The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-02
THE NEW YORK EXPLOSION.
FULL PAR1IcULARS OF THE AWFUL
CATASTROPHE.
The Scene. on the rll-rdted Steamer.
The mails bring us the following detailed ac-
count Of the fearful boiler explosion in New
York on Sunday:

was starting from her dock, at the foot OF
Whitehall street, next to the Battery, at l.30
this afternoon, with a heavy load, composed
mainly ofthe usual class of Sunday excursion
Isists, to the number of about 800, the boiler
burst with tremendous explosion, shiyering
the entire upper works OF the boat into q
thousand pieces, and laying open the whole
forward part of the hull from the very keel.
The spectacle on the ill-fated vessel subse-
Quent to the explosion Is beyond description.
A great yawnlng abyss stretched from abaft
the englne-room close to the stern, and the
to swallow its load of precious human freight
in the dark hold beneath. The dead and
dying were lying about in every direction
among the debris Of broken timbers, splinters
and heavy machinery. From amidships
to the cutwater, the boat presents q
vast hold filled with fragments Of
spars, beams and bulwarks and fragments OF
iron. How many bodies still lay beneath the
ruins in that fearful hold 1t Is impossible as yet
to tell. They are bringing them out every
hour. Many persons, as In the case of Profess
sor March Ceneviere, of Brooklyn, were blown
bodily into the air, falling into the water.
Some have been hauled OUT by boatmen with
now engaged In dragging the bottom, and are
constantly finding bodies. Men, women and
children, still alive, are brought In scorched
and bruised and mutilated to such degree
that 1t seemed almost impossible that life could
remain. Among the dead lay the body OF q
manswith the back of his head absolutely
blown of. It Is said by some to be the fireman.
One man, John Major, the pilot, was thrown
from the forward pilot house twenty feet
without scratch. John Freeland was captain
OF the boat and Harry Robinson engineef.
The boilers were inspected by John K.
Mathews, United States boiler inspector, on
the 10Th of June, and pronounced safe. Hem
ry Robinson, engineer of the Westdeld, stated
that he tried the cocks In the boiler few mo-
ments before the explosion and found water
that time he looked at the steam gauge and
noticed that there were twenty-seven pounds
ofsteam on her boilers, also that steam was
blowing off at the safety valve, Showing the
boiler was carrying the full extent allowed by
the certificate. He further states that the
boiler was repaired last winter. The cause
of the explosion was probably the breaking OF
the joints Of the plate with which the boiler
had been patched on the rear end. 1t Is i'm
possible as yet to give the names or number
of the dead
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The following Is later account of the ferry
boat disaster: The first bell had just rung
when the explosion was heard. The scene OF
confusion and horror which resulted battles
description. The boiler burst, carrying away
the whole part of the boat in front of the
sides. lien, women aid children, horses,
wagons boards and chairs, were hurled
in the air. Nothing escaped that was on the
forward part of the boat.
The passengers in the rear rushed for the
entrance en- masse, but very lew escaped
without some injuries. The scene was fright,
tul, and many tainted from fear. Bodies, de-
orI NF fa1t fhn
passengers and increased the confusion. |
Many people fell In the river, and being una.
BILE TO help themselves, were drowped. Boil |
ng water was scattered In all directions,
scaldlng those who were unable to get out OF
Us reach. The wind was blowing inward at |
the time, and forced the water on the part Of
Loo hoilar noar tho dnol. l.--.Shere th--o.~-.a.
portion of the passengers had fed to
The Injured persons were taken to the Park
Hospital, to the first district station-h ouse and
to Bellevue. A great number were taken to |
.he hospital In the Park, which was soon filled,
and they were forced to send the remainder 10
Bellevue. The screams Of the wounded were
neartrending, and the hospital was terrible
scene to behold. The wounded were lying
some in beds, some on blankets
Ind others were walking around, groaning,
moaning and crying.
STATEMENT OF FIREMAN.
One of the two f1remen on board the West
field, named Robert Crawson, was In the fire.
room at the time of the explosion. He says
mat fifteen minutes before the accident he was
On the head cylinder wiping 1t of. Then he
went into one Of the cabins for drink OF
water, and thence Into the f1re-room. While
here he heard kissing noise proceeding from
the rear boiler, and went to see the cause.
he had gone but half the length Of the
boiler when he found the steam SO dense
that he could not proceed any further, aud
turned to come back, when he. was
and knocked down. He made his way TO the
deck as fast as possible. This Kissing noise,
which Crawson heard, must have been the
starting ofthe plate patching OF the boiler and
the first premonition of the impending dsas-
ter. An examination Of the boiler, as 1t now
lays in the bottom of the boat, reveals the tact
that the explosion occurred at the rear, and
that a piece about four feet long and two feet
wide were torn out Of the jacket and thrown a
hundred feet on to the dock at the barge or
tice Another and larger portion of the boiler
was thrown directly forward into the bow of
the boat.
The Investigation.
NEW YORK, August l.
The United States Commissioners, Belknap
aud Lowe, have been buSily engaged oil day
In making arrangements for thorough In
vestigation into the cause which led to the eX-
plosion on the Westfeld. They are deter
mined to make iull and searching inquiry.
and elicit such facts - will disclose where the
negligence or culpability existed. For this
purpose numerous wit. ''ses have been sum-
moned to testify In the case, and the proba-
bllity is the Investigation will commence to-
morrow before the commissioners.
TINT KU-KLU1 INTESTTaATTON
+
a Costly Job-Unfnir Statements-DInr-
tinI Law Probable for South Caro-