Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-04-21
Towboat Raven Blown Up.
THREE PERSONS KILLEDAMD
TEN WOUNDED.
A Humber Reported Missing.
OF THE CASUALTY

condition, ana put IN at stewart
Landing, near the foot of Washington
street, for repairs. She had four boil
ers, e6 feet long and So inches in diam
eter.
Having completed her repairs she
raised steam last night, and about
eleven O'Clock started to resume hel
journey. She had barely got under
way when Joe Martin, one of the engin
eers on duty, observed that the boiler
to which had been added the new
sheet was leaking badly. She wa:
carrying at the time one hundred and
forty pounds of steam. Becoming
alarmed, the engineer prevailed upon
the Captain to head for the shore.
The boat with her heavy tow was al
once started for the landing, but had
proceeded but a short distance wher
the leaking boiler exploded with terri
bic force, tearing and shattering the
craft from stem to stern. The concus-
sion also caused the two adjacent boil
ers to explode, and these added theil
force to the catastrophe.
The scene, in the darkness and
gloom which followed, was one of ter
Tor and agony. A number were
blown into the water, and either sc
stunned or confused as to be helpless,
Mr.. Joshua Tucker, an old foreman
in Goodbill's stone-yard, was the first
one to render assistance to the suffer
ers. He heard the report of the explo-
sion, and, though in bed, hastily arose,
and together with his son set out for
the scene of the disaster.
Procuring skiff, they rowed out to
the wreck. A short distance from the
shore they found one of the victims
floating, and lifting him out of the wa
ter hurried him to the shore. They
returned again, and again found an
other human life to save. Reaching
the wreck at last, the old foreman met
a scene which caused his stoat heart
to quail, but summoning all his ener-
gies, and procuring the assistance oi
those on board who were comparative
ly unhurt, he succeeded in getting a
line to shore, thereby checking the pro-
gress of the hulk, which was slowly
drifting down stream.
The wreck, together with the clum-
sy barges, was swung in at the foot Of
Butler street, where it soon afterward
sunk. Several other parties had, by
this time, been attracted to the scene,
among them James Kennedy and Peter
Sharp. When the boat reached shore,
those of the crew who were able left
the wreck in the confusion, and many
of them strayed off or found quarters
along the river. Capt. De Wolfe was
found partially buried beneath the de-
bris, his head being badly injured and
his right arm dislocated. He was at
once placed in carriage and taken to
the Broadway Hotel.
THE CREW.
From the best information we can
obtain, the crew consisted of twenty
three persons, viz:
Captain, Samuel De Wolfe; first
mate, Darr De Wolfe; second mate,
Ellis Aleshire; first engineer, Joe Mar
lin; second engineer, George Abels;
first steward, Levi Sausser; second stew
ard, Robert Decker; carpenter, Al
en- Aleshire; fireman, Reuben Sausser;
John Christy, Henry Brown (colored) }
and Thomas White.
The deck crew was as follows:--
Stewart Leavitt, Sam Finley, John Fin
ey, Bob Hicks, Bob Bailey, Elias
Bowen, Jasper Sanford and Madison
Circle.
THE KILLED.
Asa Woodward, pilot, John De
Wolfe, mate, and the colored chamber
maid, were drowned.
THE WOUNDED.
Madison Circle, a deck hand, Sc
'erely wounded, was conveyed to the
Cincinnati Hospital.
The following persons are at the old
Marine Hospital: Reuben Sausser,
ireman, badly scalded; Elias Bowen,
badly injured; George
Abels, engineer, bruised and scalded;
ohm Christy, fireman, slightly bruised;
lam Finley, deck-hand. slightly; Leon
I'd Brown, deck-hand, slightly; Lee
steward, slightly cut on face,
Iobert Decker, cook, badly burnt; AL
IN Aleshire, carpenter and watchman,
calded on the hands. Six of the
men were taken to the Good
amaritan Hospital.
The wounded were all comfortable
t noon except Robert Decker, who it
J thought can not recover.
SAVED UN1NJURED.
Those known to be saved uniniured
re Joshua Sanford, deck-hand; John
'hristy, Robert Hicks, deck hands;
nd William Love, deck hand. Thom-
s White, fireman, jumped overheard
# and was saved by scrambling upon
barge.
Our reporter visited Captain De
Wolfe at the Broadway Hotel, this
forming, and found him resting quite
omfortably. His right arm is dislo-
ated and his face considerably bruis-
i. The Captain was standing on the
'wer deck at the time ofthe explosion.
Ainsley, the watchman, is also at the
roadway. He is considerably bruis-
l, though not considered dangerous.
Pieces of the boiler were found a
uarter of mile from the scene of the
saster.
Darr De Wolfe, the Captains neph-
v, was at the wheel, and although
own a considerable distance in the
r, escaped uninjured.
The Raven was built in 1864-5, and
as in the Government service during
le war. She was purchased about
ghteen months ago by the Pomeroy
alt and Transportation Company, and