The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-08-03
Another FaarfuI Holocaust.
or a Steamboat BoiIer-Ter-
RfbIe Rs1uIts-FIfty Persons kil1OA
and over One Hundred Injured.

Explosion OF Steamboat Boiler.Ter-
rfbIs Resalts.FIf.y t. Rsrsons Is.nrsa A.aaea
NEW YoRK. July S0.-As the Staten ISL
and ferry boat Westfeld was starting from
her dock at the foot of Whitehall street,
next the Battery, at 1:30 to-day with
heavy load, composed mainly Of the usual
class of Sunday excursionists, to the num-
Der of about 800, her boiler burst with tre-
mendous explosion. shattering the whole
upper works of the boat into thousand
pieces, and laying open the whole forward
forw ard part Of the hull frsm the very keel.
The spectacle on the ill-fated vessel subse>
quent to the explosion is beyond description.
A great yawning abyss stretched from aoaft
the engine-room close to the stern, and the
deck seemed to have opened. like ssPul-
chre, to swallow its load Of precious human
freight in the dark hold beneath. The dead
and dying were lying about In every direc-
tiou among ths debris Of broken timbsrs,
splinters and heavy machinery. From amid
ships to the cutwater the boat presents
vast hold filled with fragments OF spars,
beams, flooring and bulwarks, and fragments
of iron. How many bodies are still beneath
the ruins in that fearful hold 1t Is Impossible
as yet to tell, but they are bsing brought
out every hour. Many persons, as in the
ease Of Professor Chenevisre of Brooklyn.
were blown bodily in the air, falling into the
water. Some have been hauled out by boat
mea with hooks and otherwise, and large
party is now engaged in dragging the bot
tom, constantly finding bodies. Men, women
and children, still alive, are brought In,
scorched, bruised and mutilated to Fuch
degree that 1t seemed almost impossible that
life could remain. Among the dead lay
al 81 H. l. g haa6 ahR
blown off, said by some to be a fireman.
One man. John Meyer, the pilot, was thrown
from the forward pilot house twenty feet into
the air, falling on the boat and escaping
with q scratch. John Freeland was the
Captain Of the boat. and Harry Robinson
Enginser. The boiler was inspected by
John K. Matthews, United States Boiler
Inspector, on june Is, and pronounced safe.
Harry Robinson, engineer Of the Westheld,
states that he tried the cocks on the boiler .
few minutes before the explosion, and found
water at the upper cock. He states further,
that at that time he looked at the steam
guage and noticed that there was u lbs. OF
steam in her boiler. Also, that the stsa M
was blowing off at the safety valve, showing
that the boiler was carrying the full extent
allowed by her certificate. He further states
that the boiler was repaired last winter
The cause of explosion was probably the
breaking Of the joints of plate, with which
the boiler had been patched on the rear end.
Many people fell into the river, and being
unable to help themselves, were drowned.
Boiling water was scattered in all directions.
scalding those who were unable to get out
of its reach. The wind was blowing in
ward at the time, and forced water on that
part of the boat near the deck, where the
greater portion Of the passengers had fed
to. The bodies of the injured were taken to
the Park Hospital, to the First Precinct Sta
tion.house, and to Bellevue. A large num-
ber were taken to the hospital In the Park,
which was soon filled. and they were forced
to send the remainder to Bellevue. The
screams of the wounded at the hospital were
hear.-rending. The wounded were lying
every here, some on beds. some on blan-
kets, and others were walking around groan-
Ing. moaning and crying.
The boats of the revenue cutter North
erner did great service in rescuing persons
from drowning. One of the fremen on the
West6eld named Robert Crawson was in the
fire room at the time of the explosion. and
says that fifteen minutes before the accident
he was on the cylinder wiping it off. He
then went into one of the cabins for drink
of water, and thence into the fire room,
Wpere ne nearO a nlsslnB noise preceeOlng
from the rear boiler, and went 10 see the
cause. He had gone but about half the
length of the boiler when he found the
steam 30 dense that he could proceed no
further and turned to CONS back, when he
was struck in the face by flying splinter
and knocked down. He made his way back
to the deck as fast as possible. This Kissing
noise which Cra~son heard must have bsen
the starting of plate patching Of the boil
sr, and was the first prsmonition of the
impending disaster.
In Bellevue hospital at midnight there
were twenty-four bodies In coffins, and ten
on slabs, all frightfully scaldsd, large patches
of skin being torn off in many places.
The surgeons st the different hospitals
say . majority Of those in their charge will
die. A crowd of people estimated at 10 900
Ii congregatsd around Bellevue Hospital.
and like crowd around the Park Hospital
July SLIP. M.-Tbe most reliable re-
turns of the casualties by the explosion,
give total of ffty>seven dead, and of
wounded one hundred and forty-two.