Southern marksman. [volume] (Clinton, Miss.) 1838-1839, 1838-12-11
From the Natchez Courier,
ANOTHER AWFUL 5 STEAMBOAT XPLO-

From the Natchez Courier.
ANOTHER AWFUL STEAMBOAT EXPLO-
SION.
STEAMER AUGnsPA BLOWN UP AND MA,
Ny LIVES LosT.--Before we have had tine
to know the fall extent Of The calamiions
destruction oflite and property by The ex-
! ploslon OF the Gen. Brown, il becomes our
Ptlniul lot TO record another melancholy
event, scarcely we believe, less destructive.
w; an explosion on board the Steamer
AnqGs'a.
The following is hastily gathered col
lection IS details:
The Augusta left this port On Monday
evening for Vicksonrg with the ship Jean
netle, in tow. Before she had proceeded
many miles the ship got aground, when the
Augusta left her and made her way TO a
wood pile. AT one place she supplied her
self with four or Eve cords of wood and
was making for another, when the pilot
seeing some floating ,inber ahead, rung
the bell TO stop the engine. The engine
was stopped ill the boat passed, and the
pilot again rung as the signal to 90 ahead.
| The engineer here discovered that the en-
CINE was at the dead point and he imme-
daiely run back to turn The bar, but before
he had time to return, the dreadful explo-
sion took place.
The Augusta IS ore OF the most frigbtful
| fragments OF destruction we have ever seen.
The boilers aud whole m chinery are rent
into trfing pieces; the social hall and lis
appurtenances q. e shattered into atoms and
nearly the entire main cabin is swept away:
a very small portion of it next 10 he Ia
| dies cabin, being all that is left, and that
in such split M condition as to tell Us
plainly the dreadful extent of the explosion.
| The names Of some of the passengers
! dead and missing are not yet known; The
Augusta was, however, not very full of pas
senpers. She came down yesterday morn
no in tow ofthe Hail Columbia, and we
found there were persons OH board dead !,
and their bodies wpfilly mutila,eG; and l2
persons more or less wounded, of whom the
medical gentleman whom we consulted
thinks that not more than 8 or 4 will re
cover; some il was thought. could not out
live Yesterday.
The FIVE persons found dead, are
Leonard Blown, Clerk.
Wm. Henderson. Isl Engineer.
Geo Ward, Merchant. Troy, Miss.
John Wilson. Deck hand
Robot Smith. do
On whose bodies Coroner'Inquest has
been held, and death by accidental explo-
sion reported.
Besides these, the following account is
ascertaioed:
The CAPTAIN missIno-supposed dead
VIM Taylor, Cd Engineer-slighily
wounded.
Barher--mortally wounded.
Wm. Mcdonald, Watchman--badly
scalded.
Henry Smith, deck hand, slightly wound
ed
VIM. Johnson. fireman, badly scalded.
Jas. White, deck hand, do
Jas. Innis do do
Unknown name. fireman, do
Lewis Lachapelle. pilot, slightly injured
Mate (Davies) and Barkeeper, escaped
uniniured.
'Fwentv,eiaht deck hands and fremen
were on board, and when they called them
toeet Ter. sore time after the explosion, on
w could be mustered.
The pilot al the wheel with bis pilot
bnx) was Town uawards Of fifty feet and
contrived 10 get ashore by using enc side
ofthe pilot box. The bodies Of those dead
and wounded are much discolore1 and dis
figured, presenting a heart-rending specta-
Gle.
There was one female passenger on
board who escaped unhurt.
On examination Of the pieces Of the boil
ers found on deck, no doubt is entertained
that this explosion was the result Of cnlpa.
bic negligence on the part of the Engi.
neer.