The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-09-16
THE "OCEAN WAVE" EXPLOSION.
Fifty sixty Persons Killed and
Wounded.
From the Mobile Register, Goth

2S.-The Ocean Wave made, yesterday,
an excursion to Fish River. She was
advertised to touch at Point Clear, and
this induced many persons to take pas
sage on her for the Point. She did not
touch, however, on her down trip, but
went direct to Fish River On her re-
turn she stopped at Point Clear, reach
ing there about 5 o'clock The boat
was made fast, and the band and part
of the passengers went ashore. After
remaining about half an hour the boat
blew her whistle to go, and the pas
sengers had just reached the beat when
the explosion occurred. | was sitting
III the eastern end of the hotel piazza
about sixty yards from the boat. A
young girl, one of the passengers, at
tracted my attention by her tardy move
ment toward the boat. She was
walking very slowly, though the boat
was about to put off She
seemed to hesitate and look back. -
Then she started forward at a quicker
pace, and was about forty yards from
the boat when the explosion occurred
In that case there was safety in delay,
| for half minute more and she would
have reached the fatal spot. The boat
gave out queer, Kissing sound for
some time before the explosion Then
came the report, followed by rumb-
! Der and metal flew in all directions.
! The fore part of the boat and cabin
was completely carried away The
chimney fell toward the stern of the
boat, crushing the upper cabin. The
boat Immediately sank, with her bow
submerged. The tide was rather high,
and the depth of water around the boat
was about seven feet L knew, in q
moment, that it must be great disas-
ter, and [ hurried to the spot to see
what | could do for the victims. [ met
a Wild surging crowd Of consternated
survivors hurrying from the scene,
some wild with grief at the loss OF rela-
tives. Just under the boat were sever
al persons, some swimming, some hold
ing on to pieces of floating timber,
and there were some who could not
swim, alternately rising and sinking,
soon to perish If help came not.
recognized J. M. Lomery, Clerk of the
Circuit Court, swimming very well,
and he soon got out uninjured. Hard
ly a boat was to be had, until too late
to rescue the drowning. The guests OF
the hotel and the residents turned out
in a body, and rendered every possible
assistance. Large numbers of boats
were hurried to the scene, but they az
rived too late to save the drowning.
All was over with them in less than
five minutes. But many of them were
so badly wounded that they would
have died, if rescued. Captain VIM.
/ Eaton, master of the boat, swan some
! time with both legs broken. A boat
reached his body just too late, and it
went down. A struggling woman had
/ Just gone down near the same spot In
the midst Of such confusion and terror,
ii was impossible to have any plan exc
cuted. The guests and residents at
the Point all acted nobly; many OF
them plunged into the water, with
their clothes on, and saved several from
drowning. f. H. Caldwell had the
good fortune to save two or three
children, who were immediately
cared for by the ladies. The ladies.
all unusued to such horrors, worked in.
cessantly in their ministratlons to the
wounded; everything that humanity
could suggest or require was done. In
a short time all the neighborhood OF
! Point Clear and Battles Wharf had
gathered at the scene. Only two physI
clans could be obtained-Dr Thomas
OF Battles Wharf, and DIR. reynolds
Of Mobile, who happened to be there
They had but few medical appliances
and were overwhelmed with the WORK
before them. They could only attenG
to the worst cases, leaving the others tc
the care of the ladies. Returning, fol
a moment to my room, / found it filled
with scalded children. Wilder scenes
of grief were never Witnessed The
frantic cries of the survivors, as they
lamented for lost wives, children, pa
rents, sisters, brothers, were agonizing
to all who had human sympathies. re
me, 1T was more painful to behold the
! badly wounded than the dead The
latter were at least, at rest, and then
sufferings in this world were over.
The number of passengers on the
Wave IS only cOnjectural, and so is the
number of the lost But the boat was
certainly crowded, and it is safe to esti-
mate the number aboard to be over
two hundred. Very many of these
were children, and very many little
hats and bonnets came ashore TO tell
! the tale of the little victims beneath
the waves How many were lost it is
! impossible to know. The number VIII
! probably never be accurately known.
The force of the explosion extended
/ upward and forward. All who were in
! the centre or bow of the boat suffered.
Those in the rear generally escaped,
except such of them as jumped over
! board and drowned The boiler was
not SO much exploded as it was torn
! open, with long seam 1t Was SO
rotten as to literally tear open. If it
! had been stronger, SO as to explode
with greater violence, the destruction
would probably have been greater.
Scarcely half of the passengers es-
capped unhurt, but the wounds of many
were slight. About twenty five of the
dead are recovered, aud probably rs
many more are under the water. These
will not rise 10y the laws OF nature until
Wednesday, and then they will be So
disfgured and distorted as almost to
prevent recognition, and to render it
impossible to coffin them. They should
be rescued at once.
The Ocean Wave has, for some time,
been considered an unsafe boat, and
she has always been an unlucky one. A
criminal responsibility rests some
where, and it ought to be visited upon
| those to VIII ose recklessness and inca
pacity it is attributable. The system
of inspections, everywhere, is loose,
careless and reckIesS and the officers