The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-01
From the New York Times.l
THE FERRY-BOAT EXPLOSION AT NEW
YORK
DEADLY SOUND IN THE HOLD.

j
"A DEADLY SOUND IN THE HOLD.
All being in readiness, and the hour for
departure arrived, the assistant pilot, James
McGee, went into the pilot-house furthest
from the dock, and Captain Vreeland into
the one nearest it. The latter delayed CIV
ing the orders to cast off until he could see
the incoming boat appear in the Bay below.
That short delay was of inestimable value. |
Terrible as was the loss of life, awful as was |
the impending calamity in every respect, 1t |
would have been much worse had the boat |
been ,loesened from her moorings and got |
out INTO the Bay While Captain Vreeland |
was thus waiting, and Just about l O'Clock,
the engineer tried the water and found it
above the stop-cocIl. The government
steam-guage on the boat was fixed and
locked at twenty-seven pounds, and she
was carrying that amount, as she was blow
ing off steam. At this moment the fire.
man Carresan heard a peculiar kissing
sound, as if made by the escape. of steam
from the forward end of the boiler. Helis-
tened for moment; it was an ommous
sound, full Of peril. No such noise could
be heard from that portion Of the boiler
consistent with safety. lie started for
ward to investigate the matter, and had ta-
ken buta few steps when he encountered a
dense volume Of steam. At that instant
something struck him III the face and he be-
came insensible. The history in the hold
was closed. Ltaat go aHE2t8
THE EXPLOSION OF THE BOILER.
The pen is paralyzed in attempting to de-
scribe the scenes that followed instantly
upon that terrible inciC G 1T in the hold of the
boat, of which the fireman then had exelu-
sive knowledge. The boiler exploded with
terrific power, the whole end of The boat on
which the people were gathered was torn to
tatterS !; fragments went upward and out
ward. But that mass of humanity! Who
can picture Who dare even to think of
it? Lifted into the air, hurled into the
water, buried in the debris of the wreck
bruised, mangled, scalded, roasted, men,
women, children, babes, were mingled in a
mass of indescribable horror. Unutterable
agony was crowded into that instant OF
time. Scores of human beings were cast
upward with such force that a woman
whose white dress made her prominent
object was lifted above The tower Oh the adj
jacent South ferry-house, a distance OF
about thirty feet, and a babe was thrown
upward until it seemed but a doll. Scores
were cast into the water and disappeared
beneath Its surface. Scores were flung
down into the wreck and buried in tht
debrisa The shrek Of agony that came
simultaneously from hundreds of lips, min
ged with the deafening crash of timbers
and with that most appalling of earthly
sounds. the shrek of q horse in terror anC
pain, for one OF these animals attached to,;
carriage, in which were several persons
was enveloped in the deadly folds of steam
and tumbled into the crater made by tn,
explosion. Scores Of people were upon tn
edge Of the disaster only, and escaped wit
only slight scalds and bruises by rushin
forward and jumping from the upper deel,
on which nearly all the passengers wer
gathered, to the main deck, and the
hasten ashore. sNi
THE MOMENT AFTER.
The instant after the explosion the awlr
extent of the disaster was fully realized
The seventy-fve feet Of the boat furthercs
from the dock was a total wreck. TIL
main deck over the boiler, composed {
thick plank, was torn from its place as if
were mere paper, and mingled with frag
mcnts of the upper framework of the YES
sci, all of which was totally destroyed
was cast down into the exposed hold, til
sides Of which remained intact, as the hu
was uninjured, and piled in indescribabl
confusion above the boiler, which RENAME
below, excepting fragment weighing abol
scventy-five pounds, which was throw
upon the dock In this mass of broke
tinlbers, were over a hundred person
scaded, mangled, and presented a mo-
hideous spectacle than ever did the bloodie
battlefield in human history. Shreks an
cries of anguish, which came from thoS
wounded, were enough to appall the mo-
calous of mankind. But hundreds WI
had witnessed the explosion, hurried i
stantly to the succor of the injured, and
moment mangled and scalded forms we
being borne from the wreck to the Ney
street police staton-house and into the a,
jacent houses, and especially into the Eas
ern Hotel. Thousands were speed
gathered at the scene, and every com
was willing helper in the work of s,icco
ing the distressed. Very many of the j
iured, who had been so Fortunate as to c
cape with slight bruises or scalds, we
away unassisted, and their names, wi
some few exceptions, do not appear in Il
list of casualties.
HORRORS IN THE STREETS.
The scene along Broadway, from Whit
hall to Centre street, during the conveyan
of the mutilated victims of the explosion
the hospitals, was narrowing in the e
IRENE. Soon after the dreadful accideI
occurred, every available vehicle in t
neighborhood of the disaster, was press
into the service, and trucks and car
coaches and wagons, filled with the blood
scalded sufferers. writing in all the ayon