The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-04-28
/ ii + DISP ATCH
" WkDNEsDAY MuRNlN0,
bestruettoR Of the steamer
ocean Spray--Accouat Of q pas
AenwaP - ~

The ST. Louis Democrat contains a detailed nc.
I""n' OF the recent destruction of tho steamer
Ocean Spray by fre, while racing with another
"oat' We extract the following statement OF a
passenger who vas on board at the time OF the di
sester:
Mr.. beaiston, of Lynch6urg Ohio. who was a
passenger states with much parttcularity tbe o,i
gih oi Tue hfe' He says that when the boat start.
ed out the Hannibal City backed out lust hehind
"si' "nu %heh under good headway she was about
NHAhd'e'i yards in the lie says that xhnn
tue Ocean Spray was within about nile Of whore
sue look Ire, nc saw the Hannibal City gaining ON
n't, anu Tue command was given to put turpeutine
th sue '"fhaCes' tie says lac had been very much In
tefes'e IA the raeeand had taken position in front
whetethe steps came down tog ether so that
see them hiring up. They first threw in rosin AMI
thtn TIE mate suggested turpeutine. The Cant ,rao
oS "heh Tue ordet was given, and the went down
int" the hold aud brought up a barrel of turna,
tine which had been consigned to some nersan a.,
Peoria. The men took an axe and snIit A hole In
the head Of the barrel and them uusle orders ~ M
mate, dipped the fluid out aud threw il over the
coal thst was lying by. This was not exueditiops
enough, and the head of the barrel was knacIad
ia, aud bucket with piece of rope to II was
used TO dip out the turpen tino The barrel Mt this
time was standing not more than six feet from the
furnace doors. After dipping with the bucke,
aud spTiBkling the Goals sticks of wood wa,n'
taken up and their ends plugged into the barrel
and then la ia down between the barrel asd the
ihrnace. While lying there, one of the firemep in
pulling out his rake jerk ed live coal az IL sun
posed. on the wood, when it immediately ipuitcd
and blazed up furiously. The mate swOre at the
men and order ed them to throw water on the fire
The water seemed to drive the flames to the barrel,
~hish was soon all ablaZe. The mate grew fnri-
Gus. and cUrsing the hands, ordered them to cast
The barrel overheard. lB attempting to do this
the barrel WAS upset and the burning fluid in gu
instant spread all over the deck and poured in
merry torrents down into the hold. At this the
of fire slDutel and tha Harm boco
raj.
Mr. Deoiston says he Immediately ran up stairs
iot his baggage lie dragged his trunk and Garnet
sack as far As the clerks office, when he saw the
hAmes coming IN at the door in front of them He
dropped the trunk, and made a dash for the stair
way through the Hdmes. somehow, he saws he
reached the bottom of the stairs, but not without
having his hair aud eyebrows pretty badly sinced
Here, NJ the forward deck. he found a C,owd of
men ali waiting for the boat to strike shore He
Jumped when the rest Gid, aud landing safely, he
eegan TO throw in the river all the pieces Of wood
or logs nc could gather the shore. While on
the shore he saw the women rushing over the top
ot the boat, some on the hurricane roof and some
even Win Their Children up on the texas. all i'm
pioring Tor help and screaming from the fright of
the moment lie mother bring three
children to the edge Of the hurricane roof the oldest
being probably about ten years Old. She first
caught her youngest in her arms, and gave it a
desperate fing. lt struck the shore with great
violence, ana must have been seriously Injured
The second child she could not throw so far, and
II Tell IN tho water, where its little hands, pad
ding above the surface arrested the attention OF
some gentleman who reached in aud saved it. The
third child, being 50 heavy, fell farther from
shore. and would probably have drowned hut
for some uobiehcarted man, who, having wit
uessed the efforts of the heroic mother. plunged
sn head foremost, and brought the child to the
surface and TO the shore. The mother afterwards
ieaped III the water aui was I. scued Some four
or five women were found clinging TO one women
who was holding on to the rudIer Of the Star OF
the West. The captain, clerk. pilots, ana mate
were saved. All the cabin boys but one called
Hank. saved. Mr.. Dehistou thinks there
cannot have been less than twenty lives lost
There ~efe some sixty or seventy passengers in all
and good many OF these deck passengers.