The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-06-17
BY TELEGRAPH.
Exclusively for the Register.
ny the Pacific and Atlantic Line.
Office, IIO Main Street.
Saturdays Dispatches
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Ihe Steamer d. w. Mcdonald TX
plOdes- Hundreds Of DeaJ and
DyinS-A Sic kening Scene.

rvenng the city was startled by hearing
deafening sound, resembling the dis.
charge Of artillery. from the northern
portion of the city, the explosion OF
the new steam tug D. W. Mcdonald,
and hurrying to the spot terrible
spectacle met the view. All that re-
manned intact of the raft and steamer
D. W. Mcdonald, which had few
moments before steamed gaily past, was
few feet of hull, which was rapidly
sinking, while the water and hillsides
for hundreds Of yards around were
strewn with dead and dying and debris
OF the ill-fated craft The scene was
one Of almost sublime horror, making
the stoutest heart quail and bring
palor to the face of the most hardened.
\ gentleman who was walking from
North McGregor to this city says he
stopped 10 watch the boat, as he thought
she was making good time, when all at
once she seemed to jump out of the
water and fly all to pieces. lie could
distinctly discern the forms of several
persons hurled hundreds OF feet through
the air, with fragments Of the dismem-
bered boat. Three men were thrown
up on the shore some 260 Yards one
was instantly killed by the fall
Many were blown into the water in
various directions. One man, Daniel
Murphy, who, strange as it may ap-
pear, lived ten hours afterwards, passed
clear over the smoke stacks OF the
steamer Allamakee, which was at her
landing on the east side. The decks
and guards OF this boat were literally
covered with falling timbers, brick and
other materials from the wreck.
When the smoke and confusion Of
the explosion had cleared away several
persons were seen clinging to the float.
ing timbers which covered the water,
who were speedily recovered from their
perilous position by skiffs and placed
upon the Allamakee, and the ferryboat
brought them to this city. Only one
corpse was recovered at the time these
boats reported from the scene OF the
wreck, the others, some twenty in
number, having sunk out of sight or
iloated beyond immediate reach.
The majority OF the wounded were
taken to the rooms OF the hook and
ladder company in Evans Block, where
cots were speedily prepared for them,
aud their wounds dressed by the physi'
clans OF the city, aud all their wants
provided for by the munIcipa officers
and citizens generally. Twenty Of the
rhirty-eight human souls known to have
heen on the Mcdonald are dead or
missing, and ii is feared that many Of
he bodies may never he found, "a it is
probable that some OF them wens to the
bottom with the wreck. So soon as the
Younied were provided for telegrams
were dispatched to all places where any
~ the victims were known 10 have
.r.enl- or relatives. In response
10 Que OF these dispatches, the
-reamer Natrona arrived here al six
o'clock this morning from LaCrosse,
where many Of the uniortunates for
merly lived, TO do what she might for
The living and dead.
The D. A. Mcdonald was built at
cIaire, Iowa, last winter, and was owned
and run by the captain, after whom she
was named, who, however, was not on
board of her at the time Of the explO-
Ion. She was under the command OF
Cam. 4. Martin, and was on her way
from Rock Island to Lacrosse, with
number Of raltmen on board, going to
the latter place. OF course the theories
as to the cause OF the explosion are
various and somewhat complicated, and
all we can do towards solving the
mys,ery, is to give q statement Of the
surviving officers and such facts as
may he incidentally cleaned from out
siders. Mr.. Solomsn, the engineer,
who was on watch, states there were
three guages of water with one hundred
and thirty pounds Of steam on at the
time Of the accident. He thinks the
fault was in the boilers. They were
made at Dubuque, of ten flues; the
plate was three-sixteenths of an inch
thick and was not regarded as entirely
safe, as the Government Inspectors had
once refused to give the boat license.
There are but two other boats known
TO he running with the same class Of
boilers.
Wounded-V. A. Bigelow, pilot; A.
Rice, Trempeleau, Wis, wounded in
the head; Tom Johnston, Lacrosse,
light burn on shoulder Robert Solo,
mon, engineer in charge, Rock Island,
face slightly scalded and severely
wounded; Charles Peterson and Lewis
Larson, Lacrosse Patrick Kelly, AM
boy. ILL.,; James Morrison, Lacrosse;