The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-01-08
Horrible Steamboat Explosion.

rug ioiio wing POI -
ful explosion Of the A. N. J ohnston,
are given in the Cincinnati papers;
The explosion took place about loi
miles above Maysville. The Johnston
had stopped a short distance below
Manchester, for the purpose Of landing
some passengers, and had just started
her engines to leave the shore, when
the boilers exploded with a tremendous
crash, and the boat taking fire soon
burnt to the waters edge.
II was about ! past I on Wednesday
morning, aud all the passengers were
in their births. Mr.. Williams and lady
were in the ladies' cabin. "A horrible
crash aroused them. q Mr.. w.. feel
ing the steam penetrating the state
room, seized his wife, who had sprung
up, and enveloping' both her and him.
seifin the bed clothes, saved themselves
from being scalded by, the steam and
hot water, which SOC wet every thing
around. Looking out in a few minutes,
he found hat one Of the boilers had
been blown aft directly through the
boat, tearing away the floors of both
cabins, and carrying off the front OF the
state rooms on the opposite side 10
them. Front Of the wheel houses the
gentlemen's cabin was all blown away
or fallen down. Mr.. w. and lady got
on the guard beside their state room,
which, fortunately, Vas on the side to.
wards the shore, (close to which the
boat IayJ and by the assistance of the
captain got safe to land. They were
the last that left the wreck, through
which the fire was then rapidly spread
ing. 3d. .ta..# e.r .s..asia co.. t.
On the shore there were two small
cabins, but they could afford little &C.
commoda,ion tor the sufferers. Mr..
Williams procured a skitf, and with his
lady and a gentleman started for Mays
vile, 10 miles below, to send up add.
They got down about 6 o'clock in The
morning. TIE Boone had just got in
from Cincinnati, with her buckets all
broken by the ice, and she could not 60
up until they were in some degree re-
paired. She did not get off before 9
O'clock, A. M. - ,a,
She had three boilers, and it is thought
the fues OF all collapsed. One is sup
posed to have gone down through the
hull, and oc%cusionea the rapid sinking
which took place; another passed ait,
as already mentioned, tearing every
thing before it, and landed in a corn
field some 800 yards below; while the
third broke into two pieces, one Of
which was found in the bank close by,
and the other in the corn field some ESQ
yards above. ..'.
AS near as can be told, there were
e5 cabin passengers, and IS deck; from
60 to so are killed or missing. There
were 6 ladies on board.-all saved; a
or 5 children, also saved. The Boone
brought down to MaysviIle some 80,
and TO this city 6 or 8 Of those more or
less scalded or wounded, together with
some who escaped with little or no in.
jury. s,.5 a.t isartce- ag.i.H 500
Five OF those left at Maysville were
not expected 10 live when the Boone
left. There were 81 horses on board
e were saved. The second engineer
said, just before he died, that he had
tried The boilers just before the accident
and found plenty of water in them; but
the cook says he heard the engineer
complaining several times, after they
left this city, that the pumps did not
work well. 1919 1sf ,Z5la.'j - zola.
The horror of the scene Immediately
after the explosion, is represented as
horrible and heart-rending in the ex-
treme. The groans Of the badly injur-
ed, the shrieks Of women, the confused
and eager efforts of nearly all, not dis
abled, to escape from the wreck, beg
gar description. 1t must have been a
horlid waking out of a deep sleep in the
still hour Of night.
One woman with three children,
threw the elder two overheard, and,
with the youngest in her arms, sprang
after them. They were all rescued.
Had the explosion taken place any
considerable distance from shore, scarce
ly one would have escaped to tell the
tale; and as it was, Mr.. Williams thinks
that himself and lady, and two or three
others, at most, are all who escaped
entirely unhurt, ,f..8 IL. A5acn.
The struggles and shrieks Of the
horses, as the fire reached them, are
said to have been most horrible 10 see
and hear. Mr.. Williams says that at.
ter he reached the shore he saw one
man struggling among them, seeming
to be entangled among some Of the
broken fragments Of the wreck, and on
the point Of being destroyed by the
flames. He. turned away from the
sight, but afterwards learned. that the
man had escaped. 1t was probably