Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-04-05

10 add To The confusion. persons we're efe's
ms.rrnt running about 10 learn ne ta'e oil
their friends aud relatives faihers.ons q bro
theirs for IN the scene OF unmId CALAMITY
u was impossible To say WHO were saved, or
who had persisted. The coanttnsnes of mar
/ ny were so much disfgored asio be past
recognition. My attention, after SINE time
WAS particularly draun towards a I,or fellow
who lay unnoiieed On the noor wlthaut uttsfiag
/ - single ord Of npis'nt. lie wis At hlle
! distance removed from the rest I've w1sno'
much scHldrd, but one Of his thighs vas bfokeh'
ard principal artery had been sef1ed, from
/ which the blood was gushing rapidly. tie be-
trayej M displeasnre at the apparent neglect
with which he was ireated-be was perfectly
calm. | spoke 10 him !, he said 4" hi was very
weak /; he felt himself goIng-n world soon be
over A gentleman IAN ior one Il the physi-
clans /; he came, and declared that. II exped'-
ton were used. he might he preserved by
amputsling the limb but thai, n effect TINS
ii wnuli be necessary to remove hin from me
boat. Unfortunately the bnat was not 81 III
ciently pear 10 run plank ashore We were
Obliged 10 wait until II could be clue haol'u'
stood by him calling for help we nacad hIm
on mattress and boz . him 10 The gutds there
W. were de- aimed some time from HE Cause
have mentioned. Never did any thing appear
10 me 80 slow az the movements OF hose enga-
red IN hauling the boat.
knew, aud lac knew that delay was death
- 1t. - - '@@ies. could not take NY
gaze from hIs face-there all was GOODNESS and
resignation. No nord or gesture indicative Of
Impotence escaped him. He perceived by my
loud, and perhaps. angry tone of voice, no"
much WAS excited by what ! thought the bar
| barons slowne-s OF those around he begged
me not TO take so much trouble that they were
doing ther best At length VA got hin On
! ohofe-it was too late he was too much ex-
hau.ted, aud died INN sdIaey after the ampu-
ta,iou.
So soon as WIS relieved from attending
ON those IN tho cabin, went TO examine that
part of the boat where III. boiler had burst. II
| was a c ,mpiete wrrck-a pictnIe Of destruc-
ion. II bore ample testimony of the
| tremendous force of that power winch the
ingenuity OF man has brought 10 his aid
| The steam lad gwen every Thug whltish
hue-lhe 20 iers were d,splaced-the deck had
ALLEN down-ihe machinery was broken aud
disprdered Bricks, dirt aun rubbish were
scattered abOlt L ose by The boaspril WIS IA
| Urge rent through which, was told he boiler
| aitri exploding, had passed out. carry ing one
| u two men III lts nO1th Several dead bcdes
""fe lying aro"ui their fate ha been an en-.
y'sble one comptrsd with that OF oiaers-they
could scarcely rave been conscious Of pang
ere they had ceased he Ga The starboard
wheel hoase lay a human bpd,, in which life
VS. not yet extinct, though. appareuty there
was no sensisflt. remaining. Tue bp1y mus
have been thtown from thr boiler deck. a dis
iauce 81 nh rty feet. The VIII lie of the iore-
hrad had been blown away the brains were
sui behtug. Iuus OF har. shleds OF clothing
and splo ches of bloc m,eht be seeu IN every
dirrcfoo- A piece OF skln was pill ed up Ivy
gsnti.hhn on Board which appeared
10 have been y alr II nv ia force OF the
steam ,ltfN'eAded from The middle Of the arm
dow "a the bp' IF he 4 x RS, tie nnils adhrI
! ing 10 Il. 81 Grsalai .,ad baen tae force tina
no par icl Of lly.n adhered to II the me-
ski'ld operate. cocl Sc, eel, In e ,facted
such u result Several lied from intohrg
tne steam or gas shose sl.in vas almost aait-
Ijnrsd
Tie number OF lives lost will in III prohabill-
~ ncV'r he distncIiy known, Many were seen
IN z into the river, mrst of whom sunk 10 sc
no more. Could the survivors have been krpt
together uutii tie lit OF PASSENGER, was called
thar"hoSafNei, though II liaI" h boon attempted,
would, under the circumstances. have been
next to impossible.
Judging from he crowd which saw on the
boiler deck INN diaiely before the explosion.
aud the statement which | receivedas to the
numo'r OF those who succeeded IN swimming
out after they were cast into the nvar, | am
inclined 10 believe that between forty aud fdy
must have persisted.
The cBbIn passengers escaped owing to the
pecni'ar construction OF the boat Just behind
the boilers were several urge non posts, sup
porting, think, the boiler deck across each
post was large circular plate II iron of be-
tween one AMI two Inches in thickness One of
those posts was placed exactly opposite the
no a nIIh h,.la "a,
eond one on the starboard side. Against this
plate the head struck and penetrated to the
depth OF an inch, fben broke aml ne " of at an
angle, entering cotton bale Ia the depth of
hioot. The boiler head was IN point blank
range with the breakfast table IN the cabin and
hhd 1t not been obstrnCted by the iron posi- must
have made clear sweep of those VINO were
seated nj the table.
10 reader any satisfactory account of the
cause rhich produced the explosion can hard
! y he expected from one who possesses no SCI.
en'lhc or practical knowledge on tine subject
ana who previously thereto was paying no at
'enlion TO the management of the boat The
! captain appeared to he very active aud Iilgrnt
IN attending to his duty. He WAS IN the boil
er deck when the explosion occurred, was ma.
t"rlally injured by that event; aud must have
b"en ignorant Of the mis- management, if any
| there was.
| From the engineer alone could the true ex
PLANTATION be afforded; and, il indeed it was
really attributable 10 negligence,it can scarcely
he supposed be will lay the blame on himself
~ m'gh' venture suggestion in relatio
thereto, would assign the following causes !:
i mai the water in the starboard boilers had
become low ia consequence OF that side OF the
BOAT resting upon the ground during our stay
AZ memphis; that, though the ices were kept
up some time before we showed a. that the
head which bursl had been cracked for a con
sderahle time that the boiler was extremely
heated, and the water, thrown in when the boat
was again IN motion, was at once converted
mi" steam. and the nuss noi beiag suli GENTLY
large TO carry II OIL as quickly as il was genera
'ed' nor the boiler head ot strength capable of
resisting ais action, the exp,osion was a natural
result.
assume this proposition TO be corrert--that
IN every case where boiler bun SITS il is fair 10