Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-01
80 ii,si - with the reaeotion

- r
sky was Just Frightening n reflection
of daylight from the east, and then, open
ing the door, stepped out into the saloon,
which was dimly lit, only one or two burn
ers of the main chandelier being lighted.
1 had scarcely reached the centre of the
saloon, on my way out to the open air, be-
fore l heard a strange report which filed
me with u~naccountable apprehension. 1t
was not so load as it was deep n terrible.
l once heard some gun-cotton explode in
a close apartment, and the present report
resembled that more than anything L can
compare it to. 1t was immediately follow
ed by a terrible shock, which shook every
plank in the steamer; and before 1could
make-uP-my mind what it meant saw
the side Of the saloon, a short distance in
front of the w~heel-house, smashed in as if
by a5eannon shot, with a terribly crashing
sound, accompanied by one wild yell which
rings in my ears at this moment with ter
rible distinctness. Z }5E i0tt -
A great cloud of steam rushed through
the aperture, speedily filling the entire sa-
loon; but first ! saw a shapeless mass fly
ing across the cabin. This proved to be
the corpse of a child, who had been sleep
ing in state room No. l23, / think, though
l am not certain. 1 heard the engines
stop. A great light illuminated the saloon
through the drifting steam. 1 gave my
self up for lost, and for q moment could
not stir. The steam was almost imme-
diately followed by vast bodies of hot
water, which seemed to burst into the sa-
loon in a perfect deluge. 1t covered the
floor so rapidlythat Ihad just time enough
to spring and gain a hold on. the main
chandelier before it vas seething under
my feet.
In a few seconds I was securely perched
above the water, but l witnessed n scene
of destruction and horror which will abide
with me to my dying day. The water did
not spout nor gush into the saloon-it alb
solutely poured in. Had it not had the
appearance of being boiling hot l should
have thought that we were sinking, and
that the broad river itself was engulfing
u.s.
Then there occurred a terrible scene
among the passengers, most of..whom were
asleep in their berths at the time of the
explosion. The impulse whichtneariy all
of them obeyed, upon being rudely
awakened and terrified by the shock, was
to spring to the floor, and their screams
and yells as their feet went ankle-deep
into the scalding food are literally indie
scribable. Few of them had presence OF
mind enough to climb again into their
hunks; but in a few moments, or rather
seconds, the saloon was peopled with
terror-stricken and agonized forms, most
ly in their night-clothes, splashing wildly
about in the boiling water.
One man, in his agony, tried to pull me
from my perch; but by repeated direc-
tons, I at. length induced him to get upon
a chair. 1 saw a mother, with a little
child on either arm, dashing franctically
through the water, and every time she
would lift up her naked feet L could see
that they were boiled to a crimson hue.
Reaching down, l lifted one of the chill
dren to my side; but she let the other one
fall into the water, scalding it severely,
but not fatally, 1 think, before l could also
possess myself of it. 1 then seized her
by the hair, and assisted her to a position
on a chair, where she managed to stand
until the water had subsidized. -FsQp
Knight relate numerous other instances,
but, in all conscience, the above are horri
bic enough. The water subsidized very
rapidly-it having all run out in a very
few minutes aftor its first appearance
But the groans and shrieks of the scalded
and mutilated was the most dreadful ex-
perience of my life. In about fifteen
minutes after the explosion the ferry-boat
MOrristown came alongside and took of
about $50 of the passengers.