The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-25
~ LocsI Politics on eighth page.
a sad Catastrophe.

Carleton" writing about the trip from CAL
cutta to Singapore, tells the following:
1t was mid afternoon when we passed from the
fresh water of the river TO the salt water OF the
bay. j was asleep in my stateroom, making up
what was lost in the battle with the mosquitoes,
but was wskened by q running sCross deck.
The steward rushed passed my door greatly agi'
tsted.
whats the trouble ?"
"The boiler has -" and he was gone, the
last half of the sentence not heard. put of
steam csme through the open part, q cloud swept
into the cabin. ! rushed for the deck; met the
thick vapor on the cabin stairs (; held one hand
over nv mouth. Instinct is quick at such times.
AS the hot and sitting fog swept over me,
crouched low, covered my face with my coat,
reached the topmost stair. Ten minutes before
had left Mrs. c., the captain and six fellow
passengers sitting on the deck. l reached their
chairs, feeling my way from chair to chair. seeing
nothing; the steam thicker and hotter. | could
hear cries OF agony. call A; no answer. Another,
and then faint " Here we are," from the stern
of the vessel.
Pushing through the steam, reached the stern
of the steamer to find those whom | had so re-
Gently left standing the grating above the rudder
head, their own heads above the awning which
had been stretched over the deck, thus protecting
their faces from the steam.
o. how long il took for that cloud to clear
away! 1t may have been i've minutes. but
seemed an age. Little by little we saw what had
happened. One poor fellow was rolling in agony
C.
Going forward and looking down through the
grating into the engine room, we could see that
one of the supeldedters had burst, pouring its
ap9s G Rs5g ED Ese m s9a IL S0ss D
the poor creatures were brought up, some dead,
Others dying, some with skin hanging in patches
and shIeds like the peelngs OF boiled potatoes,
countenanees marred beyond the possibility OF
recognition, flesh burned away, leaving muscles
and bones-nineteen in all, thirteen Of whom, be-
fore the next night, were numbered with the
dead.
They were all natives except one, the fourth
engineer ScotchmRn. Table cloths we're torn TO
shreos, oil poured upon their wounds-everyth thing
was done that could be, but for thirteen OF them
human aid was of no avail. The chief engineer
states that there but eighteen pounds OF steam
at the time, that he has frequently run the engine
at twenty-five. Ii was the "primlnB' OF the
boilers consequent upon passing from fresh to salt
water which caused the explosion, but an exam
nation of the rcn shows that under the super
heating process the life of the metal was burned
out. Superheatng is economical, but exceedingly
dangerous. This is only one more catastrophe to
be added TO the many already on record from the
bursting of superheaters.
Having two boilers still intact and the engine
uDDjured the captain decided to go on, though
our voyage will be two or three days longer IN
| consequence of the accident.
The bodies of the dead Hindoos we're committed
| to the deep without any religious ceremony, Tor
they have no funeral rites.
At sunset on the 22d the body of the engineer
| was brought up on deck. 1t was q sad group-hls
brother officers, the few passengers, the Hindoos,
Malays and Chinese of the forecastle looking Gu
rious to see how the Christians disposed Of their
| desd-tbe captain reading the sublime burial ser.
| vice OF the Episcopal Church-the uncovered
heads the tears rolling down the bronzed faces oil
the officers, the cross OF ST. Andrew covering the
body, for, TO the Of Old Scotia, that ia still
desrer than the banner of St. George then, as the
| sun sinks into the sea, the body disappeared be
meath the closing waves, committed 70 Christ''
| care and keeping till the Resurrection Morning.