Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-05-06
incidents of St. sacholas Disaster.

Incidents of St. 2zcholas Disaster.
The steamer Susqne1anna arrived here yes
terSay. She. was Insight Of the St Nicholas
when the explosion sook place. and her officers
were instrumental insaFing a great many lives.
In all the statements of the survivors we have
not yet eel - account of the cause of The ex-
plosion. MonNour exchanges we g.ean the
following aens:-
John Moods has gone to Memphis to take
charge ofhis wounded brother who was rescued
from the wreck of the St Nicholas, although
given up for lost. It seems that when little
was hfS of the wreck, but the bare and charred
hull, some men with RATS, lowering around it,
discovered the man James Woods, Almost dead,
and still entangled between the wheel and hull,
in suca a way that even IN his full strength he
would have been unable 20 e~xtricate himself.
The r~aftsraen worked vigoursly, and had the
satisfsetion of Hberating him entirely On
ending himself safe he had only strength enough
left 10 ezclaiB, Ia obliged to you boys, for
pulling nae out Of that hot placer The top of
his head and a portion of his back were scorch-
ed.
Mr.. Jcan Pennybaker, second mate of the
BNALHEEs Collu(4 a re III I'LL AA40O9h hNAd
by the coroner over the body of his brother
Mr.. VIM. Penneybaker, Waterman on board:
When the explosion occurred, deceased was
standing at the aft end of the boilers in CONVEX
sation with the chief Engineer. He was in
stahtiy covered with boiling water and steam.
In his agony be called out for help, exclaiming
that he was dreadfally sealded inside Amid
the harry and confusion no aid could be rem
dered him, and in the extremity Of his torture
he threw himself into the river. His brother
next saw him lying helpless On q mattress, in a
house on shore. The barns and eontusicns he
had suffered, end the exhaustion Of spending
IN hour and q half in the water, had reduced
him to- utter powerlessness. The wounds ex-
tended fom his bad to his knees. The deceased
Was Is years old was q native Of Pennsylvania,
and had been married enly two weeks,
From the Memphis papers of the 9th we clip
The following:
One of the most affecting incidents of this
entire tragedy occurred in the conduct of Miss
Kennedy, q cousin of Mr.. CLINE, the chief clerk
and one Of the owners Of the boat. She was
thrown. by the explosion from her state room
into the river, and aoated down to the stern of
the boat, when she caught her hand in one of
rings attached to the hull, and hung in that
perilons dilemma, when death stood threatening
O either hand. To lose her hold was to sink
into the waves, and to hold onwas to burn with
the wreck to which she was clinging-every
moment seemed an age of alternate hope and
despair. She remained IN this position until
the flames actually burned the hair and skin
from her head, the only part of her body above
The water except the hand by which she ciung
to the wreck, and that was burnt TO a crisp.
While In this awful suspense and suffering in
tensely from the heat, such was her presence of
mind and wonderful heroism, that, as a man, who
was worse stunned, herhaps than herself, by the
explosion, was floating by her, in a drowning
condition abe seized him by the hair, with her
disepgaged hand and held his face out of the
water until a skiff was brought to the rescue
Of both Ioften falls to the strong arm of
man to assist the helplessness ofwoman, but in
this instance the streagth of endurance, and a
courage that was stronger than her arm, made
q woman the p~reserEer of herself and one of
the stronger sex z III
We are informed that the circumstance of
4he above, incident should be revised; ard that
Miss Kennedy was saved, in the manner rela-
ted By Mr.. James Murdoch, of Franklin, Ala,
who now lies at the Worsham House, suffering
from injuries received in his efforts to save Miss
Kennedy. Mr.. Murdoch had escaped unharm-
ed. when he met the lady floating in the water.
To see her thus was to seize her and endeavor
tobuoy her up; but finding that beyond his
power, without some support, he caught hold of
. ring attached to the hull ofthe burning wreck.
While thus supporting himself and Miss Ken
NEEDY, his head, face and one Of his hands were
severely burned. Mr.. Murdoch does not say
it was Miss Kennedy he saved; but claims to
have rescued the only lady who was picked up
out of the water, and so far as we can learn,
Miss Kennedy is the only one thus saved. Mr..
Murdock says he did not see the lady's face
sufficiently distinct to enable him to recognize
her. HI had just obtained a position to enable
him to do so, when a current of wind blew the
Aaaes into their faces, burning him so severely
that he could not see afterwards. He man.
naged to support himself and the lady until
they were rescued by the yawl of the Susque-
hanna.