Brothers’ fry dock yesterday morning, and an examination made. None of the deck forward of the tow-bits remains, and, with the exception of her engines, she is pretty cleaned out. The body of the engineer, William Wilson, was not found in the wreck, nor was it found in the river. Further search will be made for it today.

Captain Butler was resting much better yesterday, and there is good reason to hope he will fully recover from the terrible shock received.

Inter Ocean, August 27, 1881

The Ward Disaster.
An inquest was held yesterday at the Coroner’s office on the bodies of the late Martin Wilson and W. McDonald, who came to their deaths through the explosion of the boiler of the tug A. B. Ward Saturday last, the particulars of which have been fully given in The Inter Ocean. The Coroner selected the jury with unusual care, the members being all either boiler makers or practical engineers. There names were: John Davis, machinist foreman; R. Tarrant, engine builder; W. P. Lundy, tug engineer; W. T. Buschick, boiler maker; and Thomas Glennon, boiler maker. Promptly at 3:30 o’clock they were called to order.

The Sole Survivor.
The first witness to be examined was the fireman, Michael McDonald, of No. 115 East Indian street, the sole survivor of the accident. He said he had been fireman for the last five years and altogether had been employed on tugs for upward of eight years. He knew William Wilson and W. McDonald, the deceased. Wilson’s occupation was that of engineer at the time of the accident, previous to that had been fireman for a long while. McDonald was a linesman. The witness was on the tugboat A. B. Ward when the accident occurred; that was on Saturday morning, the 20th last, at a few minutes before 6 o’clock. The boat was just abreast of the Anchor Line office, between LaSalle and Clark streets, about 100 feet from Clark street bridge. He was sitting aft between the bits, and the boat had just commenced to move down the river, when he saw a cloud of smoke and heard the report, and was then struck with a piece of boiler on the hand and slightly injured. The last time he looked at the fire was at the Randolph street bridge, ten minutes before the explosion took place. The fire, which had been up all night, was not heavy and the door was closed. He then threw six or seven shovels full of coal on. They had been running since 3:30 o’clock in the morning, and an hour and a half after lay by the Iowa elevator between Fourteenth and Sixteenth streets. The engineer went off duty at 6:30 o;clock Friday night and came on board again at 3:30 o’clock. The other hands slept on board the boat.

Not His Business.
Witness did not observe the water gauge nor try the cock when fixing it; it was not his business, and if he were to interfere with the engineer’s duty he would not have long to remain o board. There was never any difficulty in getting water into the boiler, but they could not get water by the pump connected with the engine when the boat was laying still. This was a pony engine, but it was not working when they were on the boat. Shortly after they passed Lake street bridge he noticed two gauges of water in the boiler, the pump was then working. The tug was not blowing off steam, nor did he know how much was on. They usually carried 112 pounds. Did not know whether she hasted, but if she did was sure it was to starboard. He heard the engineer try the gauges when she was lying off the Iowa elevator. The boiler got a thorough overhauling the Sunday before the accident, and the engineer then examined the stays and braces, and said they were then as sound as the day they were put in her. Witness was talking to the cook at the tie of the accident, and did not remember whether she was blowing off or not. The engineer was not in the habit of carrying low water; generally carried two gauges, He did not observe any steam coming off except exhaust steam. She had only started and had made few revolutions when the explosion occurred.

In Good Order.
Knew that the water glass and gauge cocks were in good order. There were sixty pounds of steam on the last time he looked at the gauge. The helm at the time of the accident was put to starboard to get the boat round, and of course the strain on the line would list her to starboard, and the gauge cocks were on that side. They generally had two fires onm but that depended on the amount of work. The fire this time was light. The last time the engineer examined the boiler witness looked at the plug in the back connection; got within two feet of it, and it looked all right. The boiler was cleaned but ince during the time he was on her. The engineer never had any trouble to keep the engines in good order. The surplus water going overboard would be one-third of the pump. When he commenced to fire there were two gauges of water in. Knew that the engineer used to blow the dirty water out of the glass frequently to keep it inn order, and it was perfectly tight. As to the plug it was inserted in the bottom, and no metal had melted out except in the lower parts. When they last cleaned the boiler the engineer took off the manhole plate and thoroughly examined everything, but did not find any leaks in the crown sheets or elsewhere.

John Moore.
The next witness to be called was John Moore, a boiler-maker of some thirty-five years’ experience. He testified to having built the boiler in question in the spring of 1877. It was 5 feet 3 inches in diameter and 12 feet in length, and made of the best description of iron. The crown-sheets were stayed by 4½ to 4 inch iron. He had seen it since he made it, and had twice repaired it; in both cases fixing the stays. Last examined it a year ago; no repairs were then done to the boiler. All the stays run clean up to the dome from ground sheet. In his opinion the explosion must be attributed to low water. The water was not sufficient to cover the whole surface that was surrounded by fire, and so more steam was generated than the boiler could hold. The fire must have cracked the stays off. He examined the boiler the second day after, and it looked as if the intense heat had been in the fire-box. The flues were bad, but the smoke-box seemed all right. The floor sheet was cracked right across from the crown sheet to the lower rows of flues. He could not tell from appearances how low the water was. The hot iron would, of course, generate steam too fast, and also weaken itself and cause a sudden contraction. If the water was below the crown sheet it would be raised to the top of the boiler snd then come down suddenly, generate steam very fast, and cause a concussion. In his practice he had never observed crown sheets without stays on.

