Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1858-06-27
DAILY APPEAL.
SUNDAY MORNING. JUNE a7, Iss5.
TERRIBLE DISASTERS AZ EXPLOSION AED
FIRE on IRE WESTERN WATERS.

AZ we have iust been called upon to chronI
Gle another such cstastrophe by 6re and expo
sion on ihe Mississippi river, we have though
= toat sketch Of the post terrible disasters iha
nave occurred on the Western waters might no
De uniEtereetfng to our readers
The hrst accident of Importance OF this pa
tnre we fnd ss having occurred on the 9th e.
June. 1915. when the steamer Wsskfazfon, ther
the largest ard finest boat IN the West, explod
ed near Point HsrmaF, on The Ohio Q tie q
number were killed, some blown overheard anC
many injured.
ca the an Of May, 1871, the steamer Con.
stitStion exploded Der boiler IN the Mississippi
oPPOsite Point COupee, killing twesty-thre,
persons and wounding many others.
On the Sth II February, 1893. the steamer
Tennessee struck a snsg Ia the Mississippi neaT
Nst1hez- The night was very dark, and the
wind blowing almos: gale. At the tine Of
the accident, the majority OF the passengers
bad retired. ard tne scene when il wac aseer
tsined that the boat was sinking, is usscffbed
as most laneutsble- By this sad estastropbe
no less than sixty five persons lost their lives
On the morning OF May b, ts25, tie steam
er Ischs, when some ten miles below Natehfz
exploded her boiler. The boat Immediately
sfIerward caught FIRE and burned to the wa
ter's edge. Tue number Of lives lost By THE
disaster has never been ascertsined. There
were on board about 20 passengers.
On The LIB of August, ISIS. the steamer
GraaIPus while engaged IN towing three brigs
up TO NeE Orleans, exploded her boilers. Tnis
boat had SIX boilers all Of which were blown
TO fragments- Twelve persons were killed and
macy others IL jared
tsn the p OF february, 1880, the Heiea Nc
GregoT while on trip fIon Louisville To Ne.s
Orleans, exploded Der boilers at the wharf at
MemphIs- The number OF those who psrished
al toe moment Of the explosion is supposed TO
have been about forty five, while an equal mum
Der were badly wounded.
Ga the Ie.h Of May, 1899, the steamer Lio-
ness met with terrible disaster, while proceed
lng 90 her trip up Red River. Fire was BY
some means communicated to several barrels
OF gunPoVder, causing an explosion OF the di
rest character. Fifteen persons were killed BY
his catastrophe, among whom was the Hon.
Jarvis 5 johnson, member Of Congress from
louisiana
On the eh Of yune, 1886, the Rob EoE, on an
upward trip from New Orleans, exploded her
boiers near the town Of Columbia, Ark. The
number killed by this catastrophe was seven
teen- There was also sixteen persons wounded.
On the IS Of August, 1887, the Steamer
DsbSqus exploded her boilers on the Missis-
supp, while on a trip from St. Louis to Galena.
sixleen persons were killed, and the manner Of
their suferiDgs and death is said to have been
most honifTing
On the night Of December eth, 1887, when
at the mouth OF Red River, the steamer Black
Hnfrk exploded her boilers. There were ou
board about one hundred passengers, nearly
half OF whom were women and children. More
than one half Of the entire number Of persons
on board were killed, while many others were
badly wounded
We how come to an event that for time
shronded our whole city in mourning We re-
fer m the awnloaian off h. IL.
the afternoon Of Apri. 25, 1898. This steamer,
bound nom Cincinnati to St. Louis, had left
our wharf for the purpose OF taking on some
German emigrants, Just above the Water
Works. As she backed into the stream, after
receiving her freight, the explosion took place,
blowing the entire fore part OF the boat to
splinters. The destruction among the passen-
gers was terrible, one person having been
threwn more than one hundred yards fon the
boat. The number Of the killed and missing
By this terrible disaster was about ninety,
while mary more were known to be wounded.
On the night Of July 2s, 1887, the steamer
ChzritOn exploded her boilers at the s.. Louis
wharf. Nine persons were badly hurt, but no
lives were lost
On the sh of May, 1881, the Bea Sserroi.
while engaged in an exciting race with the
steamer Prairie, caught FIRE near Fort Adams
on the Mfssiesippi. She took FIRE about one
O'Clock In the morning. In endeavoring to run
the boat to the shore the tiller ropes were
burnt of, and she was left a. the mercy of the
hre and the waves Ten lady passengers, in
The CONSERVATION that ensued, jumped over
board, CT whom but two were saved. Some Of
the scenes that were witnessed during the dis
aster, are described as hee-t-fending. During
the burning, the steamer PTGirit, whose CON-
mander could not have been ignorant Of the
disaster, kept on her way, and refused to lend
a helping hard. The loss Of life by this cstas-
tropbe was immense. d Wis, the pilot Of ihA
Ben Sherrod, perished at his pos', remaining
there 10 kind OF desperation, even after Il
wss useless for him to do a.
