Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-11-15
THE BLOWING UP OF THE GUNBOAr
TULIP.

THE BLOWING UP OF THE GUNBOAr
TULIP.
Official & port of the Circumstances Of the
Disaster.
The Navy Department has received the fol-
lowing official report Of the particulars of the
deplorable disaster in the lower Potomac:
u. S. STEAMER DON, Potomac Floalla, Nov
13.-Hon Gideon WelIes, Secretary of the Nary-
Sir. 1t has become my painful duty to repor,
to the Department the total destruction of the
L. 5. steamer Tulip by boiler explosion on
Friday evening last off Ragged Point, in the
Potomac river.
OF complement Of fifty seven officers and
man ten only were saved, two Of whom have
since died.
The Tulip left St. Inigces by my orders
Friday afternoon, bound to the u. j. Navy
Yard. Washington, for the purpose OF having
her starbOaTd boiler repaired, wnlc was re-
ported by Chef Engineer Reilly to be in an
unsafe CONDITION. she started with ste am on
her port boiler only, and her senior engineer
was Cautioned by Chief Engineer Reilly not to
ger steam the starboard one under any cir
cunstances, as will be seen by the accompany
ing reports led 10 the terrible explosion
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
FOXHALL A. PARKER,
Com dr. Com'd'g Potomac Flotilla.
T.. WYANDANK, ST. Inigoe. Md, Nov. -,
1S6i.-Com'd'r +. 4. Parker :-Sir-In obedience
TO your orders, L would respectfully make the
following report of the disaster to the U. 5.
steamer Tulip.
On the Ilth Of November. at 3 o'clock, we
left st. Inigces Naval Station, bound for
ter passing the guard-schooner VIM. Bacon, 1
being Off, er of the deck, the pilot asked me
Why we were going 70 stop, at Plney Point.
told him i did Eot know. He then asked Sc.
nioI Engineer George II. Parks, and he told
him that they were going TO get mp steam on
the other boiler. Third Assistant Engineer
nm vrvQt ah -
necessary to stop. that he had already steam
on the ether boiler. We did not stop at Piney
Point, but passed on up the Potomac.
Nothing unUs ual had occurred 10 to 6 d m
when was relieved. About l6 min utes paste
O'Clock, was on the fore part OF the vessel
heard some noise and excitement in the engine
room, started att, saw volumes of steam come
up TIL engine and fire room hatch ways, aud
heard Engineer Gordon cry out, Haul your
fire. At that moment Senior Engineer Parks
rushed down the engine room, and Engineer
Gordon cried ont "For Gods sake, somebody
raise the safety valve !" Seeing there was dan
ger. / walked att; when L came abreast OF the
cabin companionway the explosion occurred
and the after part OF the vessel went down in
about two minutes.
Very respectfully, your obt serv't,
JOHN DAVIS, Acting Masters Mate
L. S. STEAMER WYANDANK, ST. iNIGoEs
CREEK, Nov. I2.-Commander f. A. PorEer-
Sir have TO report to you the loss of the u s
steamer Tulip on the evening of the IIth inst
IL obedience TO orders, we steamed with one
j
p. NJ, bound for W ashington. At about o'cI'k
Acting Third a sstant Engineer, Geo. Parks,
SAID to us-Captain Smith and myself-that if
we would stop at Piney Point about = hours,
he would have steam In the starboard boiler
which was the damaged one.
Before we reached Plney Point Acting Third
Assistant Engineer John Gordon, then on
watch, said to me that "there was no use of
stopping at Piney Point, for he had already got
steam in the other boiler" l then reported to
Capt. Smith hat Mr.. Gordon had said, and he
directed me to proceed on up the river. At
about 6 o'clock and 20 minutes, when abreast
OF Ragged Point, 1 was setting in the ward
room with Acting Third Assistant Engineer
Geo. Parks when heard Acting Third Assist
ant Engineer John Gordon call out to "haul
fres' Engineer Parks ran on deck, and fol-
lowed i saw steam coming from the engine
room. Engineer Parks jumped down into the
engine-room, and Immediately returned. Act
ing Third Assistant Engineer Gordon called
out, "For q obs sake some one raise the sa;ety-
valve" Acting Third Assistant Engineer Parks
again jumped down int the engine room, and
1T this moment the explosion took place.
The vessel, to the best of my belief, sank
within three minutes from the time of the ex-
plosion. We, 10 in number, were picked up at
o'clock by the tug boat Hudson and brought
TO this place
am. sir, very respectfully, your obedent
servant, K. III. WAGsTAFF,
Actg Ensign and Executive Officer.
U. s. STEAMER JUMPER, Po,onac FlotUa
nov. 13.-F. 4. Parker, Cors'd'r Comm andinq |
Potomac F2otiHd-Sir: In obedience to your
orders Of the 18th inst, proceeded TO Ragged |
Point in search Of the bodies ard remains of |
tie L. ;. steamer Tulip, which was blown up
by steam on the eve of the llth instant off that |
point. sent out two boats and landed on the |
beach, where found large fragments OF her |
remains. l found trunk belonging TO Acting
Master S Mate Reynolds, of that vessel, valise |
belougin 10 the pilot, coat, bag and several !
blue shirts and q number OF officers caps l !
also found two sponges, lot Of letters marked |
L. :. steamer Tulip, large portions OF her deck, |
the top OF her pilot house, and her first cutter
lay on the beach, but up to the present time |
have not be- n able to find any bodies
Very respectfully your ob't serv't
PBILlP SHRRIDKN,
Acting Ensign Commanding.
List OF Off ers and crew belonging to and on
board OF the ". ). steamer Tulip at the time of |
her loss, Nov 1lth, 1861, SO far as can be as
Certained from Paymaster Carpenters books: |
VIM. h. Smith. Acting Master Commanding
missing; r. III. Wagstaf Ensign and Execu-
tive Officer, saved; John Raffenberg, Masters |
Mate missing; John Davis, Masters Mate,
saved; John Hammond, Masters Mate, miss
ing Geo. II Parks. Sd Assistant Engineer,
missing; BENZ F: Teal, Sd Assistant Engineer,
saved; Charl@s HenDing, Paymaster's Steward; |
missing James Jackson, Pilot missing;
ing; John Allison, I'd class Fireman,
missing; John Nolan. ID class Fireman, miss
ing; James Porter, I'd class Fireman, saved,
man, missing, w. II. Smminson, I'd class Fire
man, missing Benz. Pollock, I'd class Fire
man, missing; Patrick Carroll. Sd class Fire
man, hospital at Point lookout; Henry John.
soc, ships cook missing; Michael Holland, |
WardroOm cook, saved, (since dead); Thomas |
Carter, wardroom Steward, missing; Charles |
RuoS, Captains Steward, missing; Peter John |
son, seaman, missing; Martin BeatZiR ordinary |
seaman, missing, Patrick Quinlan, ordinary
seaman, missing; James Robinson, George |
II. Niles, James Carroll, John Colley, |
coal beavers, missing; Jeremiah Holland, coal
HEAVIER, saved; George Wilson, VIM. o 'COnnel. |
james Bracken, Thomas Watson, Richard
Conover, James Leary, David Pieyser, lands |
men, missing Nelson Gaskins, landsman,
saved; Beverly Burk, Elijah Jefferson, Robert
Warren, Benz. Brown, landsmen, missing
Fleet Burrell, landsman, saved; Waverly Ma
son, rank Green, VIM. Fletcher, lands men,