Stewart H. Moore.
Stewart H. Moore, United States Inspector of Steam Vessels for this district, was then examined. He said he renewed the license for the A. B. Ward on the presentation of certificate. This boiler was inspected on the 29th of April last. It was then in good condition, and could bear high pressure. The boiler had passed their inspections previously. In the course of the last inspection it was found fully equipped with everything that was necessary. It had extra safety valves, a fusible plug, and was well constructed—in fact, an A1 boiler of the kind. It was then subjected to a pressure of 165 pounds to the square inch, hydrostatic measurement. There was nothing defective, though the day previous a stay had come away. This, however, was usual. It was very difficult to get the same strength in all the stays. If one was a little slack it threw the strain on the rest. Witness thought the cause of the present explosion was low water, and this seem indicated by the fact of the crown-sheet giving way in the strongest part.

Some Indications.
The largest dent was on the end, straight across from the fire-box. The safety valve was hurled 700 feet further than the rest. This valve was examined on the 21st last, and when tested noted thoroughly. He had the bulkhead door removed to get at the fusible plug, and found it was inserted from the top of the smoke-box. There was no tin remaining in it. The plug wouldn fuse at 450 degrees of heat. It is put in as a precaution against low water. There had evidently been no metal in it for some time. When this plug was not attended to it was worthless, and if it remained unexamined for a month a scale to the depth of one-eighth of an inch would form. This would enable it to stand an extra pressure of 175 pounds.

Caused By Low Water.
The explosion undoubyedly was caused by low water and poor care of the attendants. The water may have been low, owing to the position of the boat, everything to starboard. She was blowing off at the time, and that would raise the water. None of the harbor tugs had draught enough to carry extra heat; the exhaust was outside. In this case the intense heat was thrown directly on the crown sheets. He examined the edge of the plate and found it came apart very irregularly. This would indicate iron of good quality; poor iron fractured in straight lines. The engineer of the boat, W. Wilson, applied for a renewal of his license last May; he had a special grade, which allowed him to take charge of boats, for $5. A chief engineer’s license would be $10. He applied for a renewal, not for a raise, and was not required to have an extra examination. On inquiry, witness found he was entirely sober and regular in his habits, and never before had any ill luck of any kind. He was examined by witness’ predecessor, J. B. Ferrand. The license required an engineer to have had five or six years’ previous experience, and to have a knowledge of the construction of engines. It might have been a matter of chance that he let his water run low. Many run this chance, especially in a stern-tow, which was not cared for, as without extra appliances one could not supply water. He probably thought his boat would be equal to the emergency.

Carlysle Mason.
The next witness called was Carlysle Mason, who has been an inspector of boilers for the last forty years. The present boiler was built at his works. He had heard the testimonies so far, and thought that the water must have been low. The boat standing still allowed theb water in the boiler to receive a heat greater than the gauge indicated. In some cases the water would indicate 450 degrees when the glass would show but 300. He thought the rolling of the boat when she started caused the sudden generation which resulted in the explosion. He also thought that the boiler had not been perfectly taken care of, and that the plug had not been looked after, which would have prevented the accident.

Joseph Cook, Supervisor of Boilers for Detroit district, was then examined. He also attributed the explosion to low water, although the testinony of the fireman did not point that way. It might have been that crown-sheet was covered with dirt, and that it was burned enough to keep the water from cooling the iron, which would be so heated, and consequently weakened, that all would go, There was no doubt that there was negligence with regard to the soft plug.

John S. Murphy.
The last witness to be called was John S. Murphy, a boiler maker of twenty-five years experience. He had also been a boiler inspector for the city. He thought that nothing definite had been stated about the water in the boiler. The gauges often indicate a supply of water when it is not there. The explosion, he thought, was due to overheating of the crown sheets, and consequent weakness of the boiler.

Captain Crawford, the owner of the boat, was present, but could not add anything further to clear up the accident.

An Alleged Verdict.
The jury then adjourned, and after a consultation of about half an hour found a verdict as follows:

A. B. Ward

Chicago Tribune, June 10, 1882

The Captains of the tugs Tarrant, Protection, and A. B. Ward are to be presented with chromos today by the Tugmen’s Club, each of them having towed in two vessels apiece yesterday at one tow. The funds to purchase the chromos will be raised by assessing the Captains of tugs who got “skunked.”

Chicago Tribune and Inter Ocean, August 19, 1904

The tug A. B. Ward in the rescue attempt of a car plunging in the Chicago river at Rush Street Bridge.

Enrollment surrendered at Chicago, March 27, 1911, “Machinery taken out and hull converted to a house boat without motor power.

NOTES:
¹ There seems to be an a discrepancy on dates. The Enrollment Papers for the A. B. Ward specifically say the tug was built in 1866. However this Tribune article proclaims the tug A. B. Ward was used to haul out the crib a year earlier. While it is possible there was a prior tug with the same name, but usually there would be a mention of the name transfer in the Enrollment Papers. A more likely scenario is that the tug may have been sea worthy in 1865, but may not have been enrolled till 1866.

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