Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-10-04
rhe E.nlosion on tine Great Eastern.

The Exp,osion OH the Great Eastern.
The Great Eastern is now announced to sail
or this country on the goth of October, her voy-
age being delayed till then for the repair OF dan'
ages sustained by the recent explosion on board
A letter in the London News, written by pas
sepger on the monster ship, gives thrilling de-
scription of the accident. 1t says:
About dozen gentlemen remained ID the Ill
nipg.room conversing with one OF the dlrectors;
a health had been proposed, and each glass was
held aloft to do honor to the toast, when sudden
ly an indescribable report burst upon their ears,
and showers of broken glass and fragments OF
wood and iron came crashing the skyEght.-
There was first pause, then a mutual caution
against panic, and finally simultaneous rush 10
the staircase. The whole atmosphere at this
place was filled with steam, through which we
all assembled, half suffocated, to the deck. The
ship was still pressing onward, like horse that
had lost its rider, and at either end all was still
and deserted, while in the centre all was smoke,
fire. yapor, and confusion. The great funnel,
eight tons weight, had been shot up as if from
mortar, many feet in the air, snd had returned
broken in two pieces on the deck, whose i'm
mense strength had been sufficient to arrest its
further downward progress. The whole centre
of the ship seemed to be only one vast chasm,
and from it was belching up steam, dust, and
something that looked ominously like incipient
coDfagration.
When the funnel blew up it tore away every
thing-decks, cabins, and below them, again,
steam gearing of every kind The scalding steam
filed the place, and the furnace doors being bur
open, fire poured out like burning lava, and burnt
the doomed men on one side, whilst the death
vapor scalded them on the other. 1t was, in
short, realization of hell in the worst form in
which the place of punishment had ever pictured
itself to the conscience stricken fanatic. How
any one was left to tell the tale, is only one of
those mysteries or eccentrcities which always
distinguish great accidents. The only way to
save them was to drepch them, almost to drown.
ing, with water, and as soon as it had made the
place approachable, to remove them from their
scalding, fiery, living tomb.
There were hundreds of volunteers amongst
the men ready for the rescue of their comrades,
and-what scene, as they were brought sue.
cessively to the deck People stood round, sick
ened but spell-bound, as each disfgured mass of
tortured humanity was brought slowly and ten
DERBY into yieW. ] saw one poor fellow, whose
face had evidently received a blast from the fur
mace. No feature was observable, but it seemed
as if a mask of raw beefsteak had been placed
over his countenance. A low moan was all that
could be heard from him, but you could read a
tale of unutterable agony in the dreadful peculiar
motion of his arms. Another thought himself
so little hurt, that, when near the deck, he in
sisted upon going up the few remaining steps
himself He faltered, and horrible TO relate,
when man on deck caught him by the arm to
assist him, the flesh came OFF in strips, and the
bare bone could be seen through the torn and
uuiyering muscles. But he made no sign of pain
he was beyond that and in very short time
after his removal to the sick bay, there was an
end to all his troubles.
| A third came to the deck sturdily, and seemed
almost offended when any one offered assistance.
"Let them co." he said, "to other poor fellows
who were worse than himself butup his own
face death had plainly set its seal. He had re-
ceived a white heat blast from the furnace on
the lower part of his body, and was, | believe,
the first to die Some held out hands scalded,
and from which the skin was dangling like white
rags, others had their scalps torn off and hanging
over their faces, some laughed deliriously, and
others talked like men half asleep whilst others,
and these were the men who bad still some
chance of life, prayed to God to take them and
release them from their pain Twelve men in
all were taken up with all possible gentleness,
and removed to the sick bay, and, in addition,
Mr.. Brscoe, promising young engineer, and
avorite pupil of Mr.. Brunel's, was scalded in the
hands.
1t will hardly be believed, but it is neverthe-
less true, that whilst all these terrible scenes
were being enacted in the middle of the ship,
the other portions were comparatively undis'
turbed A man who stood at the bow spbse-
quently declared that for long time he knew
nothing OF what was going on, but that, on hear
ing the report Of the explosion, he merely
thought that some passing ship had been paying
us compliment. We were not yet out OF our
troubles. An immense ship was seen bearing
down upon US, and there was imminent danger
of her striking US in the quarter. We hailed and
shouted, but it was no use. The captain evil
IDENTITY had more curiosity than discretion, and
still bore down as if to have nearer view of the
wonderful ship. The helm of the Great Eastern
had to be put hard port in order to turn her
towards the shore and get her out of the way,
but at this critical juncture the ter ropes broke,
and in q moment she was swaying up and down,
and rolling in apparently the most dangerous
manner. The waves, hitherto so subservient,
now made mere plaything of her, and we
thought that in few minutes she would certain.
ly have been on shore. But Captain Harrison
| had not forgotten this contingency. Chains
were soon in readiness, this second danger was
over, and the ship was again proceeding steadily
on her voyage.