Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-04-26

naliy was very severe. We are assured that some
immense iron Orders nearly twelve inches deep
Fl were snapped off like pipe stem, thirteen of her
frames were broken, and knees and Iaaces of the
heaviest timber torn from their places The
/ strain upon the ship must have been of immense
i force, and nothing but the superior build and
| structure of the vessel saved her from being
Knocked to pieces. All of her boats, ard in fact
everything of fragile nature were rendered
useless ..--.-s s-s..-.sss.,-
| The most awful part of the catastrophe was the
dreadful loss Of life and suffering attending it
Of the number killed and missing it is impossible
data the number may safely be put down at fifty,
and Is, we fear, more likely to prove over this
| number than under it. Of the Al men comprising
the crew of the Eau0pean have been killed and
II are missing. Two clerks engaged on the wharf
were both instantly killed, and of Ii native Jamai-
c1ans employed on the wharf, and in the freight
house, none are supposed TO have been saved be-
sides it is believed small gang of native laborers
who had gone on board the unfortunate steamer
have met the fate of the others It will be several
oay before correct estimate can be made of the
loss. Many bodies no doubt were thrown into
the water and picked up by sharks, whilst others
are still buried beneath the ruins of the freight
house and wharf, or went down with the Inflated
ship: The scene in Aspinwall after the first ex-
ploslon cannot be described-it was narrowing in
the extreme. Whilst the ruins gave an air of
desolatlon to the place the mangled and lacerated
bodies Or pieces of bodies to be met within every
dlrectlon for great distance around the ruin of
the disaster were heart rendering and the suffer-
ing of the poor mortals crushed and brushed, in
whom life was extinct, was really dreadful.
Fears being entertained that second explosion
would occur, and as the cause of the disaster was
still unknown, and none of the officers or crew of
the ship were left who could give any explanation
OF its cause it was thought best to have the burn
ing ship towed into the stream. The royal mail
steamship Tdmm, Capt Moir, which had arrived
the evening previous Immediately got up steam
and prepared to tow out the burning ship, but be-
fore this could be accomplished another erp0sion took
place. though not of sufficient force to cause any
injury. 1t was supposed to be the magazine,
which contained small quantity Of powder for
ships use. The Tltnar then made fast to the
burning hulk and towed her out The two vessels
had barely reached the opposite side of the bay
when another erplOsi0n more terrible Man the f1st,
occw?ed but fortunately the ship being far from
the city and in deep water harm resulted. The
last explosion is supposed to have broken up the
hull as IN less than half hour after it occurred
the unfortunate ship went down. The top of her
smokestack is the only part visible.
The total number of killed and missing will OK
coed fifty, while there is also a large number of
wounded
The amount Of damage caused by the explosion
is roughly estimated at 81 ,O0O, OOO which is about
the lowest figure at which it can be placed