The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-01-07
GhegtttelElqereeG.
E1plosIon or the Harry Dean.
Sp,oial 10 d, pills1utpA oommsrclal.

Spoetal TO hs PittIbNirgh Commercial
GALLIPoLls, o., Jan. 4.
The steamer Harry Dean. which len
here at ten this morning, exploded her
larboard boiler two miles below, with
loud explosion. She had on board
four hundred barrels OF oil, which Inn
medIately lgnIied, and in five minutes
the entire boat was In flames. The
wind blew the boat TO the Virginia
shore, or the loss would have been
much greater. She burned to the wa.
tsr,s edge, andAunk In fvs feet water.
The books were all lost. The boilers
are reported to have been leaking from
Marietta down. They had three guages
Of water, and one hundred pounds Of
steam. She had on board about forty
passengers. SE.la4s
Captain Sayers was scalded slightly;
Clerk Booth and son were both slightly
scalded; the pilot, Burch, was badly
bruised and scslded; the engineer was
scalded slightly; John Halnes, fireman,
had his arm broken aud was scalded
badly, probably fatally; Mr.. RIgan had
u leg broken aud WAS scRlded badly.
Muney, the barber, received bad cut
on the shoulder; Mr.. Burnes, Of Park
ersburg, was sCalded badly. Captain
Norton Of Wheeling, Biggs Of Ashland.
and J. Il. Ryder are missing, aud three
others were seen burning, and II Is sup.
posed that five more are lost. -Four
others are Injured badly and about
twenty slightly. The boat was Insured
for ten thousand dollars. but In what
Offices was not ascerIaIned. W. N. Er-
win, OF PIttsburg was saved. The bodies
OF Buchanan and two other deck hands
have lust been found in the ruins.
A.speolal to the Cincinnati CONNER
eiaL, 31rom GallIpolIs, says that the
Dean had on about twenty-five passen-
gers, Including iour women aud three
or four children.
Mr.. Beare, a passenger on board from
GailIpolls, states that he was near the
doctor at the time Of the explosion,
and, hearing the engineer ring the hre
bell, he glanced at the steam gauge and
SAW that she had one hundred aud FL
teen pounds Of steam. Immediately
after, the explosion came. The force OF
the explosion was. upward, tearing of
the front part OF the texas and leaving
the forward part Of the cabin standing.
Every hour adds TO the list OF killed
or missing, From the absence Of all
authentic Information as 10 the num-
Der OF people on the boat, 1t Is impossi-
Bile to know how many were injured.
The scene around the wreck was
shocking In the extreme. Several OF
the sufferers lay scorched, blackened
and burned upon the burning mass,
with sufficient consciousness 10 be
aware ofa still greater calamity, their
total annihilation by tire. Many were
struggling In the river, and endeavor-
Ing To reach spar or piece Of the
wreck TO aid them. When the boat
first reached the shore, line from the
bow was made iast on the bank, but
from some cause became loosened, and
she swung around bow down stream,
when line was fastened from her
wheel TO the bank.
Captain Hiram Burch, Of Marietta,
the pilot on watch ut the time, although
seriously wounded, kept his post at the
wheel and held the boat untils she struck
the Virginia shore.
The Harry Dean was formerly known
as the Ohio Valley. She was built at
Cincinnati, by Capt. Chaplin, in 0cto-
ber, 1858, and during the war was one
Of the tlset Of Government gunbOats.
After doing considerable service, she
was rebuilt al Cincinnati, and run In
the Dean Line to Memphis as a regular
packet, her name being changed at that
time. She afterwards piled between
ArkAnsas and White Rivers, and New
Orleans.
The Dean was Il neat stern.wheel
freight and passenger packet, and her
loss IL disastrous TO her owners, who
recover no insurance from loss by eX-
plosIon. She generally had full pas.
seuger list on her down trip, but fOrtu-
nAtely, had a light trip OF people when
the disaster occurred. In November
last, by the inspector for the Cincinnati
Board OF Underwriters, the Dean WAS
valued at $4,000, and Insured, We
learn, for $4,000.
Captain Geo. W. Norton, lost on the
Harry Dean, was Que OF the proprietors
Of the Beltont Iron Works at lrOntOn,
aud WAS extensively known along the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, having
formerly commanded the steamers r.
H. Winslow, Geo. w. Kendall, Alvin
Adams and Empress.