Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-03-13
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

We give below the particulars Of the disas-
ftefto the steamer Henry Lewis. which LEFT Cin-
cpIati on the Oh inst, New Orleans, with
fuiillECalg6 aud forty passengers
The disaster occurred IN the Ohio river, about
four O'Clock, Saturday. 3 clear starlight morn
ing. The Henry Lewis WIS descending the
river just below Troy '.htlgging the Kentucky
shore $ at the headof Anderson bar whenthc
! e Howard, ascending, came up, OF rather out
from behind the point, and = collision occurred,
sinking the Henry Lev IS in about three min
utes, in about twenty feet of water. "
AT the moment of the collision, the widest
scene OF terror and excitement ensaei among the
passengers and srewsof the Il-fated beat ever
conferred OF or Experienced on the western wa
,teFs The passengers were all asleep IN their
berths but q moment before, and at the next in
slant were hurried forth amid the crashing of
6mbeFs, the kissing of steam, the hurrying to
aud fro, the aEsrm of ire and cries of drowning
jSvretches, to find themselves surrounded by
death in its most hiieous forms. The shock of
the collision threw the boat around, with her,
bow up stream and her entire cabin broke in
two. or was rather crushed In by the great
weight of freight upon the roof and ut the same
time it carecned over, portion of the roof on
one side, being entirely under water. The
passengers, including number of ladies and
children, cseapedfn their night clothes, and took
refuge OF the hurricane deck, exposed to all the
lnctemeucy of the weather. The boat also
caught fire, and amid the smoke, falling ruins,
and rushing waters their chances of escape
seemed hopeless indeed The boat luckily set
tIedto the bottom OF the river, leaving the hUr-
riraue roof above water, and there the survivors
congregatet to await assistance
! Among those known TO be lestwerc two children
on deck, flelOning to a poor Irish woman going
to New Orleans; woman, name unknown was
also lost from the deck. Four of the fugitive
slaves Of Gaines were on the boat, including
Margaret and her infant child. The child WAS
drowned, and others saved. They were taken
on the b6St last Friday from this city, aud We're
mother exhibited no other feeling than joy at
the loss Of her child. She was accompanied by
the Sim0ns, father and son, all in charge of Mar
shall Butts Of CovinSton. He had narrow es-
cape from drowning, having entered his room af-
ter the collision to get something and was got
out by hole cut through the ROOF.
ItSSas thought thattwo cabin passengers, from
P r.smoutt, Ohio, were among the drowned, and
two Others were missing. All the rest, some
thIrty-iivC i. number were saved Including sew
tcfal woman and children. The Captains wife,
daughter and small child were on board, and all
saved, though at one time it was thought they
were lost
: YIN. Jacobs, of Ia, the second steward, and
Dan McCutcheou, OF Steub6nville, second cook,
were both drowned. y. Burris, the steward
and the rest of the cabin crew and cooks were
saved, and arrived here yesterday on the E How
lard, and proceeded to Cincinnati on the mail
/ boat. Eight of the cabin passengers, who were
saved in their night clothes, losing all their bag
gage, after being rescued by the E Howard, were
! taken on to New Orleans on the Hungarian. Of
the crew Of hands and frcnen, some ten OF
twelve are supposed To be lost. They shipped
at Cincinnati and we did not learn their names.
The engineers mates, pilots, and all the officers
were saved. One OF the mates, Sam Taylor,
swan ashore, and good many others who were
a3oat in the river on boxes, cOopS,, barrels and
other floating articles, were rescued by the crew
| of the E. Howard.
| John cGeary, the cook of the boat, caught q
woman Just as sAc was sinking, and saved her
from watery grave. He also savcdhis bother
who had fallen into the river, and was much
bruised by being struck by the falling packages
that were knocked from the roof \ vast nunl-
Der Of chickens in cooPS the whole valued at SIS,
oe0 were On the root, and all lost in the general
crash. The books, papers, and several packages
of money We're got ont of the Office by McGc1rY,
who went down through hole cut in the roof,
and brought out the articles and gavethem to the
! clerk Among the passengers saved vas c. j.
Smith, of the firm of Smith Il Hawley, Cincinnati
He lost all his baggage aud valuable watch,
and, like all the rest, was truly glad to escape
with life.
The loss Of life by this disaster will probably
never be known. Many OF the survivors think
that twenty or twenty-five were drowned, but
from all the Information we could get We can
euumeratc but fifteen. The officers of the E.
Howard merit the warlnuSt thanks for their I'M
renting exertions in behalf of the unfortunate
people on the wrecked boat. At the time of the
! disaster the cabin caught fire, but the flames
We're eXtn:suiShedby the crew of the Howard,
and about three quarters of anhOur elapsed from
the time the accident occurred before the people
on the hurricane roof of the Henry Lewis were
rescued Tt.e time that elapsed had been en-
ployg,i in extingiIshing the lire, stopping leak
in the other boat, and saving the people ahoatin
the river.
The cargo consisted of about 700 tons ofpork,
lard oil! candles, cheese and such other articles
of produce usually shipped from Cincinnati. She
was IN charge of Capt Emerson, who, together
with Mr.. Patterson, his clerk, and Stickney and
Nc Farland, the engineers, were the chief own
erS of the boat She insured in Cincinnati
at the Washington, City Insurance, Cincinnati
Insurance, and Merchants and Manufacturers
offices The z. Howard remained by the wreck
from five oclock in the morning until nine o'clock.
From what we can learn Of the affair, it APP
pears that the signals of the respective pilots
were misunderstood The pilot Of thcE How
gard, who was at the wheel, was Doc. Word
The boat was coming UP under sort of point,
at the head of AnderSon's bar, when he discov-
cred the other boat descending along the Ken
tucys shore. She was 50 much covered up with
freight around her decks and the roof that he
did not Immediately discover her lights. He
{ blew theiwhistlc once, SIgnifying to go to the
right, when the other boat answered by blowing
her whistle twice, which was to go to the left.
The boats were less than one hundred yards
apart, and a collision was inevitable. Both re-
versed their engines, and were backing when
they struck, the bow of the Howard taking the
AHs Lewis on the starboard quarter, just in front
of the forward end of the boilers, crushing
through her guard and into the hull, square head
on a large quantity of freight on the decks of
the Lewis fell over the forecastle of the Howard
Several of the passengers and crew of the
Henry Lewis state that the boat was going
down along the Kentucky shore, when the other
|, boat was discovered coming out from the same
shore below, aud they whistled twice but were