The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-03-20
EXPLOSION OF THE STEAMER
MAGNOLIA.
FULL PARTICULARS.
Eighty Persons Supposed to be
Lost.
Names of the Saved and those In
iured.

CINCINNATI, March 19.-Ab0ut noon
yesterday, the fine side wheel, mail
line steamer, Magnolia, left her wharf
at the foot of Walnut street, for Mays
vile. Her freight bills were heavy, and
and her passenger list contained the
names of about one hundred persons,
In addition to crew of nearly forty
persons, total of one hundred and
forty souls on board.
The passenger list was unusually
large, and all were in the best of spirits.
On the boat there were families home-
ward bound, merchants travelling on
business and pleasure seekers.
The explosion and horrible disaster
to life and property, occurred nearly
opposite the town of California. about
twelves above the city. AS is not gem
orally the case, the Magnolia had no
passengers to put off at California, and,
consequently, did not make q landing,
Past the turn she steamed, passengers
on board waving haudkerchiefs to
those on shore.
plosion occurred. and the Magnolia,
with all its precious freight, was a
wreck. No one knows how the explo.
sion occurred, but those in the vicinity
say that the forward part OF the works
of the boat were blown to atoms.
Capt. ]. B. Purcell, from whom we
learned many of the particulars con-
nected with the terrible disaster, hap
pened to be out in the river with skiif,
and was one OF the first at the rescue.
He describes the scene as being terrible
in the extreme. Women crying to their
husbandsior help, and children cling
ing to their mothers for relief. Those
explosion, gathered around the guards
on the afterpart of the boat, but the
wreck having taken fire, the flames
spread with frightful rapidity and those
passengers clinging to the afterpart of
the boat, we're forced to accept the al
Tentative Of jumping into the cold wa
ters, or being burned alive.
Most of them accepted the former,
and madly jumped into the river; and,
as Capt. Purcell said, those who could
swim staid on board and were burned
alive, and those who could not swim
jumped overheard.
The explosion occurred just as the
first dinner table had been cleared and
the second being prepared. Most of the
male passengers, who Ind taken dinner
at the first table, were standing on the
forward deck, and with them a consid-
erable number of Indies. All of these,
with but one or two exceptions, were
lost. Those on the afterpart of the boat,
who were not rescued by skiffs, were,
as we have already said, either drowned
by jumping overheard or burned alive.
Capt. Purcell informs us that the citl-
Zens of California, with some eight or
ten skiffs, rallied to the relief of the dis
tressed persons, and succeeded in rescu-
ing quite large number of persons.
Tho names of the injured left at Cali
fornia are as follows:
Miss Ellen Eckelman, NJ. D. Ride
nour, Col. Charles Marshall, Mason
county. KY, slightly, about the head
Mrs. Wiles'and daughter, Ripley, Ohio,
slightly burned. Rufus Martin and
EnnNHNnlSry e1E EwI, TO-. Il
Mr.. A. N. Fulton, of Ohio, slightly. w.
d. d. Kerr, of Higglnsport, o., slightly
bruised about the head and brenst,
Frederick Cox, editor of the Flemings-
burg (Ky.) Democrat, was badly bruised,
his lower jaw being broken, and he be.
ing quite badly scalded about the head
and back. G. d. Armstrong, of the
same place, had narrow escape, being
but slightly injured. G. a. Hustin, OF
Berlin, KY, had the lower part of his
body badly scalded. T. f. Jones, of
Smiths Landing, KY, had an arm
broken. George w. Kerr. of Bridge
town, Ind, was badly burned about the
head and ioins, and il is supposed thai
he has received internal injuries which
will render his recovery almost impos-
Sible. His wife, who was with him.
escaped with but a few slight injuries,
Jerome Stevens, the Second Engineer.
was only slightly scalded, but received
doubt contine him to his room for sew
eral days. Andy Connor, the pilot, was
at the wheel at the time OF the disaster.
and Notwithstanding that he was blown
into the air, he escaped with but a few
slight bruises. Alex. Elliott, the Sc.
cond Clerk, was more or less bruised,
but was in no way seriously hurt. o.
F. Shaw, the First Clerk Of the boat,
laid over during the trip, and was con.
sequently not on board. L. e. Relman,
OF Indiana. was slightly scalded and
bruised. VIM. D. Ross, of Kentucky,
received slight injuries, as did also
Thomas +. Jones, Of this city.
Among those known to have been
lost, were Captain j. II. Prather, the
commander of the steamer. The Cap
tain was asleep In his staIeroom in the
texas of the boat at the time of the dis
aster, and 1t Is probable that, being
| killed instantly, his body was blown
into the river and lost. VIM. Evans,
assistant bar-keeper, was waiting on a
customer at the time of the disaster,
and the two was never seen aGterward.
John Rose, a farmer, residing near
| Felicity, Ohio. was standing on the
upper deck, Immediately forward OF
the smoke stacks, and is known to
have been lost. Mrs. Lapan, a Cham.
bermaid, whose residence is in this
city, Is also one Of the lost. Mr.. Ste.
vens, the second engineer, was on du-
ty at the time of the accident, and it is
supposed he was instantly carried
into eternity. Miss Retta French and
her sister, two young ladies who du-
ring the past few days had been visit
ing friends and relations in this city,
and who were on their way to their
home in Mason county, were lost, The
last seen of them they were sitting at
a table reading, in the ladies' cabin.
Benjamin Bradford, of Ripley, Ohio,
a young man just returning from
school, was standing on the forward
part of the main deck just as the acci-
dent occurred, and as he was not seen
afterward, it Is supposed he was blown
overheard and drowned. The first
mate OF the boat Is supposed
to have been lost, as was also
The whole number of persons lost, ac-
cording to the best estimate we can
make, taking into consideration the
number on the boat, is So, As the
books containing the names of the
passengers were lost, it is probable that
their names will not be ascertained ior
weeks to come, and perhaps somo of
them never.
The tow:boat Panther, having num-
ber of coal barges in tow, was short
distance from the scene of the accident
when 1t occurred land Immediately cut
loose from her tow and went to render
assistance. Seventeen of the injured
were put aboard and brought to this
city. Much praise is due the Captain
of the Panther for his promptness in
the emergency, at great risk to the
property committed to his care.
The following are the names of those
brought to this city: Mr., Levi and
Mrs. Baker, of Ripley, Ohio, both
/ nlt tdh