Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-03-28
AWFUL DISASTER.

IL miles below Tuscaloosa. The writer, Thomas d
Maxwell, was one Of the passengers on board OF t
the illoted boat aud by his courage and presence
of mind, in the midst of the most appalling cir {
cumstances, succeeded in saving his own md ma O
ny other lives from the most awful OF all deaths I
The boat left Tuscaloosa at III in the morning,
with sixteen cabin passengers among them three
Indies and two children. When about IL miles
exploded. In all instant, says the writer, two
thirds OF the boat were thrown into the air TO an
incredible height and shivered into a thousand
atoms.
A stream of noxious gas from the boilers pas
sed with such tremendous pressure towards the
stern, through the halls of The Cabin, that our hats
were carried from our heads with the current;
and enveloped in smoke, and bewidered with the
ye' and groans of the dying sufferers whose
bodies lay torn TO peices mingled with the shape
less wreck--the shattered mass around us was
but dinlly understood
looked out from tho stern, and the whole nj
mosphere above us was filed with these fragments
10 an incredible height, aud they fell IN horrd |
showers around U.S. mixed with the dying aud tho
dead. So powerful was the explosion, that one OF
the boilers with its immense weight, was blown
at lenst one hundred and fifty yards over The tops
Of the highest trees, into nm open field, and not
far from it lies the pule Of the safety waive, sunk
or 3 feet into the earth like the ball OF cannon
Mr. Maxwell, who was fortunately in the ladies
cabin, Immediately proceeded on deck to nscer-
tain the extent of the damage, aud the dangers
still to I've unprecedented.
Not M officer was to he seen, and the heads o
threa or four ofthe crew wish in the water,
struggling teeby with the waves. The rest of the
crew, with the yawl, were endecvoring to pick
them up.
The boilers Ind all disappeared. One Of them
had bursed i'll the bottom, and portion Of it had
passed through the deck aud hull OF the boat 10
the bottom of the river, leaving large hole thro'
/ which the water ooked freely, and saw that she
must sink in few minutes, in despite OF every Ell
! fort 10 prevent j. that might he used not single
being could he seen that could stand erect hut
| the whole body of her hull from the wheel houses
| to the how had been shattered into n mere shell
| the false sides were blasted into mere atoms aud
were already filled up with water; the nuin eek
| was shivered into spners, and the heads legs
ant arms of apparently dozen OF human beings
| belonging 10 the crew, projecting out here
and there from the mass Of nhamable substances
| that had NOW fallen into the hull, and in Il conius-
| ed pile were ningng with red hot enIbers from
the furnace while their groans and their cries for
help me horribly AMI awiully to my ears. Oh!
can never forget that scene; tits now before
so fresh and VIVID that | can hnrdly write this
scrawl; but the worst isye to come.
This had all ben the work of moment and
having calmly reconnoltered this dreadful havoc,
became satisfied that we must all inevitably perish,
unless myself could reach the shore aud lash her
to tree, ttor as yet had not fellow being
swim, almost despaired of success to go into
the Ladies' Cabin and tell the true danger would
but make them frantic, and defeat my Object
Just Mt this moment, the boat having still her full
speed upon her, and coming 10 IA bend OF the rlv-
! err was gaidencd with the piosnect OF running
into a steep buffbefore me, although was afraid
TINT, coming with such speed when she struck
the rock, she might be shattered to pieces, and
placing myself in position not TO be thrown over
board by the shock, awaited the blow she struck
with fearful rebound which shook her from
stem to stern; thought she would fall to pieces
hut she did not
i now went forward 10 the bow, walking on the
ends Of the ribs, which formed her bull, and the
groans, and means, and yes OF Tie poor fellows
buried in the pile on my left. calling on Inc fol
Gods sake TO render them some help; Oh God
Or! God, help, help, they cried but saw the
only chance to save them, was TO pursue my oh.
ject, and if possible to fasten her to Wher
l reached The bow, she was now retreat ing from
the bluff, and l began again to despair but with
a strength which never had before, made
spring, and succeeded ia grasping the branch of
tree that overhung the river, from almost per
, pendculur precip from fifteen to twenty fec
in height, AMI calling loudly TO black man." who
happened al that moment to have risen to his feet
| made him throw The rope, which fast ined 10
tree, and her stern being out in the middle of til,
stream, she swung round but in doing so, | dis
covered that she was pulling the tree away by tn,
roots, and thought they were all going out agail
into the stream, and would he consumed by TN
flames; and ! saw the fire commencing in differ
. ent places and kndling into blaze; and tn
shreks and the groans of The poor sufferers mad,
my heart sick but siraining my voice to its high
= est pitch, at length made the black man throw
me another rope, which fastened to better tree
!. and this held her until she swung clear round il
the current.
n During this time | could neither see Mr.. Battle
9 nor any other person that could move, except tn
o black man before mentioned, aud still despairet
y of getting them to the shore. And, oh horr
y thought the flames were kndng over the dread
n full pile, md had called loudly with all my pow
d or to MIR. Battle and Capt. Richardson, who wer
u striving still TO keep the ladies' calm in their cabil
l. not knowing there was any further danger AN
n the thought that should see them NIL destrnye
IS in the flames, was awful in the extreme. AT engt
ir they heard my voice over those who were dyin
g in agony, and by signs aud speaking together,
was enabled TO show them how they yet might e:
cape, aud get towards me; and not until they Ina
reached the bow of the vessel, were they thorough
ly aware Of the danger they had been in. TIL
n ladies' were enabled 10 the flames by the ea
- ercse of great in walking over the most daI
:, gerons portions OF the wreck: along with NJ
y Battle and Capt. Richardson, und tie ladies', can
u also from the ruins Mr.. Tnnna!ill, although i
;" was considerably injured, aud the black man, wi
i were now OF great service in assisting me to g
- the ladies from The boat TO the shore for she WI
-, kmdling into n tremendous blaze.
~ BY pushing pink towards he bank from ii
-, boat, and sprnsing from the end Of il, they wei
- enabled TO come within three feet of the bluff
n single spring But must have lost some of the
=, sill-ior there was no shore to step upon, al
-. they could only cling TO The brnmbles that gre
%, against the sleep, with scarcely place 10 set the
" feet upon had it not beer that the thought
W me in time to cut one OF my ropes into pieces
u sufficient length, and attaching one TO The end
-. the trees above by throwing the other over Il
~ precpce, they could, three or four OF them,
a supported by one rope, umil ! could pull them
o. o. the steep with another And with these means
10 go, ali the ladies, the children and all the men wi
49,, were able to move, safely landed on the Shore
~ But the tale is yet untold; the boat was no
"a entirely enveloped in flames from stem to stei
u it was one mighty mass OF that dread element.-