Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-08-04
FEARFUL DISASTER AT NEW YORK
Ex pI oSion OF q Boiler "a Crowded Fer.
ry BOat-Men Women and Children
Vfctfms-AppaIIingS Scenes
New YORK, July 80.

AS the Staten Island ferry boat WIS
field was starting from her dock, at the
,oot of Whitehall street, Eext to the Bat
terry, at 80 this afternoon, with a heavy
lead. composed mainly of the usual class
of Sunday excursionis;s, to the number OF
about 800, the boiler burst with tgemen-
dous explosion, shive ring the entire upper
works Of the boat into a thousand pieces,
and laying open the whole forward part OF
the hull from the very keel. The tpccta
Gle on the Inflated vessle subsequent to
the explosion is beyond description.
A great yawniDg abyss stretched from
abaft the eDgipe-room close to the stern,
and the deck seemed to have opened like
sepulchre to swallow it's load OF precious
human freight in the dark hold beneath
The dead aud dying were lying about in
every direction among the debris of
broken TIMBER, spliDters and heavy ma
chInery. From amidships to the cut
| water the boat prt sents vast hold flied
with fragments of 81 ears, beams ind bul-
wark- and fragments Of iron. How many
bodies ttiIl lay btnea b the ruins in that
fearful hold it is imp ssible as yet to tell.
They are bringing them out every hour.
Many persons, as i'll the case of rofessor
March, Censviere, Of Brooklyn, were
blown bodily into the air, falling into the
water. Some have been hauled out by
boatmen with hooks, and otherwise, and q
large party are now engaged in dragging
the bottom, and are constantly finding
| bodies.
Men, women and children, still alive,
are brought in tcorched and bruised and
mutllated 10 such degree thai it seemed
almost Impossible that life could remain.
Among the dead lay the body OF man
with the buck of his head absolutely b!own
fl. It is said by some to be the freIo N.
One man, John Me Or. the pilot, was
thrown from the pilot house twenty feet in
the air, falling on the boat and escaping
without a scratch. john Freeland was
Captain Of tie boat and Harry Robins N
engineer. The boilers were inspected by
John K. Mathews. United States boiler
Inspector, ca the 18Th Of june, and pro-
nounced safe.
Henry .binson, engineer cf the West
field, stated thai he tried the cocks in the
b Jiler d few moments before the explosion
and found water st the upper book. He
states further thas at that time he looked
it the steam gauge and noticed that there
were 27 pounds of steam on her boilers,
also that steam Was blowing off at the
safety valve, showing the boiler was car
ryiDg the full extent allowed by the Ger
tIfcate. He further ates that The boiler
was repaired last winter. The cause of
the explosion was probably the breaking
of the joints of the plate with which the
b oiler had been patched on the rear end.
It is impossible as yet to give the names
or number Of the dead.
STATEMENT OF A FIREMAN.
One of the two fremen on board tt g
Yves field, named Robert Clawson, was Ii
he fire room at the time Of the explosion.
He saws that Is minutes before the acct
dent he was On the head cylinder Wiping
it off Then he went into one of the cabins
or drink OF wafer, and thence into the
fire room. While here be heard a Kissing
noise proceeding from the rear boiler, and
went to see the cause. He had gone but
about half the length Of the boiler when
he found the steam dense that he could
uot proceed any further, and turns to
come back, when he was struck in the face
b, the fl ing splinters and knocked down.
He made his way to the deck as fast as
possible.
This Kissing noise, which Crawson
heard. must have been the starting of the
plate patching of the boiler aud the fist
premonition of the impending disaster.
An examination of the boiler, ss it now
lays in the bottom of the boat, reveals the
fact that the explosion occurred at the
rear, and that piece about four feet long
and two feet wide was torn out Of the
] cket and thrown hundred feet on to the
dock at the barge office. Another and
larger portion of the boiler was thrown
directly for ward into the bow of the boat.
THE LATEST.
Iu Bellevue Hospital at IL O'Clock there |
were "a dead bodies in cofins, aud ten on |
slabs, all presenting the appearance of
being frightfully soalded, large patches of |
skin being torn off in many places. Since |
8 O'Clock there died in the Hospital Fanny |
Sandal, of Sixth avenue; Margaret Caro-.
line. two year old; Christopher Houch |
and wife,, Mr.. UlIman, Sarah Phillips,
baby, three unknown men, one unknown
woman, and Matthew Mahoney and John
Gerrity, both OF Brooklyn.
The surgeons at the different hospitals
Jay the majority OF those in their charge
will die. An immense crowd, estimated at
fifteen thousand. have congregated around
Bellevue Hospital, and a like crowd around !,
he Park Hospital.
A. M.-The most reliable returns OF
he casualties give the total number at SO,
nd wounded aoont 12O.
The steam power employ ed in the q. 8.
Oes the labor of 40 600 600 men while