Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1830-04-13

declaring ne was not prepared to die. in.
CURED none could be had. On every side
were to De heard groans and EXPLANATIONS
OF grief and despair.
10 add to the confusion, persons were
every moment running about to learn the
'ate OF their friends and relatives. fathers.
sons, brothers; for, IN this scene ofunmixed
Calamity, it was impossible 10 say who were
saved, or who had persisted. The coun,e,
hances OF many were so much disfigured as
70 oe past recognition. My attention for
some time was particularly drawn towards
a poor Fellow who lay unnoticed on the floor,
W ", uttering single word of complaint.
ne was at lutte distance removed from
the rest. He was not much scalded. but
one OF ms thighs was broken, and principal
artery mad been severed, from which the
olood was gushing rapidly. He BETRAYED
no a'spieasure at the apparent neglect with
winch he was treated-he was perfectly
calm spoke to him; he said g was yery
weak; he felt himself going-it would soon
De over" A gentleman ran for one of the
PHYSICIANS he came, and declared that, if
expectation were used, he might be preserved
oy amputating the limb; but that, to effect
ms, II would be necessary to remove him
Ifo" the beat. Unfortunately the boat was
nut sulnclently near to run a plank ashore.
we were obliged to wait until it could be
CLOSE hauled. stood by him calling for
help; we placed him on mattress. and bore
HIM to the quarts; there we were detained
some time, from the cause have mentioned.
never did any thing appear to me so slow
as the movements of those engaged in haul
! ing the boat.
| knew and he knew, that delay was death
that life was fast ebbing. could not take
my gaze from his face there all was cool
ness and resignation. No word or gesture
indicative OF Impotence escaped him. He
perceived by my loud and, perhaps angry
tone OF voice, how much was excited by
what thought the barbarous slowness Of
those around /; he begged me not to take so
much trouble that they were doing their
best AT length we got him on shore-It
was too late, he was too much exhausted,
and died Immediately after the anputation,
I Soon as was relieved from attending on
those IN the cabin, | went to examine that
part OF the boat where the boiler had burst.
IL was complete wreck-a picture of de-
structlon. 1t bore ample testimony of the
tremendous force Of that power which the
ingenuity of man has brought to his aid.
( The steam had given'every thing whtish
hue-the boilers were displaced-the deck
had fallen down--the machinery was broken
and dsordered. Bricks, dirt and rubbish
were scattered about. Close by the bow
spirit was large rent thro which, was told,
the boiler, after exploding, had passed out,
carrying one or two men in its mouth.
Several dead bodies were lying around (;
their fate had been an enviable one compared
with that of others-they could scarcely
have been conscious of pang ere they had
ceased to be. On the starhoard wheel house
lay human body, in which life was not yet
extinct, though apparently there was no
sensbility remaining. The body must have
tIbeen thrown from the boiler deck, a distance
OF thirty feet. The whole or The fbrehcad
had been blown away the brains we're
still beating. Tufts of hair, shreds of cloth
ling and splotches of blood might be seen in
every direction. A piece of skin was picked
up by a gentleman on board, which appeared
to have been pealed off by the force of the
}steam; it extended from the middle of the
arm down to the tips of the fingers, the nails
adhering to it. So dreadful had been the
force that not a particle of the flesh adhered
to it the most skilful operator could scarce
ly have effected such a result. Several
died from inhaling the steam or gas, whose
skin was scarcely injured.
! The number of lives lost will, in all proba-
bility, never be distinctly known. Many
were seen flung into the river, most of whom
sunk to rise no more. Could the survivors
have been kept together until the list Of
passengers was called, the precise loos would
have been ascertained: that, however,
though it had been attempted, would, under
the circumstances, have been next TO impos-
sible.
Judging from the crowd which saw on
the boiler deck Immediately before the ex
plosion, and the statement which received
as to the number of those who succeeded in
swimming out after they were cast into the
river, / am inclined to believe that between
forty and fifty must have persisted.
The cabin passengers escaped owing to
the peculiar construction of the boat. Just
behind the boiler were several large iron
posts, supporting, think, the boiler deck /;
across each post was large circular plate
of iron of between one and two inches in
thickness. One of these posts was placed
exactly opposite the head of the boiler which
burst, being the second one on the starboard
side. Against this plate the head struck
and penetrated to the depth of an inch, then
broke and few off at an angle, entering
cotton bale to the depth of foot. The
boiler head was in point blank range with
the breakfast table in the cabin, and had it
not been obstructed by the iron post must
have made clear sweep of those who were
seated at the table.
To render any satisfactory account of the
canse which produced the explosion can
hardly be expected from one WIN possesses
no scientifck or practical knowledge on the
subject, and who previously thereto was
paving no attention to the management OF
the boat. The captain appeared to be very
active and diieent in attending to his duty.
He was on the boiler deck when the exPlo-
sion occurred, was materially injured by
that event and must have been ignorant OF
tho m;smana cement. if any there was.