Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-06-19

The DestrHcuen OF the nnsylVunia--2OO
Passengers Missing--Thrilling AecOunf OF
the Catastrophe.
The steamer Pennsylvania left New Orleans
for st. Louis on the 9th, with l25 cabin, and IS
deck passengers She took on at Ba.On Rouge
Natchez and Vieksburg g. passengers, and at
Napoleon 10. There were 10 officers, "a ofthe
stewards crew, and 40 deck hands aud fremen,
making in all $50 persons. Out of this number
ls2 were rescued by wood boat, and about 20
others escaped in various ways. These num-
bers include the wounded and scalded. About
200 are lost and missing.
About O'Clock the morning of the 18th, when
about 20 miles below Memphis, four of the
boilers exploded while the boat was under head
way. At the point of disaster the river was at
least two miles wide, sweeping with tremendous
force through the chute and bottoms, the whole
country being submerged The boat was 800
yards from shore, and there was little or no hope
for the best Of swimmers The cabin was torn
to pieces forward of the wheelhOuses, and very
few of the passengers were out of their state
rooms at the time.
Mr.. ] P. Tice, passenger. gives the follow
ing thrilling account of the scene of unutterable
horrors;
The boilers seemed to be heaved Upward and
forward, parting the cabin at the gangway, and
rendering the upper works of the boat from that
point forward complete wreck Out of twen.
ty-six state-IoOms, all full, only six or eight
persons have survived Those occupying rooms
aft of the gangway were nearly all saved
| When the steam and smoke had cleared up from
the wreck, there indeed was a mourniul spec
tacle presented TO the vision Of the few survi-
vors. The boilers and smoke stacks we're twist
ed together like huge seTpents, locking in their
hot embrace scores Of human beings, dead and
dying Some were killed instantly; others were
buried beneath the rubbish, to await the advance
of the flames which as vet slumbered in the hold
Small fires that sprung up on the forward part
Of the boat were promptly extinguished, and for
the tine, al danger seemed at an end
In the meantime the Captain, together with
others, had obtained hatboat at the wood ward
Of, and were slowly working it toward the
wreck, which they succeeded in reaching after
about half an hours hard work. The fat was
made fast TO the stern, when nearly all who
were len alive were taken in. All the fire in
the forward part of the wreck had been extin-
guished, and we were congatulliing ourselves
as to our chances Of safety once more, directing
our efforts to the wounded and dying, when the
flames burst out amidships, preceded only mo-
ment by dense cloud Of smoke Indeed so
sudden and unexpected was the fire that those
aft who had not reached the fiat succeeded bare
ly in escaping with their lives Next came
new danger, and many who had thought them
selves safe grasped their life preservers and cast
a longing, anxious look at the muddy waters
beneath; there were pale faces and nerves un-
strung, as the huge wreck, with its leaPing
flames, nearly kept pace with the unwieldy
flatboat, 70: there were oars but those belong
ing TO the skif and small pieces of boards, which
by some accident, passengers had in their hands
Ii was bad seamenshiD to 90 below the wreck,
but confusion covers a multitude of blunders.-
At last the-iat was urged away from the wreck,
and once more the saved breathed free.
Some were still on the wreck, erouching and
trying to hide from the angry heat, staying un-
I'll at last they seize some plank or drift, and
committed themselves TO the waters. The fire
was so sudden and so unexpected that those on
the bow of the boat had no means Of escaping
except by swimming
The fat boat with the wounded, all that
could be reached, aud those that were unhurt,
by the way is no Island now, as the water COW
ers tn entire surface. Here we lay until near
ly four O'Clock in the afternoon.
The wreck hoated majestically down the
stream, until we lost sight of her around the
point below, going, we asceTtained, some
mile or two down, and lodging on 4 sand bar.
This is but general outline Of the disaster
of that eventful Sabbath. Those who have
never seen destruction like this cannot form the
fainiest idea oft. One was burieJ unhurt be-
meath the rubbish, screaming and imPloring for
mercy and for help-mercy which only God
could grant, and help which no earthly force
could render. Here was one shaking the scald
ed flesh from his hands and arms, leaving the
white bones dry and nakel; another striving in
vain to drag a huge splinter from his side; an
other with his limbs cnught beneath the heated
boilers, screaming in mortal agony some with
their heads blown of some with their bowels
Protruding; others sleeping quietly in death,
without a mark on their persOns-one, lady,
blown naked from her berth, scalded and man
gled IN a most shocking manner.
No pen can portray scenes like these-no
language convey the ghastly horrors around
scene like that.
As to the cause Of the explosion. no one can
tell. Some say it was burning coal in unsuita-
bic furnaces. The crates had Just been cleaned, |
and new and powerful fires were just at their |
intense heat Some say she was working but |
little steam, and the accumulation Of power
overcome the old and somewhat weakened boil |
ers. Some attribute it to low wafer Some, if |
not all. of these things might have been the /
cause; but what, in all probability will forever /
remain a mystery. More Of the deck passen-
gers were killed from the fact Of its being cool
morning, and many were standing and lying /
near the boilers TO keep warm The cause Of |
the sudden fire amidship was the turPentine
slowed below.