Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-07

Particulars of the Explosions On Board
tLe Mama AND s1issnuri-EwO Hundred
and Sixty Lives L0st-Scenes and Incl.
denis
The Western papers bring full accounts of the ter
rible explosions hoard the steamers Miami and
Missouri, already reported briefly:
THE MI,MI--BREAprUT. SCENES.
This steamer left Men yhiS on Saturday night jan
nary 81 loaded to her guards with freight and carry
ing about htiy passenger; IN her caOln and one hun
dTed deck; hundred men of Company Z. OF
the 81 United States Infantry and a mixed crew Of
fifty men.
The boat reached Napoleon, Arkansas, about sun
down. without any mishap. and rounded from the
Mississppi into the Arkansas river, well controlled
by engineers and pilot. until about seven miles up
from the confluence of the rivers when the sarb board
boiler exploded. The cause of the explosion is un-
known. The boat then caught ire and burned to the
waters edge, carrying to an untimey death two hun
dred and twenty five human beings The accident
occurred after tea and just majority OF the cabin
passengers were songregated around the stove in the
forward part of the cabin, and the soldiers the
hurricane deck forward in obedience 70 call
from of their comrades to forward for their
ration Of whisky, into the air went heads and arms
and legs, the headess and limbess bodies; and down
into broken boilers or burning deck through great
chasms made By the EXPLOSION went nearly two hun
dred souls: while others back to where the re-
mainder of the passengers; much atrghted, were
preparing jump overheard and find escape float
ing doors logs Some soldiers, abaZe with fire,
others scaded. and in their agony tearing at their
throats jumped overheard and we're lost, while few
more fortunate and but slightly burned pushed some
bales of hay overheard and riding On them found the
shore.
jumped overheard in their fright. and were lost not
however, before some of them had endured the most
heartrendng agony from internal p scaldlng. The The
soldiers of the Third regulars. who, for disordery
and unruly conduct. were tied up by their thumbs to
the jackstaff little before the explosion. The
dreadful accident carried off the lieutenant com
maudinQ and all the non-commis ssioned officers and
such men as escaped death by fire and steam had
jumped overheard; so there was none near to obey
the calls of the poor fellows to be released which
nor to assist their frantic efforts to unloose the cord
that bound them and there tied securely they wait
ed in terror and dsmay until the flames had burned
the deck from under them. and they fell prey t
the deyou;~ing elements-officer and punished wer'
together in eternity.
Major Rankin supplied Mrs. Lusk and her chile
with a door IN hopes of saving them, they were
but short distances from the shore; but they wer'
taken away to meet husband and father who wa
among the first killed by the explosion, was Mr.
Charles j. johnson. another clerk, who was standing
beside him in the office at the time.
About fifty dead were buried along the bank. One
drowned man had one thousand two hundred dollar
Two men, names not known, blew out their brain
with pistols preterrng to die that way rather thai
burn to death.
The disaster to the Missouri was caused by racing
The steamer left New Orleans January q, for Cairo
letter to the Cincinnati Commercial, dated at Ey
ansve. Indiana, January 81, says The Missouri
and Silver Moon up from below last night, anC
for some hours raced hard: but though for ffteer
minutes the two hoats were head and head, the Sill
yer Moon could not pass her competitor, and theI
raked down the fires.
When the Silver Moon arrived here, near mid
night. she found the Missouri lying nj our wharf
seems that the Missouri left about o'clock and the1
commenced a race with the Dictator, and near tn
mouth OF dreen river, some twelve miles distant b!
and til Dictator being very took off all the per
sons on the illnrtuned steamer that could be found
and proceeded on her way to Newburg, ten miles b,
land and taking on Dr. laughter TO render medica
and surgical aid to the wounded
Sixty persons are supposed 20 have been lost. Cap
tain r Y Hurd was severely, though not mortall
wounded Mrs Hurd. wife Of the captain, was killed
Henry Hurd. one of the pilots and eldest son Of tn
captain, had his leg badly shattered; Arthur Hurd
second clerk and his little brother, also sons of tn
captain, were scalded. Mr.. Naylsnd clerk Of tn
boat was saved He is, however, severely hurt, Ih
first and second mates were saved The hrst enginee
was killed; the second engine and striker
cuei both severely scalded. The bartender was hun
by falling timbers
Nearly all the hands OF the boat-numpefing pei
haps sixty-were lost.
The survivors lost all their clothing, money an
other yaluabes Nearly all of them had no appare
save their night clothing, when rescued ,..- .
gentleman and his wife, from Massachuseits; e
capped with the loss of all their baggage inciudlr
$500, and fine gold watch, jewelry, &c, which the
had placed under their mattress. 80,
In searching among the ruins. the body OF mldd
aged lady was discovered and taken out of the eH
From the location of the body. it was surmised th
the lady was the wife of Captain Hurd. She was ella
IN ner nlght clothes. Her head and face was som
what disfgured, but, notwithstanding this. gentl
man who had seen her before death, expressed hin
self quite positively as to her identity.
A frightful cash on the head indicated that 81
was killed instantaneously by piece of timber
splinter OF the wreck, which crushed her skull al
laid bare her brain She had one or two bruises {
the body.
The Missouris deck crew numbered about Sc
enty men. A large number of those were asle,
nnder the boilers at the time of the exnInsio
Of those under the o,lers not one escaped.
Louisiana is an amiable State under IL
nav order of things. The True Delta SAYS that
one parish sixty persons are under arrest chars