Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-01-29
APPALLING RIVER DISASTER
Explosion on the Mississippi
Total Loss of thew. R. Arthur
SO Persons known to be Lost
RIVER DISASTER.

Loss oil the w. NJ AfsHU aDose
| uemphis-sixty Lives Lost-Near'
" Every ONE Aboard Scaided Oh
Injured. FoEEtE
Memphis, Jan. 28.-Another of those
disasters which have made the name OF
the Mississippi River steamboat SO terrible,
| has occurred, and we are called upon to
mourn the loss of great many of our
fellow-beings. This morning at l O'Clock,
during the fiercest of the storm,
the rain and sleet falling in tor,
rents, when the night was darkest
and most gloomy, the steamer w. r.
Arthur, loaded to the guards with freight,
among which were twelve hundred bales
of cotton, having on board more
than seventy men, women and
children, soupdly sleeping in their state
rooms, met with fearful accident The
steamer left this city about mid
night, and had run about twenty
five miles, when suddenly fearful
explosion of the boiler occurred,
tearing up the cabin floor in fearful
manner, filling the cabin with hot steam,
suddenly awaking and horrifying
the passengers, wounding many AID caus-
ing many 10 run to the guards
and Jump overheard. After the explosion
the boat caught fire, and floating down
the river struck bar and sunk. The
crew by great energy put out the fire,
and thus saved the wounded from
being burned to death. Three of the
passengers who escaped have just ar
rived here in q skiff, and report that the
loss of life was fearful, and that it will
not be less than seventy.
We will be procuring further particulars
very soon, and will send you LIT of the
names of the lost as soon as possible.
Second D'spatch--.PartiaI Lists of
the Lost and saved.
MEMPHIS, Jan. 28.-Two boats sent to
the assistance of the sufferers by the dis
aster to the w. r. Arthur, have returned
with number of those wounded and
saved. The passengers state that about
one o'clock this morning, while all were
asleep, loud clash was heard, and i'm
mediately afterwards the boat took fire in
several places. The explosion of the boil
ers tore away the entire trout of the cabin.
Those occupying rooms in that part of the
boat falling in the debris beneath. Those
who were able rushed to the hurricane roof.
The officers and crew, aided by some of
the passengers, having in the meantime
extiDguished the flames, the wreck then
drifted down the stream, and, leaking
badly, struck on bar, where it was held
fast and settling down in the water, the
cabin parted, leaving the majority of the
passengers on the hurricane deck, who
were by this providentially saved from
were fearfully burned. Among those
saved and brought here are Capt.
Brolaski, wife, daughter and nurse,
more or less injured; Albert Crouch,
deck passenger, badly burned; ]. II.
Carter, St. Louis, River Times, burned
slightly; Pat Malloy, rouster, Louisville,
slightly burned; Dennis McHugh, VIM.
O'Hare Pat Robinson, of Louisville,
burned slightly; Mike Finn, st. Louis,
slightly burned; Edward Crews, st.
Louis, burned slightly; VIM. Sloan,
pastry cook, Allegheny City, slightly
burned; David Alternately, Tennessee,
slightly burned; John Rice, st.
Louis, slightly burned; Edward
Raberick, St. Louis, badly; A. G. Cheno-
with, wife and four childred, Golconda,
H., slightly; Geo. Richie, pilot, severely;
Aleck Frazer and wife, Cincinnati,
slightly; A. NJ Wilson and wife, Kick
man, KY, slightly; Mary Miller, st.
Louis, badly; K. J. Cole and wife, Leav-
enwortb, Ind, slightly. They lost two
sops. Jas. Smith, deck hand, badly;
Chss. Deates, John johnson, Jas. Fitz-
gerald, Pat Lsughlin, VIM. Harrison,
| Jno. Ward, Mike Coleman, deck hands,
Louisville and Cincinnati, slightly; Chas.
Hudson, passenger, Wis, badly; George
Bowers, Uniontown KY, badly; Chas-
Nelson, colored, slightly; Chas. McKen,
ners, badly; W. Hague, Ills, badly; c.
L. Dodson, Texas; = Jeuder, Cincinnati.
slightly; John Schultz, H., badly; John
Center, Texas-tender NATION, Illinois
lightly; Louis W. Harper, St. Louis, and
Mrs. Paxson and son, slightly. OF those
known to be lost are Miss Paxson, Texas
Alfred Crouch, Ills. (; Mr.. and Mrs. J
V. Leer and child, Ills; Stephen Milton
colored; a Mr.. Russell, wife and son
also the boys of Mr.. K. ]. Cole, o
Leavenworth, Indiana, and fifteen o
twenty others, whose names cannot b
asceItained. Two bodies were picked "
in the river here, this morning, and NJ
merous fragments of the wreck are pass
ing the city.
The Arthur had 14O hhds sugar, 60
brls of molasses and 200 bales of col
ton for Louisville, all of which are prot
ably lost.
The wounded have all been conveye
to the hotels and residences of citizens
where everything is being done to allev
ate their sufferings. Nothing was save
from the boat the passengers barrel
ESCAPING in the clothes they had OF
: From present information, it is almo:
: certain that thirty lives were lost, viii
] upwards of seventy have been save
many of whom are burned so badly the
cannot recover. The boats passengel
and crew numbered about one hundret
of that number sixty have been broug
, | here.
/ StuI Later Terrible Scenes - TT
e Captains AccOunI-The LiGe-BO,
stolen by Five Men and Set Adrii
MEMPHIS, Jan. 2S.-The steamer w.
Arthur, from New Orleans for Louisvill
8 which left here at late hour last nigh
Y exploded her boilers fourteen miles sbo
!. here at half. past one o'clock this mornin
S tearing away the forward part of b
J cabin and texas. She then took fire al
I burned until the bow sunk. The mig
was intensely dark. After the explosio
most of the passengers rushed down
the lower deck. Many, in tho confusiC
Jumped into the river and were browne
When the bow sunk, the waves wash
/ the lower deck, sweeping off all who W.
) gathered there.
h Capt. Harry Brolaski, commander, IS
: he had retired a half hour before
l. heard the explosion. He felt hims'
G lifted up and then knocked down by
If debris of the texas, which fell upon hi
He managed to extricste himself; he
4 an axe and cut his way out, saving hi
t, self wife and child, whom he took to
l. ladies' cabin and left in charge of Ca
in Alex. Frayzer. The cabin took fire seve
lie times. He and few others succeed
in extinguishing it. Had the cabin p
sengers remained there, all would hi
been saved, but owing to the fright nes
all rushed down the stairs. Capt. b
laski's leg was badly twisted, and he
le ceiyed several cOnfusions on the he
ne His wife and her little sister were q