New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-16
THE OCEANUs HORROR.

Belle st. Louis with the dead ana HVIhe
passengers from the Oceanus. The names
are given as follows:
PASSENGERS DEAD ON BOARD.
C. B. Huff, Covington, Kentucky; >. n
Lindermap. New York: Charles -,
blacksmith, Chicago.
CREW DEAD ON BOARD.
Alexander Connetty, second engineer,
died on board; John Reddy, deck hand,
died on board; Morgan Foley, rousta6out,
died on board; j. B. Stewart, fireman, died
on board.
PASSENGERS MISSING.
f. M. Sleight, Girard, Pennsylvania;
George Constable and wife, Noyes' circus;
Pete Wagner, Mount Pleasant, Texas; AL
bert johnson, Bloomington, Illinois.
CREW MISSING.
All Reeder captain; H. w. Worsbam,
first clerk; Charles Worsham, second clerk
Harry Trip, John Harris. George Wig gins
pilots; Charles Demerwolf, steward; Viii
liam Owens, barkeeper; Mrs. Wallace, cham
bermaid; Jim johnson, Allen Cook. fremen;
Henry Magustky, cook; Billy Hillman, sec
ond cook; William Wise, porter; Charles
Burkett, second steward; colOred barber
and tailor, names unknown; Ben Buck,
cabin boy; Gus Clark, texas tender; Billy
Hart, deck sweeper; Mat O'Shea, deck hand.
PASSENGERS SAVED.
F. johnson jenkins, Shreveport, Louisi-
ana, not hurt; Charles Carpenter, Ports
mouth, Ohio, not hurt; John Frey. Mount
Pleasant, Texas, badly burned; Matthew
Scully, Grand Rapids, Michigan, not hurt
ID. b. R0urke, COrsiacan, Texas, not hurt;
U. BlOOmer, Bloomington. not hurt; 6. +.
Beatty, Henderson,, Kentucky, badly
bruised; John Noonan, St. Louis, badly
burned; c. LoomaD, New Carlisle, slightly
Texas, not hurt; Robert Chew, junction
City, Kansas, slightly burned; Joseph Unke
(Germah), not hurt; John b. Marlin, Belle
vile, Illinois, not hurt; Chris Zelsdorf,
Rochester, Minnesota, not hurt; Daniel
McCune, Memphis, not hurt.
CREW SAVED.
George Keightly, chief engineer, not hurt;
Pat LAWN, Waterman, not hurt; Oscar
Joyce, mate, badly burned; Willis Webb,
fireman, not hurt; j. 3. Stewert, fireman.
badly burned; Forrest Lamme, rOustabOut,
not hurt; John Gibbons, roustabout, not
hurt; Martin Needham, roustabout, not
hurt; Mike O'Neally, rOustabout, not hurt
Henry Smith, roustabout, not hurt; Martin
Ball, deckhand, not hurt: John Ross, cabin
boy, not hurt; Charles thinner. third cook,
not hurt. ....-
clerk land Charles Demerwolf, steward,
arrived on the Cairo Short Line at half-past
eight o'clock yesterday morning, in charge
OF s. B. Fisher, carpenter, who was re-
ported among the missing.
On the lower deck Of the boat lay the
swollen and disfgured bodies Of six per-
sons They had been carefully covered
and placed under the stairway, and as soon
as the crowd could be parted were taken
ashore. By ten o'clock the wounded had
all been removed to the hospitals or the
houses of friends and relatives, the decks
had been cleaned and the boat bore no
signs of having been the carrier Of so sad a
cargo. One body which was mutilated be-
yOnd recognition was buried from the boat
below the city.
We present some details from the report
in the St. Louis Democrat:
THE EXPLOSION.
From the many stories of the saved, the |
following particulars of the explosion and |
the subsequent and indescribabIe scenes of |
terror are CLEANED. With a fair list of pas
sengers, variously estimated at from twenty |
to forty-the former, perhaps being the |
nearer-the Oceanus reached the foot of |
Hackett's Bend, near Brooks Point, at |
about four o'clock. Thursday morning, or a |
half hour before daylight, and, without |
striking anything, was blown almost to |
atoms by the explosion of her boilers. The |
passengers were all asleep, and awoke to |
wounded and covered by debris, and some |
in the water. Ole of the boilers was blown |
backward as far as the cylinders, and the |
forward part of the boat was scattered far |
and near. Those Of tie passengers who |
were able to move made for the rear of the |
boat, and as it Immediately caught fire, be-
gan jumping into the water in their night |
clothes. The officers distributed such life
preservers as could be found, and threw
overheard everything that could be made
available for the support OF the frantic pas
sengers. single boat remained, and that
was 80 injured as to be almost useless There
were but two women on bOard-one Mrs
Constable, a trapeze performer, and the
other cham bermaid, Mrs Wallace, both OF
whom were doubtless drowned
Captain Alfred Reeder, who had COM
maId of the Oceanus, a brief biographical
sketch Of whom appeared in yesterdays
Democrat, was undoubtedly burned to
death. Mr.. Fisher, the carpenter, heard
his voice in the cabin crying, 80, my God,
help, help" and used every endeavOr to
reach him, but without success. His cries
grew weaker and weaker, until the heat
and flames drove every soul from the wreck.
The first engineer says he is sure that he |
saw not only Captain Reeder in the water
but also Mr.. Henry Worsham and sor, the
first and second clerks. AS stated above,
the body of the latter was brought to this
SiSy iAoAA Saio yeStcICay morning. WhlIe .
the former has not yet been heard from.
Many OF the passengers and the crew had |
nearly reached the shore, when overcome
by exhaustion they gave up all hope and
were drowned. One or two, trying to climb
the bank, slipped and fell backward into
water and were lost. The boat strucE a
bar short distance below where the ex.
plosiOn occurred, and tbs cabin f|oa+ed :
down the river on fire.
OTHER INCIDENTS.
On board the unfortunate steamer were
two cages, one containing four performing :
lions and the other three half grown cuhs
in charge Of Frank Sleight. They had been
loaned by James Robinson to c. W. Moves
circus, and were being brought to this city
from Texas. They were worth abont 1
$4,000 Frank Williams asked Sleight if {
he could not do something for the animals,
as their piteous cries were awful to hear.
and when the latter said he was too badly !
to 90 to them, Williams got the
keys to the cages, but the heat was too
great to permit him to reach them, and .
they were burned to death. 1t is proper to !
state here that Mr.. Robinson at once tele- ,
graphed to New York for animals, which
will be here before the close of his exhibi I
lion.
MR.. CHEw's STATEMENT. $
/ live in Junction City, Kansas, and am {
one OF the proprletOrs of the Atlantic and S
Pacific Circus. was sleeping in my state Y
room, No. 3, midway of the cabin, when the
explosion occurred. l started out to see
what the matter was, and had hardly
reached the guards when the flames com y
menced sweeping over the boat l went G
back to the staterOom and put on nv | D
pan talOOns, vest, coat and a Dair of slim | l.