Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-04-15
ST.. LOUIS. Aprll 9Th. 1852.

he steamer Glencoe arrived mere Oh
Saturday evening, between 7 and 8
o'clock from New Orleans, heavily la
dened and was endeavoring TO effect
landing between Pine and Chesnut Sts.
The steam boats Aleck Scott, Georgia.
Cataract and Western World were lying
ONE beside the other at the point, and the
Glencoe was attempting an entrance be-
tween the Cataract and Georgia, when
her boilers exploded.
From young gentleman who during
the upward trip of the Glencoe, acted as
her assistant clerk, We learn that she
carried about 80 steerage passengers and
from 30 to 25 cabin passengers. The
boat had touched at several adjacent.
steamers sufficiently long TO allow many
persons from shore TO board her, swell
ing her number considerably. The ex.
plosion was terrific. The entire upper
decks of the boat forward Of the pilot
house were thrown in every direction,
and unfortunately the majority Of the
passengers lad gathered there to witness
her landing. .......-. .....
Chimneys, boilers, timbers and human
beings were scattered in every direction.
The work of destruction was not con
fined TO the Glencoe--ihe after upper
decks of the Cataract, which was lying
close by, taking in the whole OF the la
dies cabin, was destroyed. Oiher boats
near by were visited but to less extent by
the calamities.
Shortly after the explosion, the boat
was discovered 10 be on fire, and .imul-
ianeously with the discovery came float
ing down. The cabin forward Of the
wheel house was gone; portion of IN
had been thrown on the freight piled On
the forecas,le; the mass rising as high as
The after deck. The flames were burst
ing fiercly about where the boilers had
been, and spreading rapidly to all sides.
From the shore many human beings, mtn
women and children could be seen, hur
ying from one side 10 the other. desper-
a.ely seeking some means of escape
One or two persons who were scaldsd
and afterwards caugh, in ,he falling tim
bers, were seen as she decended, and
heard calling loudly for assistance as the
flames reached and envelaped them.
The scene was mos; horrible one. As
the boat continued to glide down, her
yawl became filed with her surviving
passengers. The yawls of other boats
were pushed out and succeeded in saving
others.
We can make no correct estimate of
the number of persons lo.t by scalding
and drowning. |. is supposed that from
sixty TO seventy were saved; allowing
this estimate to be correct, from thirty to
forty, or more lives have been lost.
We give such names of persons lost as
we could learn amid the existing excite
ment John Deney, Clerk Of Glencoe,
killed; George Buchanan, Engineer Of
Glencoe, reported killed; son of Capt.
Lee of Glencoe. killed; young lady on
steamer Cataract, killed. James Little.
pastry cook of Catsract, killed. Me.
Lean, bar keeper of Glencoe. blown a.
shore and dangerously wounded. Dan
iel Lyman, arm broken and badly seald-
ed. Francis Gsfferta, hotel runner.
slightly injured; Geo. w. Ralph, hotel
runner, not expected 10 survive, George
Reeder and James Wiles hotel runners,
missing. Mr.. Studiford from Ohio, blown
overheard and slightly bruised, saved.
The names above are all that we could
gather from sources to be depended upon.
Some IL or Is bodies Were counted in
boats and on shore. a very few of which
could be identified.
Capt. John Lee and family escaped in
miraculous manner.
The scenes Witnessed Immediately az
ter the occurance Of the catastrophe are
of the mos, heart rending description.
We noticed several men with their faces
black and their clothes wet and soiled
with ashes hurrylng along the lesve cry
ing for relief. One body on the Gaia
ract had the head entirely blowno off We
also saw the legs of boy or girl the
body having lodged in some other direc-
ton. I he body of lady SO horribly
mangled that it hardly held together was
taken from the ruins of the Caiaract's
lady's cabin. She was not of course
identified. II wassupposed that she had
occu uioWu HUH VIC iH-IaNu olcHCoc'
A little girl aged about l3 was also
picked up on the Cataract ard il was for
a while believed that she could be saved,
but ply stefan relieved one or Two OF the
wounded which induced the opinion that
she would not survive ill morning. The
Glencoe lodged at first about the foo, of
Spruce street where some Of The survi-
vors who had escaped by the yawls sue
ceeded in gaining the wood boats and
then reaching shore, afterwards she swung
round and foated until within a few
blocks of the gas works, where she per-
manently lodged, and burnt to the wa
ter's edge.
The fire was communicated 10 The
wood boats che passed, of which were
ELL