Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-12-01
EXPLOSION OF THE STEAMBOAT
LOUISIANA
usrREcEpENrxD Loss OF LlrE|


i
The New Orleans Delta and Picayune OF
the leih and nth inst. bring US the ineA"
choly particulars Of the lateawfsl occurrence,
by the explosion Of the steamboat hou'''a'1
Al the wharf, by which over goo persons s''
believed to have been killed and wounded
The ,elsrraphic dispatches, giving an 80
conn, of This lamentable affair, have been
r.c.s.ar;v brief and imperfect. We here
rive all the particulars known up TO the date
ef,he journals from which we take the ac-
count condensing, however, the unimporr'Aa'n''y rA''
matters.
The violence of the shock operating on
,h. ho;,ers was tremendous A part Of one
~ ,berr,, a mass Of considerable size, was
hu,,ed with inconceivable force on the levee.
II out mule in two, killed horse and dri-
yer of dray to which they we're attached
instantaneously. Another massive portion OF
the same, twelve feet long, and of immense
Wright, was blown 10 the corner OF Canal ana
Front streets, distance of 200 yards at least
prostrating three large iron pillars whlch sup.
ported wooden shed or awning which $1,000
before the coffee house there. before COM
ing in contact with the iron pillars, the frag-
ment of the boiler cut through several bales
of cotton which lay in its passage, making
the staple scatter through the air as IL 1t had
been run through cotton gin.
The sight of the mangled bodies which
s,rewed the levee on all sides, and the shreks
of the dying, were appalling, making the
, blood curdle with horror. We saw one man
with his head off, his entrails out and one leg
off, A woman, whose long dark hair lay
wet and matted by her side, had one leg OIL
above her knee, whilst her body was shock
inrly mangled. A large man, having the
skull crushed in, lay corpse; his face look.
ing as if it had been painted red others' Oh
both sexes, also with legs and arms OIL, mere
trunks. Law about in different places. Two
bodies we found locked together, 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 it to say, that death was revealed
there under almost every variety of appalling
horror. The Louisiana sunk about 10 min
utes after the explosion, and it is supposed
many who went on board to assist the wound
ed, were carried down with her. This, We
Judge, from the fact of several persons, wht
had escaped the first effects of the explosion
having jumped overheard at the time of he
sinking, and who were providentially saved
A gentleman who was passenger on tn
Louisiana, was standing on the hurrican
deck abaft the wheehouse when the explo
sion took place, and escaped. He distinctly
saw the faces and arms of several ladies AM
gentlemen vainly struggling to free them
selves from the falling planks and timbers.-
They were carried down with the boat whe
she sank. He succeeded in saving littl
negro boy. About twenty persons wer
standing on the bow of the boat when sh
went down, most of whom were saved. Th
river was covered Immediately after the ac
cident with fragments Of the wreck. A poi
tion of the stern of the ladies' cabin of tn
steamer is still out of water. Numerou
small boats were employed picking up tn
wounded.
The steamer Bostona, laying alongside tn
Louisiana, had her pipes blown down, he
wheelhouse crushed, and her upper deck a
most entirely torn off. Captain Dustin, Of tn
Bostona, was seriously if not mortally injured
and several persons were killed aboard
her. The steamboat John Hancock had ne
wheel.house broken, and was otherwise II
Jured The Storm, steamer from Loui
vile, was coming in alongside the Louisian'
full OF passengers, when the explosion of th
Louisiana blew her upper deck to piece
killing the wife OF the clerk, Mr.. Robe
Moody, another lady, and some ten or twelv
other persons, and woundng great man.
We are fold that the origin Of the explosio
is not known, and yet we know the First Ell
gineer was on shore, with leave 20 join III
boat at Lafayette; and that the Second Eng
neer must have been absent from his pos
from the fact that the instant before the c,
plosion he returned to the engine, found thu
there was something wrong, cried out TO tn
mate to run for his life and saved his ow
by rapid movement to the stern. Negl
gence the most culpabe is too plainly seel
The boat was within few minutes of its d'
parture, when officers and crew should ha'
been doubly vigilant; and yet how diilereI
from this are the facts shown.
Captain Cannon, of the Louisiana, was
the levee coming with gentleman when II
explosion took place. The boat was waitir
for some freight, and was about TO procee
to ship lying some distance below to tai
in 80 or 80 enigrants for St. Louis. The e
gineer, it is said, had tried the boilers, al
finding no water in them, remarked that
,cas coming" and they had better leave. I
escaped.
% The extent Of the mortality will exceed o
highest estimates. All the facts discovers
thus far give color to the gloomiest apprehe
sions of the number Of the killed. Mo
than sixiy-four dead have already been !
cognsed. More than forty were exposed
the Barome street Waich-house yesterCla
and at least twenty were in the dead-hous
Of the several hospitals. Several have di