The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-04-18
Terrible River Disaster
EXPLOSION OF THE RAVEN.
List Of the Killed and Wounded.


steamboat catastrophe occurred at this
port about eleven o'clock last night
the explosion of the steam tug Raven,
opposite Washington street, in Fulton.
The Raven was en- route from st. Louis
to Pittsburg, with three barges of iron
ore, and had also two empty barges IN
tow.
Arriving here she found one of her
boilers in bad condition, and put in at
Stewart's Landing for repairs. She had
four boilers, twenty-six feet long and
thirty-eight inches in diameter, provided
each with two eleven-inch fues. They
were six years old and were manufac-
tured of charcoal iron, one-fourth of an
inch thick, adBthe mandatory of Isaac
West in this city.
Having completed her repairs she
raised steam last night, and about ii
o'clock started to resume her journey.
She had barely got under way when
duty, observed that the boiler to which
had been added the new sheet was
leaking badly She was carrying at
the time one hundred and forty pounds
of steam. Becoming alarmed, the en-
gineer prevailed upon the captain to
head for the shore.
The boat, with her heavy tow, was at
once started for the landing, but had
proceeded but short distance when
the leaking boiler exploded with terri.
BILE 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 their
force to the catastrophe.
The steam and hot water permeated
the dismantled hulk from stem to stern,
and few there were of those who es-
capped blowing overheard from among
the crew Of twenty-three persous who
did not fall victims to its terrible fury.
The shrieks and groans Of these were
distinctly heard by those who witnessed
the calamity from the shore The boat
was complete wreck, and, as the dis
mcmbercd timbers fell crashing inward,
many were caught and manned or stihed
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. Captain DeWolfe was found
partially buried beneath the debris, his
head being badly injured and his right
arm broken. He was at once placed in
a carriage and taken TO the Broadway
Hotel
The wreck soon after being landed,
sunk, leaving the barges ahoat. The
ferry.boat Newport Belle then came up
were safely landed.
1t was impossible to get an accurate
list of the lost but it isknown that Asa
Woodward, the pilot, and George De
Wolfe, an apprentice pilot, were
drowned. The chambermaid of the
steamer Albion says that she witnessed
their death in the water. The latter
was q nephew Of the captain. The
colored chambermaid is reported lost
and others are reported missing.
The following were wounded: Mad
ison Circle, deck hand, severely wound
ed, at Cincinnati Hospital; Reuben
Sauser, fireman, badly scalded; Elias
Bowen, deck hand, badly injured;
George Abeis, engineer, bruised and
scalded; John Christy, fireman, slightly
bruised; Sam. Finley, deck hand, slight
"; Leonard Brown, deck hand, slightly;
Lee Sauser steward, slightly cut on the
face Robert Decker, cook, badly burnt;
Allen Aleshire, carpenter and watch
man. scalded on the hands.
The Raven was built in lS64-5, and
was in the Government service during
the war She was purchased about
eighteen months ago 10y the Pomeroy
Salt and Transportation Company, and
was valued at $4,000 There is no in
surance against explosion.
We have received the following ad- ,
ditional information of the Raven dis
aster: Supposed lost-Asa Woodward,
pilot John Colvin Devoly, first mate;
Jane Bell, chambcrmaid Persons on
another boat say they saw the two for
mer 90 down wounded. Joseph Mar
tin, engineer slightly scalded; Levi
Sausser, slightly injured; Reuben Saus-
ser, fireman, badly scalded; Elias L.
Bowen, deck hand, badly injured; Geo
Abels, engineer, badly bruised and
scalded Sohn Christy, fireman, slightly
bruised; Robert Decker, steward, dan
gerously injured Samuel Finley and
Leonard Brown, deck hands, slightly
scalded Allen Aleshire, carpenter,
slightly scalded Uninjured-Joshua
Somercad and William Love, deck
hands; Thos White, fireman.