The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-30 00:00:00

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.

An explosion, which has involved the lose of a
fine steamer, called the Bubulina, and the destruction of
a large number of lives, occurred early yesterday morning
in the Mersey. The Bubulina, once well known as the
Confederate blockade runner Colonel Lamb, was a war
steamer in the service of the Greek government, and was
anchored off New Ferry, on the Cheshire side. She was
intended to sail for Greece during the day. She was com-
manded by Captain Sartorius, and had on board a crew of
seventy-three men, five or six officers, and one passenger.
The captain had given orders that steam should be got up
at six o'clock. This was done, when to the surprise and
horror of those on board a terrific explosion took place
amidships, rending the vessel in two, and parting by
a distance of about two hundred yards the after
portion of the ship from the forward bulkheads
and the watertight compartments, where the mags-
tines were placed. The stern part sank, but the
fore part kept afloat for some time in consequence of the
watertight bulkheads. When the explosion took place
the crew were for the moat part below, and it is feared
that a large number of them must have perished, including
two engineers. Attention was soon called to the disaster,
for the noise of the explosion and the shouts and cries of
the unfortunate victims were heard, not only on the
Cheshire, but on the Liverpool side, and the first impres-
sion was that one of the floating magazines had exploded,
or that another Lofty Sleigh disaster had occurred on
board some ship in the Sloyne. The captain of the Rock
Ferry steamer Ant, bearing from the Rock Ferry slip the
cries and shrieks of the wounded and dying, hastened
with his steamer towards the part of the river whence
they proceeded.• After steaming in the middle of the
riser about a quarter of a mile astern of the Great
Eastern, the Ant approached the fore part of the
unfortunate Mainline, which the captain of the Ant at
first supposed to be her sister ship, the Amphitrite (once
the famous blockade runner Penguin, but now a Greek
war steamer). As he approached close to the floating
wreck, a man on the forecastle shouted out to him to
sheer off, as the magazine was on board, and he feared an
explosion might ensue at any moment. The Ant conse-
quently did not approach the Bubulina so as to touch her ;
but in the mean time the Bubulina's boats were busily
engaged picking up the unfortunate crew, some 30 of
whom—badly clothed, and many nearly naked—were thus
saved from a watery grave ; many of these unfortunates
were Greeks, and the majority firemen. At this time the
stern part of the Bubulina still kept afloat ; but as the tide
began to flow it sank about 300 yards distance from
the other half. As soon as the captain and crew of the
Ant had done all they could to assist the unfortunate
crew of the Bubulina, Captain Kay proceeded to Liverpool,
where he landed the sufferers who had been placed on
board his steamer. One poor fellow had an arm broken,
another had received a dreadful wound in the back,
evidently caused by s piece of iron, the wound being so
jagged. The boats from her Majesty's ship Donegal were
also must active in rendering assistance, she being for-
tunately stationed close alongside of the Bubulina.
Amongst those picked up by the Donegal's boats were two
men, one with both his legs broken, and another with
his right arm dreadfully injured. What added greatly to
the painful nature of the disaster was the fact
that many of the men—Greeks—could not speak
a word of English, and could not consequently
explain what they required, or what injuries they had
received. Mr. O'Hara, the fourth engineer, was rescued
by the boats of the Ant, but when this was written
nothing was positively known of the fate of the
second and the third engineer (the second, Sharp
by name), but it is feared that when the explosion
took place both were engaged in the engine-room. Mr.
Elliott, the chief engineer, was in the room, but
partially dressed, at the moment of the explosion ; he ran
at once up stairs ; he was in the after part of the vamp',
and was fortunately picked up by a river gig, being
severely injured in different parte of the body. Captain
Senoritas had also a narrow escape from death.
A minute or two before the explosion he went
on to the upper saloon deck, and was standing close to his
cabin there, when the crash came. All he can remember
of the affair is that he was lifted off his feet into the air,
and finally fell into the sea among a lot of broken spars
and other debris, some distance from the blown-up ship.
In falling Captain Sartarias received a severe scalp wound,
and was otherwise severely shaken. The unfortunate gen-
tleman is at present laid up on board the Amphitrite,
suffering from his injuries, whilst several of the crew and
firemen have been taken to the Northern Hospital,
both bruised and scalded. All the principal officers have
been saved, viz. :—Marcus Botsaris, first lieutenant ; Pan-
taloon Beuboulis, second lieutenant; Nicoloe Zyaroados,
third lieutenant ; Basilic* Argoeterios, ship treasurer ;
and Aristides Gialonsoy, a passenger. The above gentle-
men were in the stern cabin at the time the explosion
took place, but they managed to reach the saloon deck,
where they remained until picked off by the boats sent to
their assistance. One poor fellow, a Greek fireman, who
made his sorrow known in broken English, was down in
the stokehele at the time, and says that the "bomb,
bomb, bomb " (as he expressed it) sent him "flying"
on to the deck, and thence into the water, where the
Donegal's boat rescued him. He is scalded about the
head, and cut on the right leg and arm, but he makes
light of his injuries when compared with his per-
sonal big —6 gold watch, 261. in gold, and all
his outfit. On making inquiries on board the Amphi-
trite, where Commander Sartorins and his officers
are at present quartered, we were informed that at the
time of the explosion there were about 73 people on
board, including the captain, officers, sailors, engineers,
firemen, and stokers. Of the 73, Mr. Aristides Gialonsoy
(the only gentleman on board who spoke English) informed
us that there were 18 seamen and 32 firemen and trimmers
missing. All the engineers and some of the firemen were
English—Mr. Elliott, the chief, being one of the most ex-
perienced marine engineers sailing out of the port of
LiverpooL

