Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-09
The David White Dissster-Fur Their Par
:isuIars.
[From the louisville Democrat, 23d.l

:isulars.
From the Louisville Democrat, 2Sdl
DIR. Il. J. Shaw, a relative of Cap.
tain II. b. Shaw, the principal owner
of the Inflated boat, arrived in the
city yesterday, on his way to his home
in GAINESVILLE, Tennessee. To him we
are indebted for the following addi-
tional particulars concerning the explo-
sion. DIR. Shaw was. the. first clerk of
the boat, and as the ofice-safe, books,
papers, &C., were destroyed, 1t will be
almost an impossibilitg TO give.a correct
list of those killed and wounded, or of
the freight she had ON board.
The David White, in command of
Captain Dan Kinney, left New Orleans
on Thursday of last week, with about
one hundred passengers and five hun
dred tons of freight for this port,
Nashville and points on the Cumber-
land river. She arrived at Greenvllle,
Mississippi, on Sunday morning. She
left Greenvllle and was running at the
rate of about eight miles an hour until
she reached Point Chicot, about eight
miles above Greenville, when her
larboard boiler exploded with ter
rife force, scattering death and
destruction In every direction. The
entire cabin, from the aft part of the
warehouses to the iackstaff, was liter
ally blown to atoms. But few min
utes before, DIR. Shaw went into the la
dies cabin, and fortunately escaped.
He says the scene cannot be written
or described. It was just before din
ner, and quite a number of passengers
were seated around the stove, almost
immediately over the boilers. Captain
Dan. Kinney was talking to Mr.. +. +.
Buckner, of New Orleans at the time,
near the bar. Both were blown high
in the air and fell among the fragments
| in the river Captain Kinney was saved
though his thigh was broken. be is
in Memphis, doing well. Captain III.
r. Shaw, the second clerk, Mr.. Nc
Knight,-of this city, and mate were sit
ting in front of the boiler on the low
er guard. They were never seen or
heard from afterwards. The second
clerk, Mr.. Davis, from Nashville. was
sitting at table in the cabin, writing
a letter to his wife. He was blown up
and never heard from. Mr.. John
Richardson, who was al the wheel, was
blown up and and fell among the de-
bris; fortunately he escaped with few
slight bruises. Mr.. Jack DeHart,
the other pilot, was in the
Texas lying down; he was
i extiioated from the wreck, though bad
ly hurt. He and Richardson are al
Greenville where they will remain anti
lDeHart can come home. The engines
were in charge of the second engineer,
Storu and Robert Elan, striker, botI
of wEiST4 are killed and went down with
the hull John and Robert Ray, the
other engineers, were badly hurt. Chas
Ross, of this city, who was bar-keeper,
was badly scalded, and is at a relatives
in Memphis. Mr.. William Lilly, and
Mr.. Brewster, who went down with
stock, and were on their return, were
both standing together in the cabin,
Both were killed. Brewster's body was
recovered and taken to Greenville.
Mr.. Shute, of Ohio, was blown into the
river and killed. His body was recov
cred and taken 10 Greenville
Mr. Z. Doran, correspondent o.
the New York Metropolitan Record
was blown into the river and saved
There were many others whom DR.
Shaw does not remember, and whose
names he has forgotten, who were either
drowned when the hull went down
killed by the explosion or wrecl
falling upon them, or losing theil
lives by attempting to swim ashore
/ The boat was In the middle OF tht
river, half mile from either shore
The boiler, or part of it, went down
through the bottom of the boat, caus-
ing her TO sink in few minutes. The
ladies' cabin hoatsd of With quite {
number on it, There were but three
lady passengers or board, Mrs
DIR. Shaw, of CIarkesville, Tennessee,
Mrs. DR. Shaw, 'of Memphis, and Mrs
Kline, of New Madrid, Mo-, all o
whom were saved. The stove IN tht
Hadies' cabin upset, and set the cabin
j on fire, but DIR Shaw extinguished it
Mrs. kline's' husband was sick In hi
room, but was carried out and saved
by DIR. Shaw. She lost little SOD, wh'
was blown overheard and drowned
some deck-hands had taken the yaw
and gone ashore; but the carpenter o
4 the boat brought it back to toe floating
cabin, and DR.. Shaw put the tire,
ladies and Mr.. Kline into it, and startet
for shore. On the way he picked vi
Capt. Dan. Kinney and Col. p. Doral
lin the river. DIR. Shaw started fol
4 shore with tue ladies ia tho life boat
but about twenty-five or thirty persons
jumped into it and sunk it, many o
whom were drowned. He. saved tn
ladies by pulling them back upon the
floating cabin, and several persons wer'
saved from drowning by hanging TO tn
dresses of the ladies'. @ efv
AT the time of the explosion littl
store boat was floating down the river
| about a mile above. The owner of il
and-a lady named Mrs. Thompson, wit
a little boy, pulled the boat towards TIA
wreck, and overlook the floating cabin
They saved all who were left upon it.
II When all became quiet about th
wreck and On board the little fiat, erie
were family heard across the might
waters for ''help p Death had hold