The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-03-07
The Horrors of a Steamboat Explosion.
Add iiionai Particulars o a Late slisa,tcE
on the His Issfpuf

1 a a~Ef
on the Pills Issippf.
A correspondent writing to the Memphis
AUdld0che, relative to the loss of the David
White, furnishes the following addi sional par
| ticulars:
was sitting at the time in my state-room,
near the ladies' cabin, reading. Thrown to
my feet, and my hat jerked off by the shock, |
rushed to the after part of the boat to see
what had become of our three lady passengers,
lsupposing that the gentlemen were all forward
when the explosion occurred. Not finding
any one in the ladies, cabin.-IsDEann- the
Tie unspeakable horror, Of the scene that met
my ewes A vast cloud of burning kissing
steam, mingled with ashes and smoke, was
pouring forth as if from the crater of mon
ster volcano; huge masses Of the wreck, tim
bers planks, parts ofthe machinery, and most
fearful of all, mangled human bodies, were
fying in all directions. The boat, from her
Wheel-house forward, had been blown into
atoms, and far around the deep, muddy, muir
derous waters were strewn with the fragments;
while clinginG here to a shutter, there to q
spar, and here to a broken plank, blackened,
scalded faces rose above the surface, shrek
ing IN tones of mortal agony "For Christ's
sake. save me ~ "Jesus have mercy ~ For
Gods sake, help me !"
We were haffa mile from either shore,
more than One-half of the $50 human beings
we had on board either killed outright, or
burned and MANNED struggling for life in the
DlJilGSS waters afOuHu us anu no uDUSG, ITO
boat in sight Great God, preserve me from
ever witnessing such an awful scene again !!
| Our gallant Captain, Dan. Kinney, frightfully
scalded, his face and hands covered with
| blood, was clinging to piece OF spar some
| thirty yards from the wreck, but so badly hurt
| that he seemed about to sink. lot OF deck
passengers had seized the yawl, and overcome
! by their villainOus fears, were making fol the
without rendering any assistance to one of the
sufferers around them. DR.. Shaw and | shout
ed to them to save the captain, but they paid
no attention, and kept on in spite of the remon-
strances of Mr.. J. T. Taylor, the boats car
Ipenter, who had fortunately got in with them.
! | say fortunately, for Mr.. Taylor, who de-
serves great credit for his conduct, half an
! hour or an hour afterwards, brought back the
yawl which these scoundrels never would have
| done, and saved many lives and rendered much
valuable assistance. All that | have described
! took place in few seconds. One glance
showed me the horrors of the situation, and
added to all the rest, our part of the wreck
seemed to be settling rapidly. noticed that
the life-boat was still safe on the hurricane
deck, and sprang down to take one more look
! for the ladies.
The water was nearly up to the cabin floor,
and just as L struck the guards, Mrs. Dr. Shaw,
Of Memphis, clasped my arm and asked if ]
could save her. | told her not to be fright
again on the roof, called on all the hands and
walters that were left to help me launch the
| life boat The first to respond to the call was
one of the most horrible sights [ saw during
the day-a little negro boy, an engine greaser,
| stark naked except piece OF shirt, and scald-
ed 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
''Ah bossy, Use most gone; l Sc most gone
Ise burnt all over, but dis boat must get in
de river ~ Heroic little negro He was res
cued, but they.say will d Just at this mo
ment Mr.. John Ii. Triple the only one oil
DR.. ShaW's assistants in the Office who escap ped
reached the roof Although badly burned, hi.
GOODNESS and courage did much toward saving
those who were still on the wreck The fits
mate was killed, but the second, Mr.. N. w
Moore, now reached US, and with the help o
some of the walters and hands, we showed TIT
life-boat off. The water was now up to tn
cabin floor. Mr.. Triplett and DR.. Shaw, on
of the owners of the White, assisted the thre
ladies and the invalid, Mr.. Klein, into tn
, boat.
And then came rush of the panic-stricken wal
tiers, chambermaids and deck hands Mr.. Trpet
stood his und calamity, but in spite of his exeI
tons. aided faithfully by John Hopkins the seWar
the boat was swamped in an instant, and fOun
, myself buttoned up in heavy gray cashmere suit
buletting the surges Of the mighty Mississippi.
that after this in the character of "foa
er." As the life-boat went Gown, DR.. Shaw and MI
5 Triplett who, throughout showed the GOODNESS {
veterans succeeded with the aid of the steward an
cook, in getting the ladies and Mr.. Kiien back o
the hurricane roof.
Captain Kinney, burned and bleeding as he was
: called to them, from the fragment OF the wreck I
y which he cinging, to take of the ladies
> Finding that my heavy clothes were about to sin
me, succeeded in swimming though utterly e.
hausted TO a broken SPAR and now. commenced
+ long almost hopeless floating OF two or three mile
n in the icy water. Several sank around me; sever
died of cold As wholly powerless. drifted pa
Tom ne Of the negro walters, he clutched at n
e SPAR IL was round that the Sill ntest touch role
h it over and feeling thai had become too numbe
u to regain my position, / order q him to keep off,
soon after caught a floating door and was taken o
q nearly dead with cod two or three miles below.
, few minutes afterwards the lifeboat, bottom U
J, wards iOated by in about twenty yards o me, wi
@ four fellows sitting adde OF the sharp edged ke'
e and balancing themselves as carefully as light rol
= performers. I asked tAen why they didn't turn b
n over and get in; they sai5 there was man hangI
on each side near goI that they would drown
they had to let go. Thj both died Of cold sht
a distance below. The four on the keel were atit
Z wards rescued. The main wreck was all this tlT
drifting down, not more than hundred yards abo
me. DR.. Shaw and Tr plett. calm and collected, {
9e cOur3ged the ladies' and others who remained
10 the roof The ladies' ali the way through behay
- like heroines-not a scream was heard from one
them not as much terror shown during our great
III danger as have seen sentimental misses eXhlbl
. Moses-iike old COW CHANGED to turn her head
le ward Them.