Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1830-04-08

Helen AtGregor stopped at Memphis te de-
| liver freight and land n number OF passen-
gers, who resided In that section Of Eennes-
see The time occupied IN SO doing corid
not have exceeded three quarters OF an hour
! When Oh. boat landed, | went ashore to see
a gentlen an with sahom had some business.
| / fosnd birn on the beach; aud, after shsrt
| conversation, returned to the boat / Tecol
| lect looking at nay watch as ] passed the
gaRg-way. IL was hsH past eight o'cieck.
great number Of persons were standing on
4 what 10 called the boiler deck, beng that
part ef the upper deck situated Immediately
over the boilers 1t was crowded to excess,
and presented one dense aIass OF human bo
| dies In few miRutss Ne sat down to break
/ fast in the cabin. The table, although OK
/ tending the whole length of the cabin, was
completely filled, there being upwards Of
sixty cabin passengers, among whom were
several ladies' and children. The number OF
passengers on board, deck and cabin united,
| was between four aud FIVE hundred.
| had almost finished my breakfast when
! the pilot rung me bell for the engineer 10 put
/ the machinery in molten. The boat having
I just showed off. was in the act OF rising my
| cup TO my lip, the tngiins of the plot beil
+ yet On my ear, when heard an explosion,
resembling the discharge OF a small piece oil
artiiiery--the report was perhaps lou Ter tkan
| is usual ia such cass5-ioP an exclamation
was half uttered by Tue 10 the effect that the
gun was well loaded, when the rafting of the
| glass in some ofthc cabin windows checked
my speech, aud told too well what had oc-
| cured almost Involuntary bent my head
! and body dowa 10 tie iloor-a vagGe ilca
seemed TO shoot across ny mind that NOR
! than one boiler might burst. and that, by as
suning this posture, the destroying mat ,er
would pass over without TO ichng tae. ae
general cry Of ga boiler has burst resound
ed from one eud Of the table 10 the otherand,
as il by Simultaneous movement, "a! started
en- tht lr feet, 4hcn commenced general race
| to the ladies' cabin. winch lay more towards
| the stern of the boat. All regard 10 order or
I Difference 10 SEX seemed to tie lost IN the
struggle for which should be first and iurth
/ est removed from the dreaded boilers. Ihe
danger had already passed away! renamed
| standing by the chair on which had been
previously sitting. Only one person or two
staid in the cabin with me. As vet not more
than half q minute had elapsed since the ex
plosion. but, in that brief space how had ID e
scene changed In that drop oftime" what
confusion, distress, and dismay. An instant
before, and all were in the quiet taltosc OF
security another and they were oyerwhelnl-
ed with alarm and cOnSternauon II Is but
justice to say that in this scene of terror the
ladies exhibited degree Of Grmaess worthy
of ali praise. No screaming, no iainting;
their fears, when uttered were for their bus
band. and children, not for themselves
advanced from my position 10 one oil the
cabin doors for the purpose OF inq'nrinG who
| " ere injured, when, just as reached 1t,
man entered % the opposite one, both his
| hands covering his face, and exclasmlng
"Oh God! o Cod! | am lost! am rulncd!'
He immediately began to tear oil hiscothes
When stripped, he presented most shoctt-
ing and affecting spectacle: his face was en-
tirely black-his body without a particle of
skin fIe had been fiayed alive. 4ie gave
me his name, and his place OF abode-then
sunk in a state Of exhaustion and agony en-
the floor. | assisted in placing him on a mat
trass taken from one of the births, and CO
vtred him with blankets. lie complained OF
heat and cold as at once expressing him
He bore his torments with manly 1orstude,
vet a conclusive Shrek would occasionally
burst from him iiswfe, his children, were
his constant theme; it was hard to dle with
out seeing them-''It was hard to SO With
out bidding them one farewell" Oh and cot
ton were applied to his wounds; but hs soon
became insens,ble to earthly misery Before
| ! had done attending to him, the whole doof
! oil the CABIN was cGFefeu WAL Uiioit''h"'C
sufferers Some bore up unGer the horros
Of their situation with degree OF resolution
amounting to heroiSm. Othcrs were wholly
overcome by the sense OF pain, the sudden
ness of the fatal disaster, and the ncaf app
F., proach of death, which even to them was e.
vident-whose pangs they already ieh Some
inlpl0ped US, as an act oil humanity, TO com
plete fhe work of destruction, and hcc thcm
from present suffering. One cnireated the
presence OF a clergyman TO pray for HIM. de-
claring he was not tit TO die. | inquired;
none could be had. On every side were to
bcheard greans and mingled explanations of
grief and despair.
So soen as was relieved from attending
on those in the cabin, went to examine thai
part of the boat where the boiler had burst
it was a complete wreck-a picture OF des-
tructon. 1t bore ample testimony OF the ire
mendous force of that power winch The inge-
nuity Of man has brought 10 his and The
steam had given every thing whhsh nue.
the boilers were displaced--tbe deck had fall
len down-the machinery was broken and
disordered Bricks, dirt and rubbish were
scattered about Close by the bowsprt was
a large rent through shich, was told, The
boiler, after eXploding, had passed, carrying
one or two men in its mouth. Several dead
bodies were wing around; their late had
been an enyiable one compared with that oil
others-they could scarcely have been con
scious of pang ere they had ceased to be-
On the starboard wheei-house lay human
~, cl VET extinct tho