Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-07-31
ANOTHER HORROR.
The StstsH-Islana FerrybOat Wsstfield's
Boiler ExpiOdes---A Crowd Of Passen-
gers Blown into the Air
Fearful and Heart -Rending Scenes Shock
ing Dstalls- Fifty Persons Killed and
About Ons Hundred and TWen-
ty Wounded.
Particulars from Eye-witHesses--.Siate'
mehi Of the Engineer Names Of
the Killed and Wounded.

mehi Of the Engineer Names Of
the Killed and Wounded.
New YORK, July 80, 7:5Op.m.-The
| Staten Island feTryboat, Westfield,
while in the slip at White Hall, and
crowded with passengers, exploded
her boiler at 1:20 O'Clock. The con
eussiOn was terrific, shattering the
forward part Of the boat and killing
and scalding great number of peO-
pie. The hurricane deck was carried
| overheard and fell over a large mum
Der Of persons in the water, who were
! drowned. The scene was beyond
description. Men were struck dumb
at the loss Of their wives and little
ones, and the women were distracted
at having lost their husbands and
children, while the little children were
crying for their parents who are lost.
| The front Of the
BOILER WAS SUDDENLY BLOWN OUT,
lodging in the bow thirty feet distant,
in the forward part of the boat. The
upper cabin and all was instantly
split and shiVered into a thousand
1t, 4" the forward part of the boat was
lifted fifty feet in the air; the smoke
stack fell, and then everything was
buried in the hold" Passengers, chairs,
stools, horses, benches and Iife-pre-
servers dropped into the hold fronting
the huge boiler, which poured out a
DEADLY VOLUME OF STEAM.
Many persons were blown over
board, and fathers and mothers had
their children blown from their arms.
In an instant the water was alive with
men, women and children, struggling
for life. The after part Of the boat,
which had escaped the force of the
explosion, would have been safe for
the uninjured, but they became panic
stricken, and leaped overheard with
out any regard to consequences. Cap
tain Ullman, ,..of the New street police,
hearing the explosion, was promptly
on hand. The fire alarm was sounded.
DR.. Shine was at the scene Of the dis
aster within ten minutes, well pro-
vided with medicines and bandages.
Cool and calculated, he saved several
lives by his prudence. Within twenty
minutes Inspector JamisOn was out
directing the efforts of the police and
KEEPING BACK THE CROWD.
Many persons were drowned in the
harbOr. A police boat came to the
rescue and the gentlemen who were
in a rOw-bOat near the battery saved
several lives. The firemen, also, went
to the rescue and right bravely did
they work. The debris in the fore
part of the hold was first removed.
The cries of the poor hal-boiled vic
Tins were heart-rending. Stimulants
were given them as they struggled
beneaththe beams, and oil was poured
upon their burns. AS fast as the
wounded recovered they were borne
to the deck. Another ferry-bOat
moved alongside, on which the unfor-
tunates were placed and tenderly
cared for by DR.. Shine. Within tWen-
ty minutes ambulanees from Center
street hospital were at Whitehall.
THE sCALDED VICTIMS
were placed in ambulances, and driven
to the hospital at full speed. Private
carriages and express wagons were
Also brought into reguisitiOn. An in
suIance patrol wagon bore several |
loads of moaning human beings to the !
hospital. Some died on the way, and |
others were deliriOus with pain. One |
ambulance was filed with children, |
whose eyes were closed and whole !
faces sWelled beyond all recognition.
Their little feet and legs were cooked, !
and their little muscles laid entirely |
bare. By four O'Clock, over 70'WOunded |
persons had been received in the Cen !
tire street hospital. Five of them died |
within an hour. The scenes here are |
heartrending. Twelve dead bodies |
were removed from the boat, four |
have since been found in the water, |
and five have died, making, so far as
known,
TWENTY ONE PERSONS KILLED
nearly outright. Many of those in
the water clung to the piles until they |
were rescued, but others sank before /
aid could reach them. At least thir- |
ty-fve persons must have been killed |
and drowned. This is basing it on |
the lowest estimate. The wounded |
will reach one hundred. Many of |
them were placed in carriages and |
driven to their homes. The drug
stores in the neighborhOOd were filed /
with them. Among the injured was
sheriff Madden, Of Brooklyn, who
was driving to his residence.
OVER FIFTEEN THOUSAND PERSONS
gathered at the battery within an hour
after the explosion. John Mayer,
pilot, was thrown from the forward
part Of the pilot house twenty feet in
the air, falling on the boat and escsp-
ing without a scratch. John Freeland
was Captain of the boat, and Harry
was engineer. The latter is
a cOlOred man, and the indignation of
the passengers against him Is tremen-
dOus. The boiler was inspected by
John H. Matthews, United States
boiler inspector, on the 18th of June,
and pronounced safe. Robinson, the
makes the following
STATEMENT.
live in StapletOn, Staten Island; 1
am about forty years of age, and have
been an engineer for twenty years; 1
have been employed by this company
for sixteen years; got q certificate
and passed an examination; did not
bring my certificate to the company,
Tor the company did not require one
On this ferry; l had entire charge of
the Westfeld boat; she is half hour
boat, run on Sundays, between regu-
lar trips, and was on the boat when
the explosion took place; l had Just
come of the dock; it was then twenty
i've minutes past one; went down
into the tirerOOm; one of the engi-
1eers, Patrick Finnegan, was in the ,
room; said, "PatriOk, how is the
Water?" and he 'eplied, "All right;"
At this time approached the boiler
and tried the third cock, and found
hat the water touched the third
cock; the boiler has only three
locks. then went up to the engine |
,OOm, and, passing the door, went in.
found that the boiler carried twenty
IeVen pounds Of steam. / then went /
ln the dock. Two minutes after l I,
went on the boat and into the pilot
house. The captain was in there at
he time. Just as was going down /
Itairs into the engine room the explo-
ZION took place. From where ] stood !
knew 1 could not get through the /
tOor, so opened the trap door. AS
did so l saw the fireman, Robert !
Jrasson, coming up the trap. The
boiler had been in use nine years. 1t r
was considered q good boiler. can /
lot say what caused the explosion. J
The boiler had patch on the cylinder
part, where the explosion occurred.
The boiler was oVerhauled last win
ier; in fact, the boilers of both
he WeStfield and Northfeld, I
examined the EDatchalast Thuradav \