Wilmington daily gazette., 1872-04-20
Full Particulars Of the Explosion Of the
Ooeanus.
Account Of an Eye Witness - Men
and Lions Roasted to Death
The Cries OF the Dying
Death in the Boiler.
From n World correspoU oUdeut.

The Cries OF the Dying
Death in the Boiler.
From World correspondent.
ST. LOUIS April l4.-Wth my left hand 40
badly scalded that it ia moved only with the
greatest difficulty and discomfort, and with my
beard singed from nv face, and the skin which |
once was beneath il pulled out like the crust OF
TART it may readily be believed that l am not
in the best possible hunior COR writing a letter;
and vet, after all, | don't know but that il the
best way Of diverting my mind from my sensa-
tions.
At this time we had nearly reached Brookss
Landing, near Dog Tooth Bend, which is about
twenty or thirty miles above Cairo. ] lay
down. and fell into doZe almost instantly
The next thing knew was a horrible and deaf
ening noise-a grinding and pushing scrape
Of timben against each other. Ii seemed to me
an age before could sufficiently arouse myself
10 try and get up, yet in few seconds must
have undergone an age of torment. They say
that when people are drowning they nee before
them the incidents Of their whole life, and 80 it
was with me. l said to myself, the time has
come. My left hand at almost the first warn
ing had drawn instinctively into bed, aud at
first felt but little pain in it. But when
sprang up and attempted TO dress myself
found that it was 40 scalded as to be utterly
useless. 1t panied me 70 that yelled with
anguish, but knowing that no time was TO be
lost made it work, and in second had my
pantaloons on and r,,shesl out. Never shall l
forget the sight that then met my gaze and blast
ed my eyes, The whole passage through the
staterooms was filled with boiling steam and
flying wood, and iu the insanity Of the moment
rushed At the other doors near me and tried
to wrench them open, yelling like q madman,
and crying, "Get up! Awake! The boiler has
burstv' / succeeded in pulling open door
near me and found within the berth man
lying in stupid slumber. ! shook him by the
collar, tried h awaken him in all possible ways
but il was Of no use, and presently saw that a
splinter had been blown up under him in such
q way thai II had entered at the back of his
neck anu gone through so that it was sticking
out Of his throat | ran out again and saw the
passage filled with men rushing about in their
drawers aud shirts as madly as had been doing.
By some stranRe instinct they ali seemed bent On
forcing the DOOR and arousing others who might
be sleeping to y sense of their danger. I rushed
out and soon found myself in the wheel throwing
wood and anything l could lay my hands on into
the water. where saw what seemed TO me hun
dreds Of persons swimming and floating about. |
was utterly crxzed by the heat and smoke,s and
knew not Whist was doing.
The whole forward part Of the cabin, texas and
pilot house had been blown away-lifted up like
70 much tinder, aud then like much iron had
fallen down upon the deck, bearing down under
it all who were there. and leaving them in plight
much worse than mine had been, for it was most
difficult for them to extricats themselves from the
tlnber l could hear their sbreks Of agony, their
biasphemy aud cries for help, aud did the best
could to help them. but in reality little was to be
dane. There they lay, smothsrsd by the smoke
and scalded by the steam, and yelling with intol.
erabls agony. l don't know how it was. but in
running wildly about the boat found myself
brought suddenly up by the Gagged lions, toward,
which the fre-for the boat had already begun te
A..~- rAnn
Creeping. did .ays It seemed flushing shin 's sions a,
though the boat itself were a burning lion lappins
itself with tongues of fire. The lions howled ana
shrsked with terror. clawing at the bars of the
cage, standing on their hind legs and taking thu
wires between their teeth, munching and cawin,
thsm in the intensity of brute fear and horror. =
Never shall l forget that scene, which even ther
struck me a. appalling beyond expression; mel
might be saved but these poor dumb animals wer
doomed. The cubs whined and screamed, runuin.
about their cages with the most distressed cries
and creeping up TO the old ones, who would occa
sionally turn round to bite or to lick them
stopped by them . minute and tried to find som
way OF opening their cage and they ceased thei
yells for the moment a. though they thought tina
was to free them and they would wait tugge
at the bars but it was Of no use. heard some
body calling, civilians, Williams, give me tn
keys; don't let the beasts bs roasted to death !;
but the fire came hotter and hotter, and raj
to place where some temporary safety seemed +
be offered. The whole cage Of lions yelled an
roared as ran away as if they knew that wa
leaving them to the most horrible OF deaths. The
ran back again to the wheel, and as made m
way saw people lying about on the boards eithe
dead or groaning and bowling IN the extremity q
suffering and fear. One poor fellow attempted :
clutch me by the leg. but as looked down So,
that in the very act OF catching hold Of me tn
skin had preled away from his hand, and with
yell he fell back and his eyes and mouth CLOSED
the mouth with shrek and the eyes with glar
OF untold agony. Again reached the wheel an
standing OH it saw woman whom l at one
recognized "a Mrs Constable, the wife of NJ
Constable. clown i'll the circus TO which the lion
belonged Everything was ablaze, and US look
ed out upon the water it seemed though 1t to
was on tire. Men were swimming and shouti,,
Ill it, grasping at the innumerabe fragments c
wood which were scattered about. The captain
voice could be heard calling and giving direction
yet even above all this noise and confusion coul
be heard the sgonized yells and screams of tn
lions below. doomed to death. and the roasting fir
ever creeping nearer to them. Somehow or 9th.
heard them above everything else, ana it adde
horror 70 the time more than il they had bee
human beings. Everybody seemed trying to tin
impossible means Of safety, calling aud yelling fs
plsnks and liie-boats TO be thrown to them. As
paMsd Mn. Constable she called out to me: "F,
Gods saks ave ne. can't swim; where IL IN
husband. Oh. what shall I dol" There we're sever
psrsons sAAnding bsslde her. tossing their arms al
shriekiug. doat know why should think of
but saw behind them the gray light Of the a
preaching morning, aud it lent horror ~ the seen
| Then ran forward, aud. in attempting to lea
to psft of ths boat which yet seemed hrm, m
foot clipped, and fell into the water. The col
river cafmed me somswhat. and Iswam towart
hand which ! saw Just sinking under the waite
It looked hike woman's hand. and ! thought
save her. I clutchsd at it just ~ it sank, an
horrible ~ tell the skin came Oh In my hand lii
Glove, and the person sank. TO rise NO NOR
Then sSvuW heok to the boat and tried to get ,
A~kA - skA knnk pA . -,