Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-01

entire charge of the Wesifield boat; it is
q hslf-hour boat; run on Sundays between
regular trips; was on the tOat when the
explosion took place. | had just come
| off the deck, and it was then twenty five
minutes past one. went down into tne
fire room. / said, Patrick, how is the
water9' ard he replied, All right. At
this time approached the boiler and tried
the third cock. l found that the water
touched the third Geek. The boiler has
only three cocks. | then went up to the
engine room, and, passing through the
door, went in. found that the boiler
carried twenty seven pounds of steam. i
then went on deck. Two minutes after,
l went again on the boat and into the
| pilot-house. The Captain was in there at
The time. Just as / was going down stairs
into the engine-room, the explosion took
| place. From where | stood, / knew /
couldn't get through the door, so opened
the trap-door. AS l did so, ! saw the
fireman, Robert Crosson, coming up the
trap. The b iler has been in use nine
years. 1t was considered good boiler.
/ cannot say what caused the explosion.
The boiler had patch on the cylinder
part where The explosion occurred. The
butler was o7erhauled last winter; in fact,
the boilers of both the Westfeld and the
Mortified. / examined the patch last
Thursday. 1t seemed to be in very good
condition. / went on duty at o'clock.
/ relieved the engineer, Robert Brown.
Was Ho sober.
Robinson appeared perfectly sober, not
outstanding all rumors to the contrary.
He gave his statement of the affair in
cool and collected manner.
Anxious Throngs.
The excitement in the lower wards of
the city of Brooklyn and Staten Island
is intense, and the streets are thronged
with anxious crowds.
Statement of a Fireman.
One of the two firemen on boar1 the
Westfield, .named Robert Crasson, was
in the fire room a. the time of the explo-
SIGN. He saye that fifteen minutes before
the accident he was on the head of cylin-
der wipipg it off, and then went into one
of the CABINS for drink of water, and
thence into the fcelroo While here
he heard Kissing noise proceeding from
the rear of the boiler, and went to Sc the
cause. He had gone but about halfway
of the length of the boiler when he found
the steam so dense he could proceed no
further, and turned to come back, when
he was struck in the face by flying splin-
ters and knocked down. He made his
way to the deck as fast as possible. This
Kissing noise which CrossOn heard must
have been the starting of the plate of
patching On the boiler, and the first pre-
moDition of the impending disaster. A
cursory examination of the boiler as it
rested in the bottom Of the boat revealed
the fact that the explosion occurred at
a. the rear, and that piece about four
feet long and two feet wide was torn out
of the Jacket and thrown q distance of
about 100 feet on the dock ct the barge
Office. Another and larger portion of the
Soiler was thrown directly forward into
the bow of the boat.
Partner of Garlbsidi.
Another victim of the catastrophe is
Antonio Miscco, partner of Gsrlbaldi
in his candle factory at Clifton, Staten
Island. The poor fellow is shockingly
bruised, and can't move muscle without
suffering the greatest agony. He was
| bone TO his residence by his friends,
when his phy stefan pronounced his inju.
mes undoubtedly fatal. Miscco sacrificed
| all his wealth in the Garibaldi movement,
and in succoring poor Italian emigrants
| who came to this country. He was Carl
| bsldI's most intimate friend and adviser.
He was man of great ingenuity, and hiss
secured seventeen different patents for
improvements in candle. making ma
chinery, and had elaborated system Of
speaking tubs telegraphs by which he
proposed TO enable autipodal nations TO
converse together. SigDor Miacco leaves
large circle of friends in mourning,
Numbering the Lost.
New YORK, July 80, Midnight-The
| total number of killed 81 this hour is 81,
! OF whom only seven have been Identified.
| The unknown dead now in the hospital
| and station houses, awaiting Identifies
| ton, are twelve men, SIX women, and
six boys and girls, generally under twelve
years.
The number of severely wounded whose
name and residences have been ascer-
tanned is about seventy, and there were a
number of those less seriously injured,
who were removed aud cared for by
| friends. None of the officers or en-
ployes of the Westfeld are, thus far, re-
! ported among the sufferers.
syracuse OFFICIALS injured.
Mayor Carroll, Alderman Levi, Alder
| man Phillipson and Chief Fire Engineer
Eckle, all of Syracuse, were on board
the Westfeld, and all slightly injured !
nothing serious.
ALOuIsVflIc Merchant,
FL. w. Wilson, merchant from Louis
vile, KY, severely scalded in both hands,
and taken to the St. Nicholas Hotel.
The Coroners-Promfse of q Thor,
ough Investigation.
New York, July 81 -Coroners Keenan,
and Young visited the scene Of the cx'
plosion last evening. Coroner Keenan,
will hold an investigation but viii not be-
gin for several days, perhaps not before
next week 1. is intended it shall be
searching and thorough, and give the
opinion of several experts with reference
to the condition of the boiler, the material
which it was made of and amount OF
steam carried at the time will be Obtained.
The Jury will be composed of business
men or practical mechanics, able &c
render an intelligent verdict according tc
the evidence, and place the blame Of
this appalling calamity where it properly
belongs. The jury will view the bodies
st the norgue, and permits will be giveI
by Coroner Keenan, Ter their removal by
relatives or uudertakers. By order of TIT
Coroner no permits for removal wert
grained yesterday or last night. Nc
theory is offered by the officers of thu
comp my for the disaster The engineel
of The Mortified says that when thu
Westfed steamed cut from the Islam
she had four cocks of water, and from
the fact that only slight report accom-
panied the explosion, he thinks ther'
could have been but small head OF
steam on.
No More than ESQ Victims!
MIR. Stevens, Secretary of the Statel
Island Company, says that there was
government safety valve attached to tn
boiler. The Collector asserts positivel
that there could not have been more tha
$50 persons on board the boat. Tn
WestfeId being al extra boat, and bu
fauy nsrsons beinp aware that it had bee