The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-12-24
The Ohio River Disaster.
SCENES ABOUT THE WRFCKs-THE WORK OF
RECOVERING THE BoDIE6-EEARLY a HUN
DPEn VICTIMS,

DRIED VICTIMS.
4 correspondent Of The Cincinnati Com
raercial has visited the scene of the late terri
bic steamboat accident, on the Ohio River.
65 miles above Cincinnati, and gives very
graphic description Of the scenes there
Having described the collision and the burn
ing Of the beats, he says.
"Of all those who were on the two burn
ing boats there was one mau-and only one
man-wEo sd eed his trunk. The man was
Capt David Written of the steamer Amer
ica. And Napoleon Jenkins, the pilot of
the America, saved his valise. | spent
twelve houIs at the wreck on Saturday,
December u. The scene may he described
in a few words. All that is left Of the
America IS her lower port guard imbeddcd
IN the frozen mud along the shore, the skel-
eton of her port wheel-house leaning on the
willow-fringed bank, the ragged metal
sheating along her bow, and several tan
gled fragments Of her chimneys. Some Of
her pantry ware is scattered along the bank.
The United States sits square on the bottom
uf the liver, tie backed frames Ot5her wheel
house still holding erect and together. The
muddy river lLcks the lower half OF the name
painted on her sides. The bow and stern
are out Of sight and covering her submerged
lower decks are motley fragments of freight
collars, shreds OF clothing fige-staincd Gull
nary vessels, broken shutters, bent iron grid
ers. charred timbers, shattered boxes and
gaping barrels The wreCEiug steamer
Graham aud barge are anchored next in
side The remains Of the United States and
Just below is the steamer Underwater. with
huge cranes, chains. and a pOnderous diving
bell IN her foreCastle. Along the yellow.
frozen bank, % or 80 feet high, with its
narrow slopiug beach t. the water, jeauSy
string of rUstics are squatting on their
launches, absorbing all tie sunshine they
can, and watching the dragging operations
with stolid faces. They flock from far and
near 10 see the accident (they emphasize the
last syllable,) and would rather freeze than
carry a faggut to the fire built II warm the
wreckers. With the mercury nearly at zero,
tie hardest among the wreckers cannot
work more than hall an hour at a time.
A row of eleven decent cgfius are placed
on the beach. One of them contains two
boGies-no. only the fragments Of two bodies
there is nothing but fragments in any Of
the solemn array of caskets. Il those Cutius
are deposited the O'ackencl cOrpses Of seven
unidentified men. fuur unidentified women,
and one unidentified female child Of 10 or l l
yeaTs of age. The lids of the C fins which
cover the female remains are partially
screwed down. Those over the males are
loose and whoever dares look on death in
its most grisly guise. may lift the seven lids.
one after the other, in siCkeuing succession
In every case the feet Of the b dies are burn
ed off Some lack legs and arms None
have a recognizable feature left save the
CHASTITY double rows Of teeth, and from them
the enamel Is gone. The fire burned off
faces and scalps; sometimes made ashes of
IL, l.f e -1l,oy f=cI
where there had been arms. knots Of roasted
muscles where there had been legs. In all
instances the fists have been clenChed Ike
the teeth. and the forearms doubled up
against the brcaSt-ln one case so tightly
that though the flesh is but partially roasted
of, the bones are wsenCled loose at the ell
bow. and CLEAN Ike ivory. In a ftw shell
tered spots on the bodies the flesh is sCorched
red and veiny. but elsewhere they are black
as if the baked flesh, the naked tendons, and
char,ed bones, had been coated with rusty
tar, One of the males was evidently a man
Of splendid mold aud vigor. 1t is supposed
that his body, which even the savagery Of
the dreadful fire could not wholly mutilate,
is that of Rev. Mr.. Parvin, OF Philadelphia
He was a man Of notably handsome form
and on such mcagre grounds does the talk
of Identification now rest. There are at
ing to recover the remains Of lost friends and
relatives What a narrowing errand is theirs
to rush anxiousIy to the bank whenever a
black horrible thing is dragged from the
river, to Judge bv cinging button, shred
of apparel. a tooth, a scar, ring. or a tuft
of hair, if it be some one whom they have
loved, whose beauty and buoyant health
they have admired. | saw a young Israelite
from Pulaski. Tennessee. whose father came
to Cincinnati to buy goods, and was a pas
senger on the United States on the fatal
night, conducted TO the row Of cofins 10 ex-
anime whether the remains of his father lay
there. He was not over II, quiet, mild
youth, with dark, sympathetic eyes. The
expression that stormed his face. when the
first lid was raised, was indescribably shock
ing. "My Godi" be brokenly murmured
.'dO they look so?' He gaZed at the others
vacantly, family shivering, like a man in
the first assault of ague. The bodies all
seemed alike all equally and unspeakably
mutilated-all perished forever from distin-
guishahe mortality, all shut ont from the
satisfied grief of kindred, and the last holy
tribute of affection. The youth sat around
the landing Che rest Of the day like one in a
stup0r, and when the ,lovvr, boat arri ve Il. de-
parted without a word to anybody.
Its not likely that many more bodies can
be identified, and it is equally improbable
that many more will be recovered. The
wrecks have been dragged aud probed, in
every portion, over and over again. The
bottom Of the river has been dragged with
long lines, equipped with many fish hooks,
and raked with pixies and graphing irons.
The submarine diver spent nearly three
hours on Saturday in exploding pile Of
submerged logs. against which 1t was sup
posed some bodies had drifted. aud in search
ing an eddy formed under the sunken outer
guard Of the America. he found nothing save
| a black alpaca dress, trimmed with lrrow
folds of black silk.
Eighty five persons are now known to have
been lost on the two steamers, provided none
/ of the II bodies remaining unidentified are
those of some whose names appear in the
list. Taking into consideration the unknown
persons who must have perished, the deaths
by the disaster cannot fall far short of 100.
On Wednesday afternoon an accident
occurred at Bird dgepOrt, on the Susquehanna
I immediately ODDOSite HarriShu-C Po 70