Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-05-05
lailp Tiroiniau.
Fearful Scenes at Steamboat Explosion.

The Memphis papers bring thrilling narratives
bv thnsc hoard of tho ST. Nchnlas. OF tho torri-
hle explosion oi that vessel There was ubnut ~
lives lost including u SOU OF Gen. Gideon ). lhl-
low. Mr.. Gllman, the second clerk. was IN his
berth At the time of the accident, ind when he
awoke To- consciousness was on his mattress. tloat-
in, in the river. n hundred yards from tho boat.
lie reached tho shore without assistance. Though
bndly scalcl, he has furnished an account OF the
affective calamity, from which wo extract tho
leading PARTICULARS;
Ahnu, two hours before the explosion rcrair.
ed TO the office. and. pulling oh my cont and
vest. laid down on the bed for u nap previous t'
arriving At Helena. Being very tired soon tell
asleep Tho explosion t,ok myself and bed up
bodily through the roof. and dropping me nj least
hundred feet from, the boat IN the Mississippi
side The transformation wns completes; my po-
silion IN the he'd floating dawn the river wns pre-
ciscl, as when lay down t" sleep in innc'cd 20.
cr'iS MY sudden removal was not nt'cnicd
hy the slightest sense of pain, and the shock was
not more ,han sufficient 10 bring me 10 conscious
ness. At ir.t supposed ] wns IN the midst "f
n horrible dream. ,hen thnt hud accidentally
fallen into tho river IA all WAS as still rs death IN
the bout | cnllcd out loudly help! help! man
overheard hut met with no resp In another
nur,ent the ,noans III the scaldcd aud wnilngs "i
the women filled the ar,nnd the utmost confusion
prevailed l'e'aiucd my position on the hcd' not
knowing how trail my support might be. fnr
half an hour nontcd along reclining on the bed.
'lurst Va, even turn my heat. and n"kca con
,tautly IN the direction the current swnsed my
lcl \ machines wus witnessing tho horrors
attending the burning boat. th"n for some ml''n-
t,s v.,lI l., facing ia, shor, lnnbout l5 minutes
n sr,.,L exnl, ,,;.u occurred aud Immediately
nftcr th, hnnI >ccm,d uu fire. il, every pnrt Living
on my hcl heard the terrific cries ot the women
far Lrlp. g. Md see them nn ,he hurricane deck
clinsing together: saw them descend and jump in
thc yiy,r ,tuld SEQ and henr ,hrm implolinr for
,cs,,,n. ,,v ,hcm sink and nn,s from iln to lmth.
The seen. was most Lor,iLlr ard | turned my
evcsowoy ,,,nLir Ia witness MI the horrors After
floating tr half AN honr IA great snla hing IN the
.ntcr o,tr,,tcl NV attention 4 bot of cnttle,
h.,,in,, n Lru,,n ,ore werr swimming WILLY
tuwnrJ me they seemed To lnirly lump, M eugrr
:, ,cre ,hcy In n,nroa,h me- These cattle were
lL,,vn Ir,n, tho wrc,k md they seemed fastened
,,,,e,brr somo way. nmouw them were iva or
thr,. b,oo,.d c,r,nsses. md ma | saw Them M
nr,acb mo with their ylistcning Owes rlnrng de-
man Gkn M ma I thougl,t nil hone of surriy WIS
INST uttered the most ferycnt prayer TINT ever
rsrnncl nv Inns and nwni,cd calu,ly my fate
.l,s, "A tho cr,tlc oruroorhrl my he'd n s,cp lad.
srr,,oc nonfiu., m,.t nu,l with stick | pulled
it toward. ne In the meantime tho cattle tried
T., ,ntu,t nv Led and sunk l., with enc hnul |
cluns IN the ladder aud with the other drove the
cattle away with the stick. when my bed arose
once more ln,kn seat upnn and ~ aoa'e far an
hour longer. Ia the mrnn'ime boni with four
mon. passed within hunrrd Yards Of me. hut
refused T., take me in. also 1'ntcd across tho
hows If the Siisquchannn, which boat was lying
t., picking ur the sufferers but could gain nn
nn,irc from her Ry this time | had nontcd down
two miles hrlnw tho mouth oi the 81 Francis river
when my cries for help were responded 10 from
the sh re-. aud wa. encouraged to hold ont M
lons as possible A skf pn, out from the plan
tntion rnile1 hv NV continual cfio~ nnl in about
r.. a.. 81, 4 -. 4, I ,xus
picked ur On landing found five others VIII"
hal hecu rescue one Of whom the watehman
who was drcndmlly burnt. The others were cabin
lr,ys In nn hour the Susanchanua came along
The captain scnt sume Of ihc crew for Us. who
carried rs in Chairs thro,:"l. cotton patch on
hoard the steamer where o,r wounds were Dire. sed
We arrived AT Memphis Monday morning. where
the whole city turned out and ,frrrcd us assistance
Nv clothes we're then en-, from me. nnd. in com
mon with the rest, wns hnthed in linsrcd oil. of
which fortunately, three barrels were on board
as freight The sufferers were living about On the
cabin Ioor. some Of them in death uyonic. others
proaninr and CRYING out with pain. 1t was n
sickcninr sight A | law in my berth, /
saw three men expire before we reached Mem
phis.
STATEMENT OF THE rIlor.
Jcoll J., 4, ,b. lo,ers md ,,hon tho smoke clcar
al r,n,,J ,hnsc IN ,he loI;rs c,lin in consterua-
,;nn Nh hndllcd T. yctncr, The fire was raging
w. ~ ,.,,Js ,bo l,J;ou col;, ,,,t thcn, lawn
'',' ,ho I,v,r J'ck ,hcv Ind to hmm distance of
,,'on, o;,ht ccr,. c,ugit them rs lL,y um, cd
WIZ, Wi,n, ,ynt dawn m The l"ncr deck 10 secure the
',i -" ~ .,h, men c,,na tL,, tho m,,, b,d
;,atcr II f,rwnrJ with ,hc in,entionof irwin, to
a,', ,h ara a,t -, ,he hnw Tbn vny,l wos ,hns
l','', r', @ s,,.d y;th JecL hands G,,mcn the Lcnd
,,or. ", a',d ,r', c,n,je dccL ,ossrngcrs Finding
,ho v.aI was oSne want hock urmn tLe roof
md no 'r;tl, ,bo oos.;stoucc n NV nartncr Mr.. Nd
s'er,'cn" ~. ,hrcw tho lifc b,nt overheard on
,Le I,ri oord 81 Ie Mr.. Stenhena woptb below. and
=, ," ~ h;,n 80 n,,ro
Whnn I a',t nm tho lowcr dcc, I coull not find