The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-08-06
TEIxazApz1c SUMMARY
UNITED STATES.

utes past one o'clock Sunday, July 30tb. The
first bell had just rang when the explosion
was heard: The boat, as usual on Sundays,
was crowded with people having no less than
300 on board at the time. The scene of confu'
sion and horror which resulted battles descrlp-
tion. The boiler burst. carrying away the
whole part of the boat in front of the steam
pipe, and scattering the debris on all sides.
Men, women, children, horses, wagons, boards
and chairs were hurled i'll the air. Nothing
escaped that was on the forward portion of the
boat. The passengers in the rear rushed for
the entrance en- masse, but very few escaped
without some injuries. The scene was fright
full, and many tainted away from fear. Bodies,
debris and portions Of the wreck fell among
the passengers, and increased tho confusion
Many people fell in 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 inward at the time, and
forced water on the part of the boat near the
dock, where the greater portion of the passen-
gers had fed. To the I'd inst, the number of
deaths from this terrible disaster amounted to
eighty-fiv Q, the wounded to one hundred and
twenty-five Henry Robinson, engineer
of the Westield, stated that he tried the
cocks in the boiler few moments before the
explosion, and found water at the upper cock.
He states further that at that time he looked
ut the steam gauge, and noticed that there were
twenty-seven pounds of steam on her boiler
also, that the steam was blowing off at the
safety valves, showing that the boiler was
carrying the full extent allowed by the certi-
cate. He further states that the boiler was
repaired last winter. The cause of the expIo-
~ &c I, 90, TO
of the plate wires with which the boiler had
been patched. TIC Evening Post states edi-
torially that Robinson had been on deck, not
the part, however, which was blown off, for
the five minutes preceding the explosion, and
that in those Eve minutes the pressure
of steam must have risen from twenty-seven
to thirty thirty-two pounds to the square
inch. The force of the explosion was upward,
blowing away the main deck, cabin deck and
and hurricane deck in almost a straight line
across, q little forward of the centre of the
boat. The buiwarks forward were blown
away, and tho metal shade around the funnel
lies crumbled like paper. The iron pipe, an
inch thick, joined to the steam supply chest.
was torn away like cloth and hurled against
the side of the boat. Two water tanks were
forced backward toward the stern consider
able distance. The afterpart Of the cabin is
comparatively uninjured The killed were
taken imme lately to the Morgue and q large
party set to work dragging the bottom of the
river for bodies. Only two victims of the ex-
plosion remain at the Centre Street Hospital
Patrick Buckley and q girl of seven years.
The latter was identified this morning a
child Of Jewish parents named Leiderhoff, Isl
Thomson street. The parents are among the
nj Hars ia
tiers, Anna and Lenore, were killed. Only
slight hopes of recovery of Patrick Buckley.
Col. Waurchie, formerly partner of Garibaldi
was badly scalded and is not expected to re-
cover. David w. Kielicher, associate editor of
the I,isA World, has been missing since Sunday.
1t is feared he was lost OH the Westfield. One
man, named John Mayer, the pilot, W as thrown
from the forward pilot house twenty feet into
the air, falling on the boat, and escaping with
out q scratch. United States Commissioners
B ,lknap and Lowe are busily engaged making
arrangements for thorough investigation into
the cause which led to the explosion of the
Westfeld. They are determined to make full
and searching inquiry, and elicit such facts az
will disclose where negligence culpability
existed. For this purpose, numerous witnesses
have been summoned to testify in tho case. 4
Montreal dispatch says it has been defnitel.
ascertained that the Cuban Junta of New
York, for some weeks, has been actively enlist
ing mon to form part of an EXPEDITION: o
about 1000 men. The expedition will sail TO
Cuba in two or three weeks, The commando
of the Canadian contingent is Major Robinson
of Prince of Wales Rifles, engaged in the Re
River EXPEDITION last year, and was very activ
and efficient. Tho regiment which Majo
Robinson is to command will number abou
one Thousand men, seven hundred have alread
been enlisted, and a portion of them hav
been sent to the States. where several rends;
vous have been made along the coast Thei
departure was very quietly managed; tn
Government had no notion of what was goin
on until many of the men had gone. The off
GERS known to be interested in the expiditio
are Major Robinson, Capt. Stevenson an
Lieut. Henry Stearns, all of the Prince of w ale
rifles, Capt. Foster, late of the second batta
ion Queens Rifles, and one or two officers fro