The explosion bas cast a deep gloom over the port, and
up to the despatch of our parcel none of the bodies had
been recovered, while the river is covered with the
wreck.

The unfortunate vessel was originally known as the
Ariel, and then as the Colonel Lamb, her original destination
being blockade-running to the Southern porta of Alllll6Oll
during the war. She was built of steel in 1864, by Messrs.
Jones, Quiggin, and Co., for Messrs. Fraser, Trenhobn,
and Co., of this town and Charleston, her cost being about
50,000 L, no expense being spared in order to make her one
of the fleetest and strongest steamers afloat. Her tonnage
was G. 99, the full register being 1,132. She was 279 feet
long, 33 feet broad, and 15 feet deep. Her engines were
made by Messrs. James Jack and Son, of Liverpool, and
were of 310-horse power, and designed on the most recent
and most approved principles. She made but one
voyage to and from America, when her speed fre-
quently averaged IGi knots. After the termin►-
tion of the war the Bubulina was laid up in
dock for • long period, but she was re-
cently sold by the well-known firm of Charles
Kellock and Co., ship brokers, to the Greek government,
the local agents for whom—Masers. Glenne:l/3pol* and Co.,
Greek consuls—plaosd her in the hands of Minn. G. B.
Clover and Co., of Birkenhead, by whom she was put in
thorough repair at an expense of upwards of 5,000/. The
Bubulina had on board about 350 tons of Powell's Duffryn
steam coal, • large quantity of provisions, and a quantity
of Whitworth guns, gunpowder, and other warlike mate.
rieL The bull of the vessel was insured for about 20,0001.,
and we believe that a large quantity of the cargo was also
insured, some so recently es Thursday. Great differences
exist as to the canes of the explosion, but the general
opinion of experienced surveyors inclines to spontaneous
combustion in the reels as the real cause of the disaster.
The South Welsh steam coals are peculiarly liable to the
r grid generation of gases, and the large quantity on board
the Bubulina had been confined in the bunkers for a
considerable period, quite long enough to generate an im-
mense and dangerous quantity of very explosive g•s. If
the boilers had exploded, they would, we an informed,
have blown upwards, and no explosion of a boiler on ship-
board was ever known to break the keel, and that of the
Enderlin& was much stronger than the average. If gun-
powder had been the motive force, the vessel, it is argued,
would have blown into fragments, and not have been
divided—as has been done—into two solid portions. This
opinion that the coal was the nun of the explosion was so
a nog in the mind of Mr. Elliott, the chief engineer, that
when he came to his senses he at once despatched a mange
to the captain of the Babulina's sister vessel, the Amphi-
trite, to open his coal hunkers at once. The Amphitrite,
like the Bubulina, has also been purchased by the Greek
government, as a war steamer. She was originally built
hv Messrs. Laird Brothers. as a blockade runner, and was
oiiioa4 called the Penguin, her musts being also Merrs
Pram, Trsabobas, and 00.