The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-06

every object. The place was broken, the floor
in parts upheaved and riven, so as TO show a
still more frightful smash in the saloons and
cabins below.
Through these apertures the bright glare be-
meath the lower deck of all showed that the
furnace doors had either been blown open or
blown away, and the funnel being gone, the
draught was down the remains of the chimney
forcing out the flames and ashes in a fierce
and dangerous stream. This, as the embers
touched water, sent up close, suffocating air
half steam, half gas--in which it was difficult
to see, and almost impossible to breathe. In
the mean time, most on board, including the
visiters, took steps to restore order and conf
dence. As have already said, there were for
tunately no holiday tourists there, or the matter
would have been much worse. Some of the
ablest engineers and machinists were on deck,
who could pretty well guess what had happen
ed, and what worse might follow.
A funnel, filled similarly to that which had
blown up, was evidently getting intensely hot
and of those present none knew to what extent
its Jacket or outer casing, had been dau-
aged, or how soon it might explode. Mr.. Scott
Russell, followed by one or two engineers, at
once went below to the furnsces of these boilers,
and ordered the steam to be blown of, the
speed of the engines to be reduced, and every
precaution taken to guard against mishap.
Mr.. Campbell remained calm and collected on
deck, getting the crew forward, and preventing
any unnecessary alarm. Some of the men in
stantly went below to search for those employed
at the stoke holes, whom it was now evident
must be fearfully injured if indeed alive.
THE DAMAGE DONE.
All danger from fire or mother
explosion being now at an end, those who
chose were enabled to go down and examine
for themselves the scene of the disaster. The
litter on the deck showed that in the compart.
ment in which it had taken place, and where it
was confined by the wrought-iron lbulk.heads.
it had been wide and general. The fore part
of Mr.. Craces beautiful saloon was pile of
glrttering rubbish, mere confused mass of
boards, carpet shreds, haRgings, mirrors, gilt
frames, and splinters of ornaments the rich
gilt castings were broken aud thrown down,
the brass work ripped, the handsome cast-iron
columns round the funnel overturned and
srewed about. In the more forward pstt
state sitting-room for ladies, every single thing
was destroyed, and the wooden footing broken
and wrenched up.
But the damage in this part seemed q mere
bagatelle, when compared with the ravages
among the lower deck cabins beneath 1t was
dlthcult to go down there, for the whole place
was hiled with fragments of boards chairs
beds, cabin fittings, broken steam pipes and
syphon tubes, torn-out rivets, and masses of the
inner and outer tunnels tent to pieces like
calico, and lying about like heaps of crumbled
cardboard. Everything was in literal frag
ments. The course of the explosion could then
be seen at once. The water, or rather steam.
in the casing had crushed in the inner casing
blowing up the funnel above deck, while both
tunnels below 1t were torn 10 pieces and hurled
about, sometimes III single rivets or scraps no
longer than ones hand; sometimes It erumpled
up Jumps weighing several hundred weight.
Beneath this deck, toward the stnkethole, where
the remnants of the funnel left yawning hole
IKE an extinct volcano, the force Of the explo-
SION was still more manifest. Not only was
the iron compartment nearest the boiler partly
rent and pushed back, but one of the main
deck beams, an enormously massive wrought
iron grder about two feet deep, and strength
ened with angle irons, was wrenehed back and
nearly bent in halves.