Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-02-10
THE RECENT STEAMBOAT DIsAS
TIERS.
PARbYCyLARS OF TIE EXPLOSIONS on THE
MIAMI AND MISSOURI.

The Western papers bring full accounts
Of the terrible explosions on board the
steamers Miami and Missouri, already re-
ported briefly
THE MlAMG-DREADFUL SCENES.
The steamer left Memphis on Saturday
night, January ~, loaded to her guards
with freight, and carrying about fifty pas
sengcrs in her cabin and one hundred on
deck one hundred men Of Company +, of
the Sd United States Infantry, and mixed
crew of fifty men.
The boat reached Napoleon, Arkansas,
about sund0wn without any mishap, and
rounded from the Mississippi into the Ar
kansas, river, well controlled by engineers
and pilot, until about seven miles up from
the confluence of the rivers, when the star
board boiler exploded. The cause of tire
explosion is unknown. The boat then
caught fire and burned to the waters edge.
carrying to an untimcly death two hundred
and twenty-five human beings.
Ilic accident occurred after tea, and just
rs majority of the cabin passengers were
congregated around the stove in the forward
part Of the cabin, and the soldiers on the
hurricane deck ran forward Ill obedience
to Il call from one of their comrades to come
forward for their ration of Mh'skcy, into
the air went heads and arms and legs, and
hcadlcss and armlcss bodies; and down
into broken boilers or burning deck,
through great chasms made by the eXp'o-
sion, went nearly Two hundred souls while
Others ran back to where the remainder OF
the passengers, much ailrghtcd, were pre-
pairing to jump overheard and End escape
on floating doors or logs. Some soldiers,
ablazc with fire, others sCaldcd, and in
their agony tearing at their tnroGts, jumped
overheard and were lost, while few more
fortunate and but slightly burned, pushed
some balcs Of hay overheard, and, riding on
them, found the shorc.
All the women on hoard except German
woman jumped overheard in their fright
and were lost not, however, before some of
them had endured the most heartrcnding
agony from eternal scalding, The most
sickcning sight was the burning to death OF
two soldiers Of the 3d Regulars, who, for
disordcrly and unruly conduct, we're tied up
by their thumbs to the jackstaif little be
fore the explosion. The dreadful accident
carried off the lieutenant commanding and
all the non commissioned 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 could he heard
above the noise Of cracking timbcrs, non
to assist their frantic efforts to unloos,
the cords that bound them; and there, tied
securely, they waited in terror anG dismay
until the flames had burned the deck trnu
! under them, and they fell Il prey to the de
vourng elements officer and punished were
| together in eternity.
INCIDENTS.
| Major Rankin supplied Mrs Lusk and hcl
! child with door, i'll hopes of saving them
as they were but Il short distance from tho
shore but they were taken away to meet
husband and father, who was among iht
| first killed by the explosion, as was Mr.
Charles J. Johnson, another clerk, who was
! standing beside him il the Office at tht
! time.
Only three OF four cabin passengers ar,
! known to have escaped and, pcrhtps, fifty
/ or sixty of those on deck, most of whom
! found their way to the north side of The
! river, and some twenty found their way tt
J the south bank, 20 which the boat swung
/ and was tied up by Captain Levy and tw,
or three Of his hands.
Amongst those who were saved, and Wht
assert that they were prccipitated into tht
! boiler, is the barber, who was badly scaldci
and burned. lie says that the floor sccmct
/ to part beneath him, and dropped mm int
/ the sccthing boiler, from which by an al
most superhuman rebound he jumped, and
running through the flames, escaped to III
shore.
About an hour after the affair of tn
/ Henry Amcs, commanded by Capt. C-aw
| ford, who heard the explosion at Napoleon
| hove in sight, and landing took on boar,
all the survivors, some of whom were land
! ded at Napoleon, others ut the mouth o
White River, and the remainder wcr
brought on to Memphis.
Mr.. Wolf and others succeeded IN savin1
about forty lives hy rowing about in
yowl.
Mrs I.,isk might have Lcen saved la,
she not rushed through the flames anl
jumped overheard on the OF side as tht
boat was nearing the LNnk About fin,
dead were buried along the bank. On,
( drowned man had one thousand two hun
/ drcd dollars on his person.
! Two men, names unknown, blew on
/ their brains with pistols, prlierring to di
/ that way rather than burn to death.
THE M!ssoURI-PNEw OF THE PASSENGER
SAVED.
The disaster to the Missouri WAS causct
/ by racing. he steamer Ieit New Orleans
January 23, for Cairo. y letter to the Gin
! cinuati CommcrrjW, dated at Eycusyillc
Ind, January 80, says: The Missouri anC
Silver Moon came up from below last night
and for some hours raced hard but thougI
| for fifteen minutes the two boats were hea,
and head, the Silver Moon could not pas
her competitor, and then rakcd down frr.
When the Silver Moon arrived here, nca
midnight, she found the Missouri lying Il
our wharf
1t seems that the Missouri left about on
O'Clock, aud then commenced race WIT
the Dictator, aud near the m6uth Of Gree
river, some twelve miles distant 10y river
but seven by land, the Missouri was blow
up, and the Dictator being very near tool
oil all the PERSONS on the i'll fOrtuucd stca
mcr that could be found, and proceeded ol
her way, calling at Newburg, ten miles b
land, and taking on DR.. Slaughter to rcEde
medical and surgical aid to the wounded.
almost ON the instant of the explosion
Gays another acc0ruU the Missouri hcga
to slnk, aud passenger, jug. aroused fror
his berth, had only time to pull on his par
falcons when the water came in on III
cabin floor, and he and all the other SUI
yiyors had to hurry to the hurricane dec