The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-02-13
STEAMBOAT DISASTER.

Three Hundred Persons on Board-20O Lost
The Steamboat Miami, commanded by Capt
Levy. left Memphis loaded to her guards with
freight. and carrying about so passengers
lin her cabin 100 on deck, 100 men of Company
F, Third United States Infantry, and mixed
crew of SO men.
She reached Napoleon about shutdown, with
out any symptoms Of mishap, rounded from the
Mississippi into the Arkansas. and well con-
,trolled by the engineer and pilot until about
sesea miles from the confluence of the rivers when
the starboard boiler exploded. The cause of the
explosion is unknown. The steamer caught fire,
and burned to the waters edge, carrying to an
nntimely and awful death 225 human beings.
The accident occurred after tea, just as ma
Jority OF the cabin passengers were congreGated
around the stove in the forward part of the cabin
to smoke; and the soldiers on the hurricane deck
ran forward, in obedience to a call from one of
their comrades to come forward for their rations
of whiskey. Into the air went heads, arms and
legs, and headless and lmbcss bodies, and down
into the broken boilers or burning deck, through
great chasms made by the explosion, went nearly
200 persons; while others shrieking under name
less fortunes, with the hot steam eating into their
lungs, with too swift haste ran back to where the
remainder of the passengers, much atfrghted
were preparing TO jump overheard and escape on
floating doors or logs. Some soldiers were all
8. ablaze with fire.; Others scalded tearing at their
:, Threats in their agony, jumped overheard and
were lost; while few, more fortunate and but
slightly burned, pushed some bales of hay over
hoard, and, riding on them, reached the shore
All the women on board, except German, whose
name could not be learned, jumped overheard in
their fright, and lost--not, however, before some
of them had endured heartrending AGONY from
internal scadng.
The most sickening sight was the burning to
death of two soldiers of the Third Regulars, who,
for disorderly and unrur conduct were tied up
by the thumbs to the iackstaf little before the
explosion. The dreadful accident carried off the
lieutenant commanding and all the non commits
stoned officers, and those men who escaped death
by fire or steam had jumped overheard; so that
there was no one near to obey the calls of the
poor fellows. which could be heard above the
noise of the crashing tmbcrs, nor to assist their
frantic efforts to unloose the cords that bound
them. Tied securely, they waited in terror and
dismay until the flames had burned the deck
from under them and they fell prey TO the de-
youring element.
The scenes were heartrending and beyond de-
scription. But few of those present displayed
any presence'of mind. Indeed, the accident was
so unexpected and frightful in immediate effects.
that such manifestation was all but impossible.
Only two or three cabin passengers are known
to have escaped and, perhaps, fifty or sixty of
those on deck, most of whom found their way to
the north side of the river Some twenty reach
ed the south bank, to which the boat swung, and
was tied up by Captain Levy and one or two of
the bands.