Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1852-11-23
From the Ohio State Journal.
Terrible steamboat Explosion.


Buckeye Belle, on the Muskingum, Destroy.
I'd Ten Lives Lost-Senaior Couey
Representatives Bartlett and Okey, In.
jwed.
The following letter from friend At Bev.
erly. Washington county; describes one Of
The mos, terrible s,eamboa, explosions ,ha,
has ever occurred. We have no time for
comments
BEVERLY. November 1910 P. NJ.
MR. BAscpM:--l hasten to inform you of
one Of the mos, awful ca.aslrophes that has
ever been the 10. Of any one 10 witness
the explosion Of the boilers Of The Buckeye
Belle. this afternoon about four o'clock, al
the Guard Lock. just above the town, in the
canal. The boai is the most complete wreck
that was ever seen. Even The lower deck
ard hull are so completely Torn to fragments
that there hardly remains whole plank
forward of The wheel house and the cabin.
pilo. house, and every .Eing back Of the
wheel house shivered 10 atoms, and sirewn
10 The four winds, covering the ground and
and water for great distance around with
kindIing wood, furniture, trunks and baggage.
limbs and bodies Of men, in the mos, awful
manner that the imagination could possibly
conceive.
There were about 40 passengers on board {,
(besdes the boats crew. umong whom
were seven or eight ladies' from this town,
some with their children, every one Of whom
escaped with their lives, and with only one
or TWO slight injuries, which was mos, re-
markable, as the ladies' cabin was complete
ly broken up-eyen the floor fell almos. 10
the lower deck; bu, as fortune would have ii,
the cabin deck did not fall TO crush them
they remained on the Stern Of the bon, (out.
side Of the cabin,) until they were rescued
by their friends in skiffs. From among the
passengers and crew, seven were killed out
right, and TWO have since died, and probably
one or TWO more will die before morning
Their flames could no, be ascerlaned excep
Mr. Barbour, from Pittsburgh. Among tht
wounded are your friend Lealand Murry
4 ,,-t.v 10 busity 5cutdvd5 anu somewhat bruised
but think mol dangerously; MIR. G. C, Co.
vey, formerly of McConnelsville, right lee
: broken below the knee; MIR. Okey, Repre-
:, sentative from Monroe county, badly scalded
Mr.. Bartlett, Representative from Washing
ton county, do; Mr.. Wilson, clerk, leg badl,
broken; Calvin S.ull, pilot, leg broken; Mr.
, Evans, do; Mr.. Daniels, engineer, badly
scalded; Mr., male, arm broken
Capt. Hahn, scalded inwardly, and arm in
jured, and five or six more iha, have broker
: limbs, or are scaIded more or less. AM
there are from six 10 ten or Twelve that ar
missing. who are probably among The ruin
of The wreck, or in the wafer, which canno
: be lold unil tomorrow, when the wreck i
u cleared out.
The boilers were completely blown 1
pieces. The largest piece (about one-half
was thrown more Than fifty yards over ,h
= boat, down The canal. The boat was going up
. another piece upon the guard lock, and OH
u er pieces more or less in size s.rewn in ever.
dreclion--one large piece alighiing near III
9 top of the hill some three o. four hundre
yards from the wreck, aud some of III
}. bricks Of the hue were found in the loI o
Q the top Of The highest hill above town.
. The people have shown all the sympath.
q that such scene is calculated TO call out il
,akiug care Of the dead and wounded, an
doing all that humanity could prompt il
e relieving The distresses Of their fellow mel
But The auempt 10 describe the scene tht
d presented itself a, The boat when we arrived
L would be impoient and futile. Imaginalio
y is hardly lively, or prolific enough for III
Y task. The scene was TOO horid for descriE
. .iun. We almos, doubted the sense {
Q sight, so likea dream il seems.
y The explosion was undoubtedly occasion
9 ed by carsssness Of The engineer in leuin
! The water &c, TOO low. and The momen, tn
0 engine was stopped TO lie. the boa. pass tn
guard lock, i. exploded with such shoe
f as 10 shake The houses all over town.
E. H. s.