New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-10
Ivy From the St. Louis Republican
Dreadful Explosion and Loss of Life.


Of large number Of human beingsit cannot be ascer-
tanned how many The history of this dreadful event as
well could ascertain during the prevailing intense
excitement is about as follows:
The steamer Glencoe had Just arrived from NewOrcans
heavily laden. and enleavoring to effect landing
between Pine and Chestnut streets.
The steamers AIeck Scott Georgia. Cataract and ST
World lying beside the other ut that point
and the Glencoe attempting entrance between the
Cataract and Georgia. She lay with her bow little
above the the Georgia when two Of the
boilers exploded spreading death and destruction in every
direction about her.
From young gentleman who, during the upward trip
of the Glencoe acted assistant clerk learn that she
carried eighty deck passengers less and from
twenty to twenty five cabin passengers The boat had
touched at several adjacent steamers sufficiently long
time to allow very many from shore to board
her, swelling her numbers considerably.
The explosion was. we have ntimated tremendous
The entire upper works Of the Glencoe forward Of
the pilot overwhelmingly the part where the ma
ory Of the passengers had gathered to witness the land
ng-were torn away. Chimneys, boilers, timbers and
freight scattered about with many human beings in
every direction.
The work Of destruction was not confined the Glen
The after upper works of the Cataract which lay
close by taking in the whole of the ladies' cabin was de-
stroyed Other boats by visited but to less
extent, by the calamity.
Shortly after the explosion the boat was discovered to
be fire. and simultaneously with the discovery, COM
menced floating down. The full extent Of the ruin pre-
sented itself she passed down
The cabin forward of the wheel-house gone. A
portion of it had been thrown the freight piled at the
forecase this rising high the after hurricane
deck The flames bnrning iercey about where the
boilers had been, and spreading rapidly to all sides
From the Shore many human beings, men and women
could be deserted hurryng from side to the other
desperately seeking some place of escape.
One two poor fellows who had been scaded and after
wards caught in the falling timber. motonng
and heard crying loudly for assistance. the flames
reached and enveloped them. The most hor
rble AS the boat continued to glide down her yaw
became filled with her surviving passengers The yawls
of other boats also pushed out and succeeded
in saving others We make correct estimate Of
the number of persons lost by scading and drowning 1t
is supposed that from sixty to seventy saved AL
lowing this estimate to be correct from thirty to forty
even more. lives have been lost.
We give such of persons lost could learn
amid the existing excitement;
John Denny clerk of steamer Glencoe killed His body
found the hurricane deck of Western World
| horribly disfgured
George Buchanan, engineer of the Glencoe, reported
killed We heard the report subsequently contradcted
A son of Capt. Lee, of the Glencoe. killed
Miss Kent on the steamer Cataract. killed.
James Little psstry cook of the Cataract. killed.
McLane barkeeper of the Glencoe, blown ashore, and
dangerously wounded.
Daniel Human. from Warwick county, Indiana, arm
broken. and badly scalded
Francis Catferata, hotel-runner slightly injured
George Washington Ralfe hotel runner, dangerously
wounded in siderght foot nearly severed from body
not expected to survive.
Michael Dunn. arm broken and scaded
George Reeder and James Wes, hote-runners missing
supposed to have been lost.
Mr.. staddford, from Ohio, blown overboard-slightly
bruised-saved.
Capt Lee, wife, and child. saved They had gone
| ashore before the occurrence of the accident
The names above were all that We could gather from
sources to be at all depended Some twelve fifteen
bodies were counted in boats shore very few of which
could be identified.
The witnessed Immediately after the
of the catastrophe Of the renng descrp
ton We noticed several their ces backened their
clothes wet and soied with ashes hurryiug along the
eyee and crying for relief One body the Cataract had
the head blown entirely off We also, the legs of
boy girl the body having lodged in other direc-
ton number Of physicians were in attendance, and
rendered every service which lay in their power
The body of lady horribly mangled that it scarcely
held together taken from the ruins of the Cataracts
ladies' cabin. She not of course identified 1t was
thought that she had been blown from the Inflated Glen
eoe little girl aged about thirteen also picked up
on the Cataract and it was for while believed that she
clans revealed or two fatal wounds which induced the
opinion that she would not survive until morning
The burning Glencoe lodged at first about the foot OF
Spruce street. where Of the survivors who had
escaped by the yaws succeeded in gaining the
and thence reaching the shore Aferward, she swung
around and hoated until within few blocks of the gas
works where she permanently lodged and burned the
waters edge The fire communicated to the wood
boats she had passed, seven of which, that fully
freighted were destroyed
Five other empty wood boats also consumed The
flames spread next to the corded wood shore 1t is
estimated that from $50 to 300 cords of this wood
consumed fortunately the fire did not spread to the
buildings on the Leyee.
