The New York herald., 1871-02-02
THE MISSISSIPPI DISASTER.
Particulars Of the Explosion Of the
Steamer w. II. Arthur.
Correct List Of the Names Of the
Lost and Saved.
Statements of Some Of the Pas
sengers.

The sidewhcel steamer W. R. Arthur. Captain
Harry Brolaski, bound from New Orleans to Louis
vile. with valuable cargo and a large number Of
passengers many OF them from Cincinnati and vici-
nty exploded her boilers at half past one O'Clock,
saturday, fourteen miles above Memphis, took IRE,
noated down stream several miles, lodging her stern
the point OF the bar the foot Of Island AO ten
miles above Memphis where the bow swung around
0own stream and sunk The rush OF Water over
the lower deck extinguished the fire after it had
burned nearly all OF the forward part OF the cabin.
During the excitement many OF the people jumped
overheard and were lost. A number got on bales of
cotton and other objects and were saved Many
perisned In the river.
The night was dark and tempestuous; a heavy
sleet rain and snow intermixed was railing, and
the wind blew sharp from the north. The first
knowledge had of the disaster was from the
cries OF people floating down opposite the city OF
Memphis AT daylight several tugs and ferry.
boats went to their aid at once, and succeeded
IN saving between fifty and one hundred people.
KNOWN TO BE SAVED.
The following are the saved SO far as known up to
late hour Saturday night
A. G. Chenoweth slightly bruised; John Henry.
mortally, Golconda, nlineis; Miss L. Harman Ark
MA; John Rice, Patrick Robbet, Edward Crews, ST.
Louis, John Young tcoloredl, New orleans; Charles
IrDDie EvanSvlle, Arcnie w nlte and Vile, cOiOred
Bayou Laiourche; Dennis Mckeough, Louisviile
Charles l.. Dodson, Cincinnati; Charles Allen, ST.
Paul, Minnesota; Lewis W. Hooper, ST. LOUIS;
John Schultz badly nurt Clinton, Illinois, Mike
Finn Louisville; William Racine, California: II. w
kogers. Jefferson, Texas; Nicholas Carroll James
N. Levy Nike Brown ST. LOUIS; Edward Barberich
New Orleans; I. II. McDonaugh VIM O. Hearp. Jerry
Mack, ST. LOUIS; X. J. Cole and wife, Leavenworth
Ind; Mrs. Ellen NJ Ryan, Atcbison, Kansas; d. H.
BENJAMIN f. Wilson and wife, Hickman, Ky; r.
Paxton and mother Philadelphia; &. l.. Do Dwyer
county, Tennessee; James A. Cameron, ST. Louis: s.
l. Myers. Somerset county, Pennsylvania; Daniel
Falconer, colored, 81. LOUIS Rachel Hanley colored
ioseph Gone II aonls League
Lapp, John Winders, Edward Funkhouser Mock.
port, Ind; Ell Miller, Valley CITY Ind; James W.
Leayenworth, Ind; John NJ. Mccartney. Pilot
Knob, Ind; p. NJ League, Illinois; Lee Totten.
fcolored) Cairo; VIM. Smith, Louisville: Martin
White, Tim Young, Chicago; John j. Hall, St. Louis;
!! Harper teoloredj; Memphis; John Barber colored.
mate; =. Wrtz, second clerk. Phillips third
clerk; MISS Neither. Jefferson, Texas; Albert
Joseph Fitzgerald, Pat. Laughlin VIM. Harrison,
John Ward, Mike Coleman, - McKerry, Mike
Burchmaster, CINCINNATI; Louis w. Harper. St.
Louis; Mrs. Ryan, Santiago, Texas Charles Treble,
csntryman; hpgn s sar ana George s IKE Reed engineers
scalded.
SAVED BUT BADLY HURT.
Pilots Joseph w. Bryon and George Richie, st.
Louis; George Reed and George Blank engineers:
kate Murphy, chambermaid Mike Baylon Pennsyl,
yanla: Charles Kearney ST. Louis; George Bowers
Uniontown, KY; Charles Hudson, Waupon, WIS.,;
George Johnson lcoloredl Cairo. Mrs. Captain
Broask Is hurt in the head and chest and her ltIe
sister has her arm sprained; Mary Miller, nurse,
badly sealded; pilots badly scaded and bruised,
THE LOST.
Mate Miller Allen, New orleans; John Bowman,
nrst CLERK; second and third chainbermalds: MISS
Baxter, Philadelphia; Mary Corri seamstress ST.
