The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-05-08
From the Cincinnati Wig Extra.
Cincinnati, Apyit IS, 8 O'Clock, r. NJ.
MOST AWFUL STEAMBOAT ACCIDENT.

MOST AWFUL STEAMBOAT ACCIDENT.
LOSS OF 1875 LIVES.
1t becomes again our painful duty to record
one of the most awful and destructive occurreh'
steamboat accidents.
This afternoon about six o'clock, the new
and elegant steamboat Moselle, Captain FERN,
left the wharf of this city full OF passengers iof
Louisville and ST. Louis and, with view OF
linking family on board at Fulton about niile
ana half about the quay, proceeded up Inc riv-
en- and made fast to lumber raft Tor ina. pur
pose Here the family were taken on poard'
and during the whole time of the detention tne
Canaan was holding on 10 all the steam he
could create. with an intention OF showing OH 10
the best advantage the great speed OF the BOAT as
she passed down the whole length OF The cry.
The Moselle was new brag boat and had recent.
" made several exceedingly quick trips to and
from this place.
Soon as the family were on board from the
raft. the boat showed off. and at the very moment
her wheels made the first evolution, her boilers
burst with the mos, astounding noise, equal TO
the most violent clap Of thunder. The explosion
was destructive and heart-renting in the extreme,
as we are assured by gentleman who was SIT
ting on his horse the shore, waiting to see the
boat start. Heads, limbs, bodies and blood, were
seen flying, through the air in every direction,
attended by the most horrible shrieks and groans
from the wounded and the dying The boat, at
the moment of the accident, was about thirty
feet from the shore and was rendered per-
fect wreck She seemed to be torn all to I'm
o,,rs as far back as the gentlemans cabin, and
her b,,rricane deck (the whole lengthy was en-
treIv swsDt away The boat Immediately be-
gan to sink rapidly, and float with strong cur
rent, down the i"Vsr' ~ Tic '0"io '''0 s0e
Their from the shore. ,I. -,
The Canaan was tn" own by the explosion en-
treIy into The street, aud was picked up dead
and dreadfuy manged. Another man was
thrown entirely through the ROOF OF one oi ahe
neighbourng houses, and limbs aud fragments
of bodies scattered about the river and shores III
heart rending profusion. Soon as the boat vas
discovered to be rapidly sinking, the passengers
who remained unhurt in the genteman's and la
dies cabins became panic struck, and with a
fatuity unacc jumped into the river. be.
Ing above the ordinary business part of the city,
there was no boats at hand except few large
! and unmanageable wood flats which were carried
10 the relief of the sufferers soon ms possible
by the few persons on the shore. Many were
drowned, however, before they could be rescued
from watery grave, and many sunk VINO were
not seen afterwards.
We are told that one little boy on shore was
seen wringing his hands in agony, imploring
those present to save his father, mother, and
three sisters, all OF whom were struggling in the
water TO gain the shore, but whom the poor little
fellow had the awful misfortune TO see perish,
one by one, almost within his reach. An infant
child belonging to this same family, was picked
UP alive, floating down the river on one OF the
fragments OF the hurricane deck.
Doctor Wilson Hughes, of the United States
army, land brother-in law 10 our estlnlable fel-
low-citizen, w. II. Hughes, OF the Pearl Street
House,) is doubtless among the slain, as he was
known to have been on board, and some pieces
of the military coat he had OH were picked up
among the fragments.
Mr. Powell highly respectable. grocery mer-
chant OF Louisville, and brother-n law of Mr.
Wilson McGrew, of this city, is also supposed TO
be lost as he was on board and no tdngs has
since bsen heard ofhim Notwithstanding the &C
tive inquiries of his friends.
We are unable, as yet, TO pnrticularlZe any 9th
er persons lost, as the boat sunk in about htteen
minutes after the accident, leaving nothing TO be
seen but her chimney and small portion of her
upper works and also scene OF dlstess ami con-
fusion Immediately ensued that altogether battles
description Most of the sufferers are among the
hands OF the boat and the steerage passengers.
1t is supposed that there about TWO
HUNDRED PERSONS on board, of which
number onLy from fifty to seventy fUe are believed
10 haze escaped making the estimated loss of li0es
about ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
FIVE! Oh tale of wo.
The accident unquestonahly occurred through
imprudence and cdrlesSnesS. The Captain of the
boat was DESTROYS ofshowing off her great speed
as she passed the city. and TO overtake and pass
another boat which had left the wharton Louis
Vile short time before him. Dearly has he
pait! for his silly ambition. The clerk of the
boat we understand, escaped unhurt. These are
all the particulars we have yet been able TO learn
In to-morrows Wing, shall no doubt be able
to give the names of rhany others who have
been lost or killed.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE
TERRIBLE STEAM BOAT DISASTER.
We have slip from the Office of the Cincin-
naui Wing, which gives additional particulars
of one of the most awful scenes ever exhibited
in any steam boat explosion on record.
THURSDAY, O'Clock, p. nj.
We have just returned from the scenes of hor-
ror occasioned by the explosion, and the account
before published, instead of being in the slightest
degree exaggerated, (as has been intimated by
few, } falls far short Of the .dreadfA reality. The
fragments of human bodies are nov lying scat
tered all along the shore, and we saw the corp
ses ola number so mangled and torn, that they
hear scarcely any RESEMBLANCE to the human