The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-06-09
Explosion of the Steamer City of Mem

On Thursday, the 31st ult, the steamer
city of Memphis exploded her boilers, thirty
miles below Memphis, as she was on her
way north from New Orleans The terrible
calamity took place while many Of the pas
sengers were at the breakfast table. The
engineer of the Inflated steamer stated that
he was allowed by law to carry 10 pounds
of steam, but that the explosion took place
when there was only rs pounds pressure on
the boilers. The Memphis was built in 1857,
and her boilers were those that came from
the wreck of the equally ilIfated Crystal
Palace, and were over sixteen years old. She
had been condemned several times, but, un-
fortunately, was as many times allowed to
ply the Mississippi river Below we give
statement of the disaster, as related by Capt.
Thompson, her commander, who, it viii be
seen tells joke connected with the affair
even before the graves Of many of the poor
unfortunates of this wholesale butchery have
scarcely been hushed by the gulphing waves
of the treacherous Father of Waters. How
ever bold and daring the efforts of Capt
Thompson may have been during the terri
BILE scenes that transpired upon the deck of
the vessel which he commanded, they do not
take from him one atom of the unmanliness
he evinced by relating the "trick negro
played upon him -
" We left New Orleans on Friday evening,
the 26th, at 6 clock, with large freight,
forty cabin passengers, and sixty deckers.
We put off and took on as we came up, and
], Z l0T,o, r
the explosion Nothing particular occurred
during the trip up, excepting that we passed
safely through one storm. | did not appre-
hend any danger. The engines worked well
and there were no signs of leak in any
one of the boilers. The day before the ex-
plosion the engineer came to me and said
remarks had been made by the passengers
about the boat going so slow. l told him L
was Captain of the boat, and would order
faster speed when thought it necessary. I
know that the first engineer tried the guage-
cocks all the way across the six boilers. Mr.
Burns, the first engineer, came to me while in
New Orleans, and said he would have to put
the boat to some expense by having the
middle guage-eOcks opened, as he did not
| believe they had been opened for five years.
I told him he was right and to 90 ahead,
which he did, and had them opened. At the
time of the explosion, 1 was standing in the
| clerks Office the force of the explosion tore
the shirt l had on in shreds, and split my
vest clear up the back, besides smashing my
watch almost to pieces, destroying it entirely
/ l got out of the front window, and down on
! the forecastle, hurriedly where l had the
| stage-planks lashed together and put over
! board. 1 then saw that the wounded were
| carefully put on the stage-planks, and those
well | made take off their coats and get in
the water, instructing them not to get on the
! staging, but TO remain in the water. l then
| selected trustworthy negro to take care Of
them, and let them 90, telling them to make
no efforts to 90 to shore, but wait until some
boat picked them up; and they were the first
survivors picked up by the st. Patrick. |
next threw a lot Of planl1s overheard, which
were eagerly grasped by those in the water !;
| / first discovered the boat to be on fire in
the hold our two forward pumps were work
| ing at the time, but the water could not pene-
! trate the wreck; the striker and negro
were both ia stened in the ruins, whom we
pulled out; l heard number of men be-
meath the debris of wood, iron, ETC., grOan
ing most pitifully, and praying for some way
| of escape from being burned to death, but as
| there was no possibility whatever Gf getting
at them, they had to be left to burn to death,
while we exerted ourselves in saving those
we could; the mate and myself remained on
the forecastle, doing all we could, until every
person was off the forward part of the boat,
when the carpenter and watchman came
with the yawl and took US off A negro man
played trick on me Which 1 shall punish
him for yet. l saw piano box lying
on the forecastle, and after knocking the lid
off, slid it into the river, when this negro
with his carpetsack in hand, jumped in
showed out, and got to shore Without wetting
even the soIes of his shoes. After leaving
the forecastle, l went aft in the yawl to help
the ladies, and rescued Miss Belle Madison
of St Louis, when she was so weak that she
was unable to reach out her hand to be saved
After getting all we could in the boat there
was a number of men IN the water with theil
lifepreservers on them. / told them to keeI
|, cool, and permit themselves to float quietly
until rescued. ] made no effort to save any
of my personal effects, and upon arriving a
Memphis l had nothing save the clothes on
me. 1 do not think the total number 0
lives lost will amount to over sixty.
A REBEL II W1sCoNsIN.-A gentleman
by the name of HaeYers, resident Of tn
) |