Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-10-25
STEAMBOAT ACCIDENTS.
FROM TIE DoLLAR MAGAZINE.

That steamboat accidents common in the United
States than any other part of the world is unfortunately
but well known. Several may bo adduced why
this is necessarily the Our steamboats, very far exceed
in number those of any other country, and the navigation OF
most Of rivers s dangerous in the extreme The fre-
quency of explosions upon Western boats is owing in
great their employing hghpessure boilers and
engines Steam is generated with great rapaity by this
mode yet long boat is in motion all is saf but let
boat under full head stop suddenly and there is always
danger Of explosion much indeed that old ssgers will
generally huyng the stern the engineers
bell is heard command stop her." These highpessure
boilers long cylinders resembling the huge Of
steamer except the former placed horizontally
and the latter pependiculay Through them the ue and
if at any time the boat has enough list" to the
run from the outside boilers the others-thus leav
ing the in with the redhot uean nstanta-
explosion almost inevitable The steam IN this
resolved into combination Of oxygen and hydrogen cases.
and about a. effective an agent OF destruction as gunpowder
With regard the frequent losses of boats by fire. these
often the result of the in which they built and
eghed The cabin entirely above the deck built Of the
ighes MATERIAL and always dry finder from the con-
heat beneath 1t only wants full load of cotton to
complete the danger. When boat is fully reghed with
this article she appears like moving Of cotton bales
part of her hull being visible except the paddleb
Around the bows and upon the guards the bales piled
high the hurricane deck" They almost touch the
boilers which exposed and unprotected upon the forward
aud generally surrounded BY huge piles OF wood, not
unfrequeny in absolute with them. tier of cot
often adorns the hurricane deck ITSELF and needs but
spark from the smokeppe the boat into fiery
furnace, from which the chance ofescape small indeed.
Travellers descending the Mississippi avoid these boats thus
laden with cotton but no one taking passage Pittsburgh
Cincinnati, ST. Louis tell what the situation Of the
boat will be before she arrives at New Orleans The lower
country boats the Natchez and Vckburg packets and those
that ply up and down the Arkansas, Red river, and the
bayous during the latter part Of autumn and the whole of the
winter, all make their down trip loaded and overloaded
with cotton, and the voyase perfoce submit to the
danger and inconvenience attendant upon such passage
Accidents to Western boats to in epidemic
FORM For month hear of none and then again,
every days mail rather telegraph will record new
calamity, by IRE, snags, steam.
The list Of boats destroyed and injured in 1850 do not
figures looks ghtu enough During the year there were
6fyhree boats lost upon the Western waters, and10
rious accidents occurred, as follows
33 boats sunk;
IA do. burnt
do. destroyed by explosion;
"a do. seriously injured
Over roo persons lost their ves ard property TO the
amount Of $780, 900 sacrificed During the summer
of 84l the Mississippi, between the mouth of the Ohio
and st. Louis thirty boats snagged and sunk in fact
great part of the then St. Louis feet lost That this
the excite wonder in the mind Of any who
has sailed upon the Upper Mississippi in time Of very low
The river which at other times presents appear
Of majestic and solemn grandeur, it rolls its grey
through the immense and seemingly boundess forests
that cothe its Sides then equally horrible and disgust
ing. The majestic tide retreats into thousand
and channels leaving enormous field of mud and
sand, literally bring with the apparent snags for the
traveller to feast bis eyes upon In every direction he will
wrecks Of me1 bos and tembe lest the next hour may
add his to their number. One spot above Cairo is
KNOWN and justly, the "Grave Yard ; and the bottom
is paved with the bones Of lost steamers.
appear singular but the danger to be apPrehended
from explosion much less than that from snaggng fire.
collapsed fue does its work nsananeously and all is
over. but FIRE the sinking of boat gives the passengers
time to see the dangers and then place Of adopting some
proper mode Of saving their lives, nine Of ten WILL from
fear and want Of presence of mind, jump overheard without
any thing sustain them in the water, probably
main the boat until too late to escape The effect Of fear
upon is singular; often udcrous. Two instances
that occurred in my sight are eIactlyein point.
descending the Mississippi in the "Brian
Bohome The boat new, and being intended for the
Red river trade had regular pilots the price they de-
manded to make half trip and then to be left at New Or
leans without boat was unreasonable that the captain
determined to stse the boat himself with the assistance Of
Red river pilot who was on board.
All went very we'll until turned the mouth Of the
Oho and the captain abandoned the wheel to the Of bis
assistant with full directions how to the boat for few
hours II clear starlight night and we were ploughng
way down stream smousy, under full head Of steam,
when suddenly tremendous threw nearly every body and
every thing cabin their beam end and every one thought
or said, "We have struck mag !"
am old stsger upon the river and never enter boat
without fixing my eye upon something that be used as
suppor, in have TO swim for IT, As ascended the
bnans cabin stairs the FIRST thing that saw was very
snug washsand, which upon the guards and almost
against the paddebox. As could pick myself up,
hasenei to my washsand, and there remained until II
was discovered that we had with serious disaster
than running foil against bluff bar" young Of
perhaps twenty had previously attracted the attention Of oil
the passengers from his peculiarly Daniel Lambertish pro-
portions AT the time that struck he was in very sound
sleep, but being aroused by the subsequent confusion jump