Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1849-11-24
Terrible Steamboat Explosion.
DREADFUL Loss OF LIFE.
$50 Persons Killed.

SONS lock place Al our iefee yesterday ttraiusf
few minutes after 6re o'clock.
The steamboat Louisiana, Captain Cannon,
bound for 81. Louis loaded with valuable car.
90, and having on board large number Of pas.
sengers, had ruug her last bell, and was just
backing out from the wharf al the foot Of Gravier
street.. when the whole Of her boilers burst with
one tremendous explosion, which resOunded
throughout the city. The conclusion was so
great that il shook The houses to their foundation
Cor many squares distant. The Louisiana was
living along side Of the steamboat Bostona, Capt.
Dustin. at the time ofihe disaster. and the steam
boat Storm, Capt Hopkins, had just arrived from
Louisville, coming in on the siarbOard side. The
upper works Of these two boats are complete
wreck, their chimneys having been carried away
aud their cabins stove in and shattered in some
pllces 10 atoms. The violence 0G the shock op.
Grating on her boilers was tremendous. A part
4 of one Of them, mass Of considerable size, was
hurled with nconceiyable force upon the leVee.
/ II cut a mule in two. killed horse and the dri-
yer ola dray to which they were attached inslan.
taneously. Another massive portion ofihe same,
twelve feet long and Of immense weight, was
4 blown TO the corner Of Canal and Front streets, a
distance of2O0 yards at least, prestrating three
large iron pillars which supported wooden shed
or awning which stood before the coffee house
there. Before coming 10 contact with the iron
pillars, the fragment of the boiler cut through
several bales of cotton, which lay in its passage,
making III staple scatter through the air as if il
had been run through cotton gin.
The news spread like widire, and our cti.
zens rushed from all directions TO the scene Of
the disaster. Already on our arrival, number
Of bodies. in every conceivable state Of sad mu-
lilation, had been dragged from the wreck, which
were surrounded by the dense crowd that had
assembled. Hacks and furniture carts were sent
for, and the wounded were conveyed away to
the hospitals. The sigh, of the mangled bodies
which slrewed the leyee on all sides, and the
shreks of the dying were appalling, making the
blood curdle with horror. We saw one man
with his head of, his en'rails out, and one leg
of, A woman whose long dark hair lay wet
and matted by her side, had one leg off above
her knee, whilst her body was shocking, man.
gled. A large man, having his skull crushed in
laya corpse, his face looking as if il had been
painted red Others, of both sexes, also with
legs and arms OIL, mere trunks, lay about in DIFF
gcther, brought by death into a sudden and close
embrace. But it is utterly impossible to describe
all the revolving sights which met our view
Suffice il to say that death was revealed there
under almost every variety ofappaing horror
The Louisiana sunk about ten minutes after the
explosion, and it is supposed many who went on
board to assist the wounded were carried down
with her. This, we Judge from the fact Of sew
eral persons, who had escaped the first effects o
tho explosion, having jumped overheard at the
time Of her sinking and who were providentially
saved.
gentleman who was passenger on the
Louisiana, was standing on the hurricane deck
abaN the wheelhouse when the explosion took
place, and escaped He distinctly saw the faces
and arms of several ladies' and gentlemen vany
struggling to free themselves fom the falling
planks and timbers. They were carried down
with the boat when she sank lie succeeded in
saving little negro boy. About twenty persons
were standing on the bow of the boat when she
went down, most Of whom were saved The
river was covered Immediately alter the accident
with fragments of The wreck. portion OF the
stern OF the ladies' cabin Of the steamer Is still
out Of water Numerous small boats was EN-.
poyed picking up the wounded. AT half past 5
o'clock, P. NJ, an alarm OF fire was given from
the Bostona, which called our fremen promptly
to The spot, but it happily was unfOunded.
On board the Storm the destruction Of life was
alsoterrible. Mrs. Moody, the wife OF the first
clerk, was standing on the guard opposite the la
dies cabin, and was Instantly killed. The cap>
tain received severe confusion in the head but
was not dangerously wounded. About twelve
or fifteen persons were killed, and large mum.
Der wounded, some OF whom will probably not
recover.
| The confusion was so great that il was utterly
/ impossible to ascertain the names OF one quarter
! Of those killed and wounded, and most probably,
| from the promiscuous crowd Of strangers, emf
grants, &c, large portion ofthem viii never be
known.
The fragments of iron and blocks of wood
which were sent with the rapidjty of lightning
| from the Inflated Louisiana, carried death and
destruction in all directions. Men were killed
at the distance oil 300 yards. Legs. arms, and
trunks were scattered over he leyee.
mong those injured on the levce was Mr.
Wray. clerk ia the house Of Moses Greenwood
d Co., who had been on board OF the steamel
Knoxville, lying below the ferry landing, and
was passing up at the time Of the occurrence
He was struck on the thigh BY piece of wood
and so badly injured that it was feared last nigh
that amputation of the limb would be necessary
We understood that some news-boys, who hat
been selling papers on the Louisiana, and haC
Just got on shore, were killed. We saw the dea'
bodies of several lads but the names as yet are
unknown. Those who were near the spot at th'
time olthe explosion state that bodies were sowI
as high as 200 eel in the air and tell IN The river
One man, it is said, was blown through the pilo
house ofthe Bostoua, making hole through thu
pannels which might be mistaken Ter the worl
Of cannon ball.
The steamer Storm was very close to the Lou
siana at the time Of the explosion, and she wa
sent back by the concussion at least hily yard
into the stream. Her captain, although severely
wounded,appeared on the hurricane deck, his iac'