Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-06-24

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TERRIBLE EXPLOSION AND BURNING
OF THE STEAMER PENNSYLVANIA
The newspapers give full accounts of the late
disaster which befel the Steamer Pennsylvania.
1t was, probably, the most terrible steamboat
accident which ever happened on the Mississip-
fpi river. The boat was plying between the CT
ties of St. Louis and New Orleans, and as she
was nearing the lower point of Bedeau Island,
lying about seventy miles below Memphis, ION
Sunday morning week, between the hours of
six and seven, she exploded two of her boilers,
making report as of an hundred pieces Of
heavy ordnance, and blowing the entire front
portion of the boat together with about two
hundred Of her passengers, both deck and cabin,
hundreds of feet into the air. Many of them
were asleep in their berths at the time, and
were hurried, unawakened into eternity. They
were not firing up at the moment, but, on the
contrary, were cleaning the Goals out of the fur
naces Her machinery was some seven years
old, which, most likely, was the cause of her
bursting. We extract the following from a
thrilling account by Mr.. j. P Tce, of Baltimore,
who was one among the saved from on board the
Inflated steamer:
The books were not saved, but careful esti-
mate of the number Of persons on board falls
but little short of four hundred and fifty souls;
all that were saved cannot by any possibility
exceed ESQ. It is supposed that fifty or sixty
were lost in the cabin. The boilers seemed to
be heaved upwards and forward, parting the
cabin at the gangway, and rendering the upper
works of the boat from that point forward a
complete wreck. Out Of twenty six state rooms,
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 mournful spectacle presented to the vision
of the few survivors. The boilers and smoke
stack were twisted together like huge serpents.
locking their hot embrace scores Of human be-
ings, dead and dying. Some were killed inr
stantly; others were buried beneath the rubbish,
to await the advance of the flames which as yet
slumbered in the hold. Small fires that sprung
up on the forward part of the boat were prompt
| ly extnguished, and for the time, all danger
seemed at an end. ~ =
In the meantime the captain, together with
others, had obtained fatboat at the wood yard
of -, and were slowly working it toward the
wreck, which they succeeded in reaching after
about an hours hard work. The fiat was made
fast to the stern, when nearly all who were left
alive We're taken in. All the fire in the forward
part of the wreck had been extinguished, and
we were congratulatng 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 moment
by dense cloud of smoke. Indeed so sudden
and unexpected was the fire that those aft who
had not reached the flat succeeded barely in es
Gaping with their lives. Next came new dam
ger, and many who had thought themselves
safe grasped their life preservers and cast a
longing, anxious look at the muddy water be-
neath there were pale faces and nerves unstrung,
as the huge wreck, with its leaping flames, near
there were no oars but those belonging to the
skiff, and small pieces of boards, which by some
accident, passengers had in their hands. 1t was
bad seamanship to go below the wreck, but con-
fusion covers multitude Of blunders. At last
the fiat was urged away from the wreck, and
once more the saved breathed free.
Some were still on the wreck, crouching and
trying to hide from the angry heat, staying I'M
til at last they seized some plank or drift, and
c,mm tied themselves to the waes The
fire was so sudden and SO unexpected that those
on the bow of the boat had no means of escap-
ing except by swimming.
The fat-boat with the wounded all that could
be reachel and those that were unhurt, was at
last cited up" at "Ship Island" which, by the
way, is no island now, as the water covers al
most the entire surface. Here we lay until
nearly four o'clock in the afternoon.
The wreck foated majestically down. the
stream, until we lost sight of her around the
point below, going, as we ascertained, some
mile or two down, and lodging on a sand bar.
The Basis OF A SETTLEMENT WITH CHINA
A private letter from China to the New York
Post states that the Plenipotentiaries at Shang-
hal have agreed to make the following demands
upon the Chinese Government:
LIST. The opening of the coast and great rivers
of China. to foreign commerce.
I'd. The access of foreigners to the interior,
under the restrictions of passports.
Sd. A reduction of duties on certain articles
of commerce.
4th. Residence of an Embassy at Pekin.
9Th. Indemnity-but no territory.
These seem to be wise and reasonable provi-s
sions, and when acceded to, as they doubtless
will be, sooner or later, must prove advantage
GUS to all parties, as well to the Chinese as to
the nations trading at their ports. The provi-
sion against territorial indemnity is one which
will reflect credit upon all the powers concern
ed. England begins to feel severely the incon-
veniences of her own example in appropriating
7 tho ferritOrv Of cOnounrnd naonla and aro