Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-22
VOL XXXIII.
THE DAVID WHITE DISASTER

~ IN III " IL = - - @'S-NH' 49,
Particulars OF the Terrible eatastrO-
! Fine Thirty-fOur Lives Lost aud
! Twenty-eig ScaIded The Nashville
( sufferers.
Il has been many years since the peo.-
/ pie Of this city have been called upon TO
/ deplore the loss Of steamboat involving
IS mach Of local interest and domestic
calamity as that Of the David White
Though Capt Kinney Survives, to the
great qualification Of his wide circle Of
! friends, others dear to hearts and homes
| in Nashville are gone forever From
| dav to day We have given such detached
! facts relating to this fearful disaster as
We could obtain, and now we have the
melancholy particulars as furnished to
the Memphis press by survivors, and by
| arties on the rescuing boats.
From the Avalanche of the 10th we
/ have the following heart.rending de-
tails
The David White left New Orleans on
| THURSDAY evening last, at five o'clock, with
! forty cabin passengers and five hundred
tons of miscellaneous freight, for Louisville
and Nashville. Everything parsed off in
! the usual quiet manner until after reaching
q point one mile below Columbia, MisslssiP-
pi, on Sunday, about noon, when she explo-
ded her larboad boiler, tearing the forward
portion Of the boat into fragments, literelly
| destroying the boat forward Of the wheel
| houses. At this time of the day, as all
steamboat travellers know, a large number
Of the male passengers generally congre-
/ gate in the forward part OF the cabin. In
| an explosion, as terrible a. this must have
| been, the reader can imagine far better than
| il can be described, the scene which ensued.
! Between thirty and forty human beings
| hurled hcadlong for perhaps an hundred
! feet into the air amid the wreck and debris
| Of the steamer-must have been a sight at
which the heart must have indeed turned
sick. OF all who were forward, al the
! time of the occurrence, either in the cabin,
in the texas, or on the hurricane root, not
one escaped injury; by far, the larger mum
Der, we regret 10 say, met with sudden
death from wounds received, or were soon
engulfed in the waters which, an eye-wit-
ness describes, as actually yawning for IFS
victims.
A minnie after the explosion had barely
ELAPSED. before, amid the confusion and ex-
citement Of the moment, stove was upset
in the ladies cabin. A fire, which threat
ened entire destruction at one time, ensued,
but through the efforts of less excited minds
il was soon extinguished. Here we might
say, and with unspeakable pleasure, too
that the life Of every lady was preserved;
not even an injury, beyond fright, hap
pening to any of them. A portion of the
boat, after the explosion, tloated some dis
lance down the river. Fortunately at this
iuncture the Emerald and Pauline Carroll
arrived on the scene, aud through the su-
perhuman efforts of the officers, crew and
passengers Of these packets, the drowned
and scalded, and many of the survivors
hating about in the river were rescued from
a death which at .one time seemed inevita-
BILE. Among those who were most con-
spicuous for their noble actions toward the
unfortunate sufferers, were Captain Hugh
White, of the Pauline Carroll, the first
clerk, John II. Hogue, and the steward,
James A. Williams. The officers of the
Emerald their names we cannot lust now
recall) did everything in their power to
alleviate the suierings of the uniortunates.
Many Of the wounded speak in the highest
terms of Dr. George ID. Gray, Of Helena,
whose efforts, medical and otherwise, were
the subject of praise by all, and especially
those who fell under his treatment.
Capt. Dan Kinney, we are happy to an
nounce, is not dead, as at first reported, but
is badly sCalded. lie was rescued from the
wreck in an insensible condition, but
through the medical attention he received
ia now in a fair way of recovery. The
! Captain is. at this time of writing, lying on
| the wharfboat, where he was kindly cared
for by Capt Bob Gibson and DIR. John
| Erskine. and both of these gentlemen, we
| might say, have eXerted themselves to their
utmost in caring for the wants Of all who
came under their treatment.
| Mr. Triplett, one Of the clerks, was badly
| wounded, but is, we are happy to say, able
to get about, and rendered material aid to
Capt Kinney and others Immediately after
the explosion.
The barkeeper Charley Grows, was ter
ribly scalded Little hopes are entertained
Of his recovery. 1t is said that he has rela-
tives living in the city.
In the list Of killed which we present be-
low, we are sorry to say will be found the
names Of Captain II. B. Shaw, first clerk
and part owner Of the White; Rufus
Toombs, Of Nashville, first mate. Melan-
cholv. as all mothers will appreciate, is the
fact that Robert Elan, the striker of the
boat, was killed. His mother, a few days
since arrived here from Paducah, with the
intention of settling here. Her son in.
tended quitting the White upon heI
arrival 1t Memphis, and had berth en-
gagged on an Arkansas river packet. He
was an only son--the support of his mother
the staff upon which che hung-upon
which she placed all her dependence dur
ing life Captain Charley Harrison, one o.
the oldest steambOatmen on the western
waters, was a passenger, and we regret tC
say was lost.
Messrs Shaw, Smithwick, Davis, Strong
and looms, Of this city were lost
The following passengers are known to
have been lost Captain Charley Harrison
Paducah: W. T. Brantz; William Lilly
Kentucky. j. q. Phutz, Ohio; Martin Xii
man. Madison, Missouri; Louis y. Bronze
! Wapello county, Iowa Butler Mills, Leha
non, Kentucky. Two persons, names IN
known. were found ON the bank at Poin
| lhiCOl
Among the wounded were Capt. Kinney
T. j. Shaw. Of GAINESVILLE, part owner O
the boat. and a number of the crew au,
passengers the whole amounting to 2S.
Among the saved We find the names o
Mrs DR. r. j. Shaw, of GAINESVILLE, Mrs
ur. Henry Shaw and VIM. Moore, of Nash
Vile, aud number of the passengers an,
| crew.
The David White was formerly the old
John Eaine She was hailt in Louisvill,
iu 1859, for the Louisville and New Orlean
trade During the war she was connecie,
with the Mississippi river Marine Brigade
On her palmy days she was regarded As on
of the heetcst, aa wen as one Of the hest
crafts aHoai.
pFrorUIAUoN oTrHE SoyTH
ing 90 the official census Of Alabama, takel
last wear. the population of that Stat,