Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-04-08

Il Inc work OF destruction was not confined Il
the Glencoe, The after upper works Of The
Cataract, which lay close by, taking IN the whole
of the ladies' cabin, was DESTROYED. Other
boats near by were visited, but to q less extent
by the calamity. &H1E-R I'll (fNfIf.
Shortly after the explosion, the boat was dis
covered 20 be on FIRE, and simultaneously with
the discovery commenced floating down. The
full extent Of the ruin presented itself as she
pass cd down. ~
The cabin forward Of the wheel house was
gone. A portion of il had been thrown ON the
freight piled at the forecastle, this mass rising
as high as the after hurricane deck. The flames
were burning fereely about where the boilers
had been, and spreading rapidly 10 all Sides
From the shore many human beings, IN en-, Voc
men and children, could be deserted hurrying
from one side 10 the other, desperately seeking
some place of escape.
One or two poor fellows who had been scald-
ed and afterwards caught in the falling timbers,
were seen motioning and heard crying wildly
for assistance, as the flames reached anil envcl-
oped them. The scene was most horrible one.
As the boat continued to glide down, her yawl
became filed with her surviving passengers.--
The yawls of some other boats also were pushed
out and succeeded in saving others. We can
make no correct estimate of the number Of per-
sons lost by scalding and drowning. II is sup
posed that from sixty 10 seventy were saved
Allowing this estimate TO be correct, from thir-
ty TO forty, or even more, lives have been lost
The scenes witnessed Immediately after the
occurrence of the catastrophe are of the most
heart-rcnding description. We noticed several
men, their faces black ened, and their clothes
wet and soiled with ashes, hurrying along the
levec and crying for relief. One body on the
Cataract had the head blown entirely of. We
saw also the legs Of a boy or girl, the body hav-
ing lodged in some other direction. A number
of physicians were in attendance and rendered
every service which lay in their power.
The boly of a lady, SO horribly manglcd that
it scarcely held together, was taken from the
ruins of the Cataract's ladies' cabin. She was
not, of course, identified. 1t was thought that
she had been blown from the Inflated Glencoe
A little girl, aged about thirteen, was also pick
ed up on the cataract, and it was for awhile be-
lieved that she could be saved. But closer
examination by The physicians revealed one 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 some of the survi-
vors who had not escaped by the yawls succeed
ed in gaining the wood boats and thence reaching
shore. Atcrward, she swung round and float
ed until within few blocks of the gas works,
where she permanently lodged and burned TO
the waters edge. The fire was communicated to
the wood-boats she had passed, seven of which
were destroyed.
Five other empty wood-boats were also con-
sumcd. The flames spread next TO the corded
wood on shore. II is estimated that from $50
TO 300 cords of this wood were consumed. For
tunatcly the fire did not spread to the buildings
on the Levee.
In our statement Of the injuries TO the steam
ers lying near The Glencoe whcn she exploded,
we failed 10 give all the particulars. One of
her chimncys, we are informed, struck the after
cabin of the steamer Georgia, demolishing il
completely. Tho starboard forward guard of
the Cataract was greatly damaged.