Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-05-03
Tho Explosion ofthe st. Nicholas-Tur-
ther Particulars.

1cnn., ABOUT III UotOck tn tho mOrutDk. luo
Memphis, Tcnn,. Bulletin says;
She loft this port ut o'clock on Sunday eve
ming. having awaited the ARRIVAL of the evening
trim. and when opposite Island sixty exploded
several boilers, and Immediately afterwards took
fire and burned Ia thc waters edge The sccno
OF tho disaster il about miles below the spot
ut which the memorable accident to the Pennsyi-
yania occurred, on tho 18th Of last June, and some
sixty-hve miles below this city. The explosion
occurred about 10 o'clock Sunday night, Captain
MeMuleu being on watch ut the time. and but
few minutes elapsed before tho flames had con-
sumcd tho entire boat, with tho exce'tinn OF the
hull. which boatcd on down tho river. The books
and papers being destroyed, it is mpossible to ar
rive at perfectly accurate statement of the num-
Der Of persons lost, but enough il known to war
rant the belief that from 80 u 60 are killed and
missing and among them several lalirs. The
loss Ut life would necessarily have been much
grcacr, had it not becn for tho opporinno arrival
Of the Susquehnnna. which boat came to the re-
lici Of tho sufferers when tho illiated steamer was
about half consumed. and tok on board NIL those
upinjurcd by the explosion or fire. ns also 10 Of
tho wounded. picked up while floating upon tho
water.
Tho Susquehanna arrived at our wharf about Q
ocl,ck last evening, and le nll those in nny wise
injured, who we're immediately taken in charge
hy tho city authorities and SIMS of Mnlta, ut
whose hands they received all necessary attention.
Four Of the untnrtuna,cs died ON tho passage up,
and will he buried to-day.
At the time OF the accident. Capt. MeMullin. "a
already stated WIS IN watoh aud IN the pilot
honsc from whence h" fell through to tho boiler
deck. where sharp piece ot timhcr penetrated
his foot and holding him Fast entirely prevented
his cscnpc lIe was heard repeatedly To call for
mn nxc. with which he might sever hs log from
his body, and thus ext,icae himself from the per-
iluus position in which he WAS placed. but failing
To receive assistance, he persisted in the ilnmcs.
The pilot on duty, James Ried. was al 80 precipi-
below, but hnd the good fortune torcach the water
from whence he was rescued by one oi thu Susve-
hnnna's boats.
Capt B. Y. Glimc, clerk and pnrt owner Of tho
bnai on watch Mt tho time. lost his wife und
cousn---n Miss Dunnica.-and wa very badly
scaIlol and burned himself. Another cousin, n
Miss Kennedy. of Brunswick, Mo-. was also
severely injured. Capt CLINE aud Miss Kennedy
were rcmoy ed 10 the residence OF Mr. H. IL. Shock
in the navy yard. aud strong hnpesarc entertained
by the attending phy-cians TINT they will re-
cover.
Mr.. q. II. H. Glum second clerk was asleep
in his berth, md the first intimat,un had by him
oi the occurrence was IN awakening to hnd INN
self IN tho river, fully one hundred yards from
bont with his mattress and bed.clol,cs under him,
aud in ns perfect order US though remaining in tho
sate- room. lie is badly burned, but will recover.
A family named Crisp. from st. LOUIS. and on
their way to Nicksburg Ia reside. consisting of
father, mother, aud l,tlc son. were lost. with
thc exception of the latter. who lost nearly oil his
clphing by the fire, and was himself considerably.
though not seriously burned.
A somewhat singular coincidence wo mny
state that IA few moments before the explosion
took place. Cnpt. McMullen and n gentleman
from Wnrrenton, Miss. in the course OF conyersn
ton, spoke Of the Pcnu~, lvania disaster, which
occurred Mt the very rlnce they were passing ut
the time, when the gentleman referred to, took
L..l,. Al. e cnrn.
dcstnaon--ihat whatever occurred was right,
aud that he was ut any time prepared to die, and
in whatever manner the summons might COME
The words have scarcely been uttered when tho
beat exploded, and hc summarily called to
test the truth or iasity Of his belief.
Both the engineers On watch, W inm Few and
john jenkins wero instantly killed, and hence
nothing definite is known ~ regards tho origin ot
the explosion. Thirteen OF tho deck hands ani
tremen were also killed and missing. as also the
barber cabin boy two berh-makerrs. cook and
chambcr.mad Indeed, it is doubtful II similar
disaster has occurred on the Mississippi which
was moro destructive to the lives OF officers and
crew than the one in question.
The st. Nicholns was Pttsburgbult boat OF
good size about seven years old, was owned by
| Capt. A. Rccdcr, Of st. Louis and Is. V. CLINE,
chief clerk, nnd worth from Sl8,OOO to SO 0OO.-
She had recently been re6tIed nnd repaired, aud
| in complete running order. Her cargo consisted
! of $50 barrels of -four, 900 kegs OF lard, 2o0
bnrrols pork 750 pigs lead, 800 hogs, 40 cattle,
mules, horses, Go barrels molasses, 200 sacks
oats all consigned to parties in New Orleans. with
! tho exception of II small amount for Nicksburg
| and the Yazoo river, and tho total value OF which
it would be impossible to estimate with any degree
Of certainty.
The names of the killed have already been pub
lished. Autograph states BENZ. v Cline the
, chief clerk of the boat. died on Wednesday,
and that Briscoc Baldwin Stuart, ofStaunton. Va,
aud 0. II. Reynolds OF Sionx city, are not expect
ed to recover. Mr.. Stuart Ms has been stated, Is
son of Hon. A. II. II. Stuart, and was on his
way to New Orleans 10 be married.
! FEMALE IIERoIsN One Of the most noble and
! affecting incidents OF female heroism We have ever
had the pleasure Of recording, is reported to have
occurred in the conduct of Miss Helen Kennedy,
Of brunswick, Mo-, II cousin Of Mr. CLINE, the
chief clerk aud part owner Of the boat, who was
himself very badly scaldcd. The Memphis Ava
| lanche says
Miss Kennedy was thrown by the explosion
from her statcrcom in the river and ioated down
to the stern Of the boa, when she caught her
| hand in one of the rings attached TO the hull and
! hung in that perilous dilemma, when death stood
| threatening upon either hand To loose her hold
was to sink into the waves, and to hold on was to
burn with the wreck 10 which the was cn.ng-
every moment being an age of alternating hope
| and DESPAIR. She rtmancd in this position until
| the flames actually burned the hair and skin from
her head, the only part oe her body above Tho wa
ter, except the hand by which she clung to the
wreck, and that was burned to a crisp. While IN
this awful suspense and suffering intensely from
! the heat, such was her presence of mind and her
wonderful heroism, that, as man, who was
worse stunned, perhaps, than herself, by tho ex-
,losion, WAS floating by her, in II drowning con-
.ition. she seized him by the hair with her disen-
! aged hand and held his face out Of the water un-
| II n skf was broughtto the rescue of both. 1t
| eIpessnesy of woman, but in this instance tho
,rength of endurance, and courage that