Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1859-10-01
Terrible Scenes on Board the Great
Eastern.

. Il
Eastern.
> .4ccomiis by Eye Hitnesses.-A cor.
respondent of the London News speak. a.
follows of the recent terrible explosion on
board the steamship Great Eastern:
When the funnel blew up i, tore away
e,eryrhing-decks, cabins, and below
Them, again. steam gearing of every kind.
The scsldng sleam Fl led the place, and
the furnace doors being burst open. fire
poured out like burning lava. and burnt
the doomed men on one side, whilst the
death vaPor scaIded them on The other.
Ii was, in short, a realization Of hell in
the worst form in which the place ofpun-
.ishment had ever pictured itself To the
conscience stricken fanatic. How any
one was left n tell the tale is only one of
those mysteries or eccenuclies which al
ways distinguish grea, accidents. The
only way 10 save then was 10 drench them
almost TO drowning. with water, and as
soon as il had made the place approacha-
| BILE, 10 remove them from their scsldlng,
fiery, living tomb.
There were hundreds Of volunteers
amongst the men ready.for the rescue Of
their comrades, and-whal scene, as
they were brought excessively 10 the
deck People stood round. sIckened and
spel.bound, as each dishgured mass Of
tortured humanity was brought slow y
and tenderly into view. saw one poor
fellow, whose face had evidently received
blast from the furnace. No feature
was discernsble. but it seemed as #
mask Of raw beef.stesk had been placed
over his counlenance. A low moan was
all that could be heard from him, but you
couI1 read a tale of unutierable agony in
tho dreadful peculiar motion OF his arms.
Another thought himself so llIVe hurt
ihat, when near The deck, he insisted upon
gong the few remaining steps himself.
lie faltcred, and, horrible 10 relate, when
a man on deck, caugh, him by tho arm
TO assist him, the flesh came of in strips,
and the bare bone could he seen through
the torn and quivcTing muscles. But he
made no sign of pain-ho was beyond
that, and in very short time after his re-
mova to the sick bay, there was an end
TO all his troubles.
A third came to the deck sturdlly, and
seemed almost offended when any one Of
fered assistance. "Let lhom CO." he said,
"to other poor fellows who were worse
than himself" but upon his own face
death had plainly Get his seal. Ho had
received White heat blast from the fur
mace or the lower part of his body, and
was believe, the first TO die. Some held
ont hands sCadcd, and from which tho
skin was dangling like white rags, others
| had their scsIps torn of and hanging over
their faces some laughed delirous Y, and
others talked like men half asleep, whilst
others (anG these were the men who bad
still more chance Of llfe) prayed God to
take Them and release them from their
pain. Twelve men in all were taken up
with all possible genlleness, and removed
10 The sick bay, and. in addition, MIR.
Briscoe, promising young engineer, and
favorire pupil OF Mr.. Brunel's was Scalded
in his hands.
|, will hardly be believed, but il is new
ertheless true, that whilst all these terrible
scenes were being enacted in tho middle
Of the ship, the other portions were com
psrstively undisturbed. man who
stood al the bow subsequently, declared
for long time he knew nothing Of what
" as going on. but that on hearing the re-
port Of the explosion. he merely thought
that some passing ship had been paying
US compliment.
Captain Comstock. who il will be recol-
Iecled, commanded the Russian steam
frigato General Admiral, on her reccn.
voyage from New York TO Consiadl, was
also on board The Grea, Eastern al 'he
time Of lhe,lalal explosion. The Captain
has returned to New York in the Wander
bii, and confirms the above account IN
every particular. The Captain says IN
reference 10 the future movements Of tie
ship.
1t has been fully determined by tho
Board of Direction that from Portland.
United States, "the Great Eastern shall
come on an excursion trip TO New York.
by the way Of Sandy Hook" This "
positively settled and determined.