Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-27

Certainly no more noble tribute could be
paid 10 the memory Of that great and good
man than q rear the walls of the Uni
versity which was the most cherished OBJ
iect Of his thoughts and life.
UNIVERSITY.
TERRIBLE SCENES AT THE EXPLO-
SION OF THE STEAMER DAVID
WHITE.
Col. DOnan, a passenger on the Inflated
steamer, David White, that blew up near
Nicksburg, last week, gives the following
description Of some of the frightful scenes
that ensued:
Clinging here to a shutter, there to a
spar, and here TO a broken plank, black
ened scaided faces rose above the surface,
shrieking in tones of mortal agony: For
Christs sake save mew Jesus, have
mercy" For Gods sake help me ~
We were a half mile from either shore,
more than half Of the one hundred and
fifty Of the human beings we had on board
were either killed outri ght, or, burned and
manned, struggling for life in the pitiless
waters around u.s. and no house, no boat in
sight. Great God, preserve me from ever
witnessing such an wful scene again Our
gallant Captain, Dan. Kinney, frightiully
scalded, his face and hands covered with
blood, was clinging 10 piece Of a spar
some thirty yards from the wreck, but so
badly hurt that he seemed about to sink
THE WATER WAS NEARLY Up TO THE
CABIN FLOOR,
aud just "a struck the guards, Mrs. DIR.
Shaw, of Memphis, clasped my arm and
asked if | could save her, / told her not to
be frightened, / thought we would get Oft
and, climbing again on the roof called on
all hands and walters that were left to help
me launch the life-boat The first to re-
spond to the call was one of the most hor-
rlble sights ] saw during the day-a little
negro boy, an engine greaser, stark naked,
except piece of a shirt, and scalded from
his waist TO his feet till the great flakes of
bloody skin rolled down his legs every time
he moved. He laid hold, saying as he did
so: " All bossy, Pse most gone; Use
burnt all over, but dis boat must get in de
river D Heroic little negro He was re-
scued, but they say will die. Just at this
moment, Mr.. John II. Triplett, the only
one Of Dr. Shaw's assistants in the Office
who escaped, reached the roof Although
badly burned his GOODNESS and courage did
much toward saving those who were still
on the wreck. The first mate was killed
but his second escaped. n. W. Moore,
now reached us, and with the help of some
of the waiters and hands, we showed the
life boat off The water was now up to the
cabin floor Mr.. Triplett and DIR. Shaw,
one Of the owners Of the White, assisted the
three ladies and the invalid, Mr.. Klein.
into the boat.
AND THEN CAME A RUSH
of the panic-stricken walters, chamber
maids and deck hands. Mr. Triplett stood
has ground calamity, but in spite OF his
eXerlions, aided faithfully by John Hop
Hns, the colored steward, the boat was
swamped in an instant, and found myself
buttoned mp in heavy gray cashmere suit,
buiietting the suTges of the mighty Missis-
sippi. All that saw after this was in the
character of a hoater." As the life-boat
went down, DIR. Shaw and Mr. Triplett
who, throughout showed the GOODNESS of
veterans, succeeded, with the aid of the
steward and cook, in getting the ladies and
Mr., Klein back on the hurricane roof
GAIT KINNEY, BURNT AND BLEEDING As
HE WAS,
called TO them, from the fragment Of the
wreck to which he was clinging, to take
care of the ladies w Finding that nv
heavy clothes were about 10 sink me- | sue.
ceeded IN swimming though utterly ex-
hausted, 10 broken spar; and now COM
menced long, almost hopeless floating of
two OF three miles in the icy water Several
sank around me; several died of cold. As.
wholly powerless, drifted by Tom, one of
the negro walters, he clutChed at my spar
It was so round that the slighest touch
rolled II over, and feeling that had become
too numbed to regain my position,
ordered him 10 keep of. He soon after
ward caught a floating door. and was taken
out, nearly dead with cold two or three
miles below. A few minutes afterward
THE LIFEBOAT BOTTOM UPWARDS,
toated by in about twenty yards of me,
with four fellows sitting straddle of the
sharp-edged keel and balancing themselves
as carefully as tight-rOpe performers |
asked them why they didn't turn her over
and get in; they said there was man
hanging on each side, so near gone that they
would drown If they had to let go. They
both died of cold short distance below
The four on the keel were aferward res
cued. The main wreck was all this time
drifting down, not more than a hundred
yards above me. Mr. Shaw and Triplett,
calm and collected, encouraged the ladies
and others who remained on the roof. The
ladies all the way through behaved like
herolnes not a scream was heard from one
of them-uot as much terror shown during
our greatest danger as have seen senti-
mental misses exhibit If a Moses-hke old
COW CHANGED 10 turn her head toward them.
At the time our hle-boat sunk, one of our
down East brethren rushed up to Mrs
Shaw, caught her by the hand and begged
uer 10 save him She told him 10 shut his
mouth and keep his senses. and he'd be
saved when they all were. had been in
the freezing waller some half or thrce-uuar-
tiers # an hour. / felt myself slowly but
surely becoming insensible, and had almost
arrived at the conclusion that my last hour
had come. | ordered a fellow who was
swearing among some drift Just below me 10
dry up his siutulneas, and was, perhaps.
just making up my mind as 20 whether I
had entirely forgiven all my enemies, in
Gliding Ibad. Stevens, and whether could
love Beast Butler as myseIg-in fact / was
Just about 20 say, Now ! lay me down TO
sleep, and roll Oh my log.