In statement of the injuries to the steamers lying
near the Glencoe when she exploded failed give all
the particulars One of her chmneys, we are informed
struck the after cabin of the Georgia. demoshng
it completely The starboard forward of the Catar
act was greatly damaged.
Some slabs from the table of the Glencoe fell the
hurricane roof Of the Aeck Scott penetrating in
places One of the scape pipes entered the of the
Western World demolishing several state rooms Flat
tened sheets of the Glencoes boiler lodged ada
cent steamers One OF her ues driven into the ladies'
cabin of the Cataract Timbers strewn on shore
and bricks from the works about the boilers
distance The report Oft explosion was heard
far in the westward extremity of the city the
sion felt as high up Third street
The Dead-We went into the Health officers room last
evening, where portion of the dead of the ill-fa
and nd rNarttn r1nrIu
bodies those who have never had the painful task
witnessing death in this form, but family imagnet,
CHASTITY and horrible appearance which steam exposi,
produces In addition to wounds and bruises and th
attendant violent dfgurement there is paor and pc
cuar effect upon the body the result of scaldng
and seam which almost obterates the natural features
and renders it exceedingly difficult recognize an
intimate acquaintance The bodies with two exceptions
horribly mutilated The limbs seemed all to be
Extraordinarily crushed-and in several instances many
of them separated from the trunks
But one female was in the group. Her face and bust
were apparently but slightly injured and judged her
to be about twenty or years of She bore
the appearance of responsibility than likely
an emgrant Two boys were among the number one the
Captains at least recognized such by cloth
ing for the body in pieces aged years and the
other an emigrants child should suppose years
older The latter badly disfisured and while we
were present we noticed gentleman endeavoripg to
ascertain if he had not yet life in him Mr. John
Denny, the clerk of the boat, among the number
The rest judging from their clothes were deck hands
hremen, or it may be, passengers
The majority of these persons must have occupied
posed SITUATIONS with two or three exceptions the
bodies seemed to be Utterly crushed instances
they were torn almost into fragments. portions of them
not yet having been obtained The group formed hor
ribe spectacle flushed in the silence of death they lay
mutilaed and parbolcd while the living examining
them with the help of candles to recognize if possible
some llneament OF countenance popularity of
ment or dress With the exception of Capt Lees little
SON and Mr. Denny the clerk, recognition made
Of the bodies
The catastrophe is of those which, from their dis
astrous and general effects blot out all means of
tang the number and the of the sufferers The
DOCK the passenger list gone with every thing
else in the clerks office except the freight recordthe
clerks themselves are deadhe comparatively bodies
recovered are and it impossible that
even the loss OF life will be correctly ascertained.
The Wotn led on The Gencoe--We visited last night at
IL O'Clock the Hospital of the Sisters Charity in com
pany with Dr. MPheters, by the ladies were shown
all the wounded persons So far could we obtained
the names Of all those yet living. They are as follows
VIM Callahan a fireman, from Ireland lie is not dan
gerously wounded
Jesse Harrington, from Cooke county ILL., formerly
OF ONO He had fracture of the right thigh and wrist
with injuries on the face.
Samuel Sloy who went on board after the boat
arrived. Probably mortay wounded
Daniel Is. Herman, from Warwick. Gibson county III
LIS arm Is broken, and he is badly Scaded.
Louis Mclean, of Ohio bad flesh wound and badly
scalded 1t is doubtful if he recover.
Ihomas Carroll, of Liverpool injured in the head and
shoulder. and dangerously
VIM. Brethwad-rhis man is so badly wounded that it
was difficult to get any thing out of him As far as we
could learn he is from Berehand England where his IA
Their Keeps hotel He had about him large amount of
money, which has been taken care of, and another
amount was IN his trunk which, of course, was lost
DAVID Cress passenger, from Belfast Ireland very
dangerously wounded
VIM b Eartwrpht--IJe lyas II, N;ss;,s;,,; aud r,s