The Hawaiian gazette., 1871-08-23
Appalling steamboat disaster.

boat Westfeld, at l:20 p. N. to-day, when IN th'
slip at Whitehall and crowded with passengers
exploded her boiler. The coucnssion was terrific
SCATTERING the forward part Of the boat, killing
and scaldlng great number Of people. The hur
ricaue deck was forced overheard and carried
large number Of persons with it into the water
who were drowned E-
Men we're struck dumb at the loss Of then
wives ard little ones. and women were distracted
with thus losing their husbands and children
while little children were crying for their parent:
who had gone forever.
The front Of the boiler suddenly blew out, lOdg
ing in the bow Of the vessel, thirty fee; distant
and the forward part of the boat and the upper
cabin were instantly shiye5ed and split into a
thousand pieces.
The forward part of the boat was Ifted fifty
feet in the air, the smoke-stack fell and every.
thing was buried in the hold; passengers, chairs
stools horses, benches and Ife-Preservers dropped
into the hold fronting huge boiler which poured
out volume Of steam. Many persons were
/ blown overheard fathers and mothers had child
rem blown from their arms. The water in an in.
slant was alive with men, women and children.
The after end Of the boat, which had escaped
the force of the explosion, would have been safe
FOR the uninjured, but the panic-stricken leaped
overheard withsat regard to consequences. Capt.
Unmau, Of the Newstreet Police. seeing the ex-
plosiOn, was promptly on hard; the alarm sound
ed and DR.. Spriene was at the scene within ten
minutes, well provided with medicines and band
ages. Cool and calculating, he saved several lives
by bis prudence one account puts the killed
and wounded st one hundred and fifty.
The Harbor Police Boat came to the rescue,
and number Of gentlemen in row-boats from
the Battery saved many. Firemen also went to
the rescue of Others and right bravely did their
work. When the fragments in the fore part Of
the hold was removed, the cries Of the poor half
boiled victims were heart-rending. Stimalants
were given them as they struggled for breath, and
oil poured upon their barns. As fast as the
wounded were recovered they were borne quickly
to another ferry-boat moored alongside, where
they were teuderiy cared for by the doctors.
Within twenty minutes ambulauees from Cen
ter Street Hospital were at Whitehall the seald-
ed victims placed in the ambulances and driven
to the Hospital at full speed Private carriages
and express wagons were brought into requisition
and also the insurance patrol wagon. Several
loads of moaning human beings were carried to
the Hospital Some died; many others were
delerious with pain, and one ambulance was filed
with children whose eyes were closed and the
whole Of their faces swollen beyond recognition,
their little feet and legs cooked and their muscles
laid bare. By four o'clock seventy wounded per-
sons had been received at the Center Street
Hospital, of whom five died within one hour.
The scenes were truly beart-rending. Twelve
dead bodies were removed from the boat, four
have since been found in the water and five have
died, making as far as can be ascertained, twenty
one persons killed nearly outright
Many of those in the water cIung to the piles
until rescued, but others sank before sid could
reach them, so that thirty-fve must have been
killed and drowned. This Is based on the lowest
estimates. The wounded reach over one hund-
red. Many were placed in carriages and driven
to their homes, and the drug stores in the neigh
borhood are filed. Among the injured was Sheriff
Maiden of Brooklyn.
Fifteen thousand persons had gathered at the
Battery within one hour after the explosion.
The Pilot, John MagiT, was thrown from the
pilot-hOuse twenty feet in the air and falling on
the boat escaped without injury. John Freeland
is Captain and Harry Robinson Engineer. The
latter Is a eolOred man, and the indignation
among the passengers against him is Tremendous,
though his friends claim that be is not to blame.
The boilers were inspected by the United States
Inspector Of Boilers on the 18th Of June and
pronounced safe.
Robinson the Engineer, makes the following
statement: 4" I hive at Stapletou, Staten Island,
and AN about forty years old. have been an
engineer fortweuty years and have been employed
BY this company for sixteen years. 1 have pass
ed an examination and have certificate. l did
not bring NJ certificate to the company as they
did not require one on this ferry. 1 had the en-
tire charge Of the Westfeld. She is halEhour
boat run On Sundays between regular trips. l
was on the boat when the explosion took place,
aud had Just cone of deck; it vas then twenty
minutes past the hour and I vent down into the
fre-rOou- One Of the engineers, Patrick Finne-
gan, was in the room and asked him how the
water was; he replied tlat it was all right. At
this approached the boiler and tired the third
,ock. and foand that the water in the boiler
reached It the boiler only has three cocks 1 /
then went up to the engineers room and went
n; l found that the boiler carried seventy-seven /
pounds Of steam From there vent on deck /
o the pIlot-hsuse, where the captain vas, and 4
.enained about two minutes Just as was 20
ng down stairs again into the e1gi1eroou the
explosion took placs, From where stood
new could not get through the door, 50 L open
q the trsp-doos- As did SC, saw one Of the
irsusu coming up the tap The boiler bad been
. use nine years and vas considered good boil
7. cannot say what caused the explosion.
ne boiler had = patch on the cylinder part where
be explosion occurred The boiler was over
zulsd last winter; IN fact the boilers Of both