On the Of April, 1882, the steamer BTcn-
ayseihe was burnt, While about thirty miles
aOOve Memphis, on her wayto Logisviile. Not
less than $50 passengers were on board, OF
whom to the lumber of one hundred threw
themselves into the river, to escape from the
smoke and heat.
By this disaster there wefe some sixty lives
lost, and some seventy others badly burned
on the morning OF April 21 1885, the steamer
ovOa5ko exploded her boilers, opposite Prince
toa, above Vicksburg Many Of the psesen-
gers were still in their berths, whsls On account
Of the great nuVbe-, many were lying upon
mattresses upoh the cabin aOor. Others were
lying upon the decks. These latter suffered
most, the clouds Of steam sweeping over them,
scalding them TO death almost instsntsnsously
some who were able sprang into the river for
relief, and, upon being extTicated, repeated the
sfort and were drowned. Nearly one hundred
deck passengers are supposed to have been
sacrificed Forty-four CABIN passengers were
killed
On May 6. 1899, the steamer George Collier
Exploded on the Mississippi, eighty miles bz-
low Natehez, while On trip to St Louis
E0rfv haIlu arafdo1 frra ~
Of whom died the day OF the disaster.
On The 25 Of November, 1899 the steamer
Gen BrotCn while in the vicinity Of Helena, on
be Mississippi, exploded her boilers. No less
than ffty-fye persons were killed by the 6isas.
ter, forty Of whom are buried in one grave oe 8
lof.y bill In the vicinity Of Helena
On The night Of D .cembsr IA, 1s44, the Bell
Of CtGrksrille Ess run into bv thc large cotton
steamer E0eisiGaG. The Belle was completely
demolished. Ihe cabin pared from the hull
b. which the cabin passengers we-e saved
All the deck passeegers and portion OF tn
crew were crowned.
On the 81 Of January, 1874, the steamer
SAePerdess struck sDsg in the Miss ssippi
near Cshokia Bend. There were some seventy
passengers on board. The night was very cold
and the CONSERVATION on board the einkins
boat was very great. Everybody vas driven
to the hurricane deck, where many persisted
with the cold or were thrown of by the lurch
| ing of the sinking boat. Forty persons are be
lieyed to have persisted by the disaster Anon.
1 the passengers saved was the g Ohio Fat Girl, :
whose weight was 440 pounds.
On the 25th of October, 1874, the lac!
Walker. when in the vicinity Of New Albany
on the Ohio, exploded her boilers. The explo
sion, burning and sinking Of the steamer onll
occupied very few minutes. At the momen
Of the accident, the air appeared TO be file'
vi the bodies or limbs of individuals. On
man was blown to the high. OF fifty feet, ant
fell with such force ss to pass entirely tbrougl
be deck. Another was cut entirely in tw'
pieces by a fragment of the boiler. There wer'
at least fifty persons killed, but ss the book
were lost, the number will never be correctly
ascertained. This disaster caused great sor
row at New Albany. The stores were al
closed, and tts satire place wore the aspect o
/ mourning
Oa the morning Of Nov. Is, 1899. the stes me
! HfImiagtoa, when near the mouth Of the A.
kansas river, exploded her boilers There wa
comparatively but small number OF passen
gers on board. Eleven persons were killed an
nine severely wounded The dead were burie
at the mouth Of the Arkansas
On the Path Of October. 1884. the Missou7
B,Ils came IN collision wi b the Boonsliek, som
6fteen miles above New Orleans, BY winch ID
former boat was 90 much injured that she sum
immediately. Noless than thirty persons wer
drowned By this sad disaster. Ill
% the 81 Of December, 1893, The .dsgast
exploded her boilers below N4tchtz. Al be
machinery was broken into minute piree'
and nearly all Der cabin swept away Ther
were bat few passengers on beard. Twen'y
SIX persons were killed, and some ten badi
wounded.
On the 9th OF November, 1870, the Psrsia
collapsed Der hnes on the Mississippi rIveI
three miles below Napoleon, Arkansas Twer
ty-three persons were killed by this explosion
and thirty were scslded with more or less %
verify. y
On the morning Of February p, 1871, II
steamer Creole was discovered to be on fir
when at the moGth q Red river, on her wa
10 New Orleans Wa endesvoring to effs
landing the riller 1Spts were burned @
and the boat become manageable. 1hirt
six persons were burned or drowned, and thf
ty-one persOus more or less wounded.
On the 1st Of July, 1S45, the steamer Ma
osstts exploded her boilers just as she W
,esysng The wharf at New Orleans. The bo
bad been detained short time after ber re
II J. = - Il - hn NCrlrf n