Louis; Daniel Storke, a wen known pilot OF Aurora,
Ind; one barkeeper: /. julien, wife and child Col.
conda, ILL.,. second steward, second porter: r. Rus
sell, wife and son, Jefferson, Texas; Abner Rose
Louisville Peter Bennington, assistant engineer;
J. Allen wife and child, NJ. Sweeney, Steve Melton:
Henry Hines, Cincinnati; Mrs. Harman, two daugh.
ters son and nieces, Core Creek, Ark. Two bodies
a negro and a German, the latter about twentv p
three years old, dressed in gray jean pants, were
brought DOWN on the Excelsior The officers OF this
boat saw several boGies the wreck, under The
deoris, but the wounded were suffering so from the
cold they did not wait TO cut them out The body OF
paca, brown hair, gray eyes, was recovered this
evening, and has not been Identified. The body be-
lieved to be The second steward also found
Captain Brolaskl saws he had forty-fve cabin ana
forty deck passengers. He thinks at least sixty
were lost. Many got overheard and foated some
distance, aferward regained the wreck, and were
saved A lady, named Paxton, from PHILADELPHIA
with her son and daughter, got overheard. The
daughter. young lady or seventeen, had on life
preserver, and went noanng down IN good spirits
perfectly confident OF being preserved She perIshed
In the water, and her body was found on the Arkan
Eas shore to-day, cl1nging 10 root. The mother
and son. after being IN the river half an hour,
climbed back on the wreck and were saved. Many
Ii. r.
Y. Yulen OF Washington county, Miss, formerly OF
Golconda Ill, with his wife and child. were lost.
Dan stark, the well known natboatman was lost
K ]. Cole and wife, OF Leavenworth, ind were
saved: their two sons were lost. Miller Allen, the
mate, OF Moores Hill, near Cincinnati. had his leg
broken by the explosion, and aiterw ards lost.
1t Is impossible obtain accurate list OF those
board, as John Bowman, the clerk, was lost, and
those saved have scattered promi5cuOusly in every
direction Many destroyed VIII never be found out.
There is no question but that over sixty perished.
STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN HARRY BRoLAsKI.
RrOaSki a
LAD retired half an hour before; heard the explo.
sion, and felt himself lifted up and knocked down
by the dc bris OF the texas which fell upon him. He
managed to extrlcate himself, and got an axe and
cut his way out, saving himself wife and child,
charge OF Captain ]. Alexander Frazier. The boat
then took fire several times. He and few others
succeeded in eXtinguishing 1t. Had the cabin pas
sengers rem ained there all would have been saved
but OWING TO fright nearly all rushed down stairs.
Captain BrolaskIs leg was BADLY twisted, ana he
received several contusl0nS about his head His
wife and her little sister were seriously injured
STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN }. ALEXANDER FRAZIER, OF
CINCINNATI.
Captain ]. Alexander Frazier, of Cincinnati who
was passenger, says he and his wife were in bed,
but not asleep, when the explosion took place. He
heard fearful noSe ran out on the guard after
telling his wife the boat had blown up; saw the
state OF affairs, rushed back into the cabin, found
laski. He then learned that some one had run of
with the iifeboat, He then turned his attention to
beyond this he and his wife escaped unhurr.
STATEMENT or TIE CHIEF ENGINEER.
The boilers were SIX IN number and were fortysix
inches in diameter and twenty-elght feet long, with
five nues u each. The chief e gineer wno has
been the river since ls4S and on The Arthur
nearly year, says they were in good and sound
condition. Neither he nor his brother, who was on
watch, can assn any cause for the explosion.
Everything Indicates that they had plenty OF water
In them at the time. The fires in the cabin and
texas stoves were exiting uished by water and the
forward part the boat was literally covered with
IT, The law allowed 126 pounds Of steam ana there
were but 10 when they blew up.
STATEMENT OF THE SECOND ENGINEER
Her second engineer, George Reed, was on watch
when her boilers exploded. lie says he had tried
the water q minute previous and found the boilers
well supplied. He sitting on his loot box at
the lar0uard engine, and his assistant was standing
Dy the supply doctor having Just tested the water
supply wnen the boilers blew up, carrying one
eptIiely through the ooat between the cabin and the
lower deck, tearing stancnl0ns, sugar hogsheads
and cotton bales in Its passage. and lodging al the
stern Of the boat with one end resting the rudder
post The boats yawl was smashed 10 atoms by the
Of tnn