The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-17
THE MAGGIE HAYS EXPLOSION.


statement of the Mate of the steamer.
The Pittsburg Commercial of last evening
says;-
MIR. Andrew Wilson, mate of the ill-fated
steamer Maggie Hays, arrived in this CITY this
morning from Cincinnati, to which place he
accompanied the remains Of Captain Martin,
and gave them into the charge of two brothers
of deceased. The body was to have been taken
to Sisterville to-day for interment. Mr.. Wilson
resides opposite Economy and left for home
this morning. He gave us some additional
particulars concerning the explosion, and
among other things emphaticaly denied the
statement made by some'of the papers that the
second engineer was compelled to run the boat
contrary to his own wishes. Mr.. Wilson states
that when the boat reached divers wood
yard, one of the boilers was found to be leaking
badly, and IL was deemed best to tie up Mt that
point until repairs could be made. The first
engineer, Mr.. Fleming, was accordingly dis
patched to Memphis to make arrangements for
having the repairs made. After he had started,
the second engineer, Mr.. McDermott, told the
captain in Mr.. Wilson's presence that he could
make the repairs and run the boat to Memphis
The captain replied that he did not want to run
any risk, and rather than do so would prefer to
wait until Mr.. Fleming should return. Mr.
McDermott, however, patched the leak, and
when the captain returned he told him what
he had done, and said he could take the boat
up in safety. Steam was raised, and after con-
siderable difficulty, owing to heavy wind
blowing at the time, the boat got out from shore
more than two miles when the explosion occur
red Mr.. Wilson gives it as his opinion that
the immediate cause of the explosion was want
of water in the boiler. and accounts for this de-
ticiency by the circumstance that the engineer
was so busily engaged at the engines during the
efforts to get away from shore, that he had no
opportunity of watching the boilers. At the
time of the explosion Mr.. Wilson was the
barge in tow. He states that when he heard the
report he turned around, the boat was enve-
loped in smoke and vapor, and in an instant a
huge mass of fire from the furnaces, together
with portions of the deck and cabin, fell into
the barge. AS soon as he could reach the boat
he found the captain near the capstan, in half
standing position. The captain recognized
him and inquired, What has happened ?"
when he was informed, he said, "Leave me
and save the passengers" The passengers
by this time had nearly all reached the barge
and after the captain had been carried ashore
successful efforts were made to eXtinguish the
flames which had been communicated to the
barge from the fire blown from the furnace.
Mr.. Wilson further states that the deck beneath
the boilers was crushed to pieces, thus letting
them down into the hold. He is unable to state
whether more than one of the boilers eX-
ploded, but the appearance of the wreck showed
that the force was exerted both upward and
downward. Concerning the deck hands who
are lost he says he had sent them to the rear of
the boat to coil up a stern line, and as the line
was found coiled up, he supposes that they
were on their way forward when the eXplo-
sion occurred. The fireman who escaped had
just closed the doors of the furnace and stepped
| to the starboard side of the boat. He escaped
with slight injuries. The other fireman is among
the missing. Some of the deck hands who
were engaged in coiling some lines on the bow
of the boat were uninj jured. Mr.. Wilson states
that Mr.. Oliver did everything in his power to
alleviate the sufferings of the injured persons,
all of whom were taken to his house, and that
he and his family were unremitting in their at
| tentions.
The scene of the terrible accident was forty
| HUn mi los nh nn nH
! forty-fye miles below Memphis.
| ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The Memphis Appeal of the 18th inst con-
tains the following particulars
Mr.. Hamlin, the pilot on watch, makes this
statement:-We left New Orleans on Thursday
the Sd instant. arriving. after various delays, at
| the foot of Island No. &C on Thursday. Some
thing was the matter with the boiler, and the
first engineer Mr.. Fleming, went to Memphis
to get tools to repair it, leaving the second
engineer, Mr. McDermott, in charge We left
our landing about o'clock on Thursday after
noon, towing barge, and started up the chute
OF Island 66. About half an hour after we had
been under way, the explosion ACQUIRED. / do
not know what caused it. Captain Martin was
sitting forward in the shears, and all at once
with a tremendous sound the texas and forward
part of the hurricane deck was blown away. l
saw bricks and other fXings of the boiler going
up in the air, and the smoke-stacks Immediately
careened to larboard, as did the pilot
house where we were. The first person
whom / saw was Mrs. Durr daughter OF
Captain Reese, of Pittsburg, and sister of the
second clerk, who was sitting in the Office at
the time of the explosion, and who got out
know not how. She came to the pilot house
where we, myself and partner, Mr.. Jones, were,
and asked us what she should do. told her to
sit down and be calm, while tried to get the
boat ashore. Mrs. Suydam, sister-in-law OF
Mrs. Durr (both of whom, with several others,
were on pleasure trip with us), came up also
both of them blackened with the explosion
Both sat down as we told them, and l tried to
get the boats head ashore. 1t was lucky we
were not in the stream. The boat had moi
caught fire yet, although we could see plenty
of fire amid the wreck. She swung around
/ towards shore, and the barge which we were
towing touched the bank. There was no way
to make 1t fast, however, and, leaving the
| Wheel cut the guy ropes OF the chimney, and
knotting them, threw them ashore. Mr.. Jones
my partner, ran out and made the end fast
Meanwhile / saw the boat taking fire for
ward, and ! sent Mrs. Durr and Mrs
Suydam aft, and put them under the charge
OF the mate, Mr.. Andy Wilson, who took theu
I | down the after stairway and put them on tht
barge, where the other passengers had most o
them already congregated. In short time th'
| guy rope that l had thrown out parted, but thu
? mate got out a hawser and made fast. I'M
crew meanwhile were doing everything In thel
! | power to suppress the flames, but soon toun'
! their attempt without avail. The captain hat
been found shortly after the explosion standin!
forward by the capstan, perfectly black, ant
r burned so that no one could have recognizes
: hlm. he recognized the mate, however, ant
. asked him what had happened. He was takel
! on the barge and carried ashore. w
! had made shore at the landing of B. L
oliver, who Immediately commenced dom
q all ne could for us, working as
6 his lie depended upon it. The second engineer
t Mr McDemott, was hunted for and found. IL
was still alive, and though horribly burned an
D n [