Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-02
THE WESTfIgLD MASSACRE.
Ninety-seven Bodies Recovered
Over Two Hundred Manned and
Scalded
Still Dredging for the Drowned.
All the Result of a Rotten Boiler
The Safety valve had Given
Warning,
seventy TWO Dead.

not expected 10 live from one moment TO
another All the bodies have been rec
ognized but two. A chubby baby about
nine months old awaits q claimant. 1t is
not seriously injured. Over eighty
wounded remain az the Bellevue Hospi>
tai. Probably fifty more remain scatter
ed about in private houses in this city
and Brooklyn. F aro z ~
On the watching the Dred-
gers.
Up to q late hour last evening, the Bat
terry grounds and all the neighboring.
streets were thronged with men, women
and children. The arrival of the Staten
Island boat Ca sister boat of the West,
tield) was watched with interest. She
was loaded with passengers who eagerly
crowded to the side of the boat to catch
glimpse Of the scene of the late catas-
trophe. Boats crossing TO Hamilton fer
ry, were also crowded; the sad faces of
the passengers plainly eVinced the anxi-
ETY. of all. Some friends of those who
have not yet been found congregated on
the wharf, anxiously watching the bred
gers, until gun from Bedloes Island
had just sounded across the water, when
several bOatmen c0ngregsted around one
end of the pier, and eyes were strained,
all anxioukly watching men in boats
steadily pulling at rOpes, which after all
proved to be caught in mass of old
rope. AS darkness set in the crowd gra-
dually diminished, and the divers cessed
to make their journeys, but the dredgeIs
worked up to late hour.
Coronet's Inquest.
Coroner Keenan, will in performing his
duty adopt the following procedure in
order TO save unnecessary trouble and
waste of time: A separate inquest will
not be held in each case; as bodies are
identified a certificate or burial permit
will be granted to the relatives or friends
who identify the remains, and then II
about weeks time grand inquest will
be held on all the victims. At this in
vestigstion Coroner keenan, will make a
most seaychiog inquiry into the cause of
the explosion. Expert machinists will
be examined regarding the condition of
the boiler and probable cause of its ex-
plosion. The engineer of the Westfield
will also be examined at length, and no
effort will be spared to place the RESPONSE
bility of the disaster TO where it really
belongs.
Later-Seyenty. nine Killed.
LATER The World publishes the
names of seventy-one killed by the ex-
plosion, and gays that there are eight
bodies unknown. The Herald gives the
number of killed even greater. The
names of one hundred and twenty seven
injured are also published. A majority
OF the killed and wounded are from this
city, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. It is
believed many more bodies will be taken
out of the water, and of course others
will never be found.
The most painful sfter-festure of the
tragedy was the appearance of hundreds
of anxious and half cEazed people at hos
pitfalls and station houses, inquirIng after
missing friends and relatives. One poor
fellow, Michael Finlay, who lost his wife
and child by the explosion, has gone mad
and attempted to commit suicide by
throwing himself into the East River.
Inspectors Matthews and Boale will COM
mence examination to-day at their office,
Twenty three Pine street, by order of the
Secretary of the Treasury.
Capt Belknap, as Supervising Inspector
General of steamboats,, received tele-
gram from Secretary Boutwell,, directing
MIN TO make most searching invesiga-
ton into the cause of the xplosion and re-
port the result of his investigations to him.
still Later-Ninety. seven Bodies He
covered Lover Two Hundred In
jured!
A terrible conviction is settling upon
the populace that the holocaust is yet more
awful than has even been suspected.
Several bodies have been taken out Of
the water this morning, making ninety
seven total already recovered. II is now
said by those best informed, the number
injured win exceed two hundred.
Cause of the Massacre The En-
gineer Evidently at Fault.
The Secretary of the Ststen Island Ferry
Company stated yesterday, that it was yet
impossible to account for the accident.
The Inspector of the company has rigidly
cross~examined the engineer and firemen
and captain and pilot and he cannot at
tsch the slightest blame to any of these
officers. This statement, however, may
be taken for what it is worth. As regards
the engineers allowance of steam pres
sure according TO Government certificate,
twenty five pounds to square inch would
prevent accidents. the Government
compels the use of what ia termed a
locked safety valve, which is only acces-
sible to Government inspectors. AT a
pressure of twenty seven pounds to the
square inch danger is supposed to begin,
~ o MO tiaOllRT
The engineer admits that the steam had
Just begun to escape through this valve
at the time of the explosion, thus incl
dentally admitting the fact that he cid not
previously know the amount of pressere
of steam, and that he had neglected his
engine. Had the boiler been sound one,
it would doubtless have resisted the pres
sure till the safety valve relieved it, but
the boiler was patched one, and that
close to weak spot-the main hole
through which the engineers enter the
boiler to clean it out That the boiler
was unsound at the break there can be
little doubt, for twas on the representations
to that effect of several gentlemen made
at the barge Office, with reference to a
piece that was blown on to the dock, that
maue inspector JdLul6Ou etlAO euO piOSo |
and carry it off to police headquarters.
TEST n0ny OF an Expert
Chas. F. Powers, Brooklyn Boiler In
spector, yesterday examined the boiler of |
the Westfield, and says:
The explosion, in my opinion, occurred |
from over pressure of steam, as there is
no appearance of low water, but on the /
contrary, there is every evidence of there
having beer plenty of water in the boiler.
NEW YORK, August 1.-Dragging for
bodies at the scene of the explosion was
resumed at day break, but up to this tine
only three additional ones have been
found. The excitement at the scene of
the disaster was intense, the crowd was as
great as yesterday. Only two victims of
the late boiler explosion remain at Center
street hospital. Policeman Buckley and
girl seven years of age, the latter iden-
titled this morning as the child of Jewish
parents, named Leiderhoff, Isl Thomp'
son street. The parents are among the
wounded at Bellevue Her sisters Anna
ard Lenora were killed. There are only |
slight hopes for the recovery of Patrick