Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-18
Staauboat Explosion.

The steamboat Oceanus from Red
River for St. Louis, when near Brooks
Point, 20 miles above Cairo, at o'clock
this morning exploded her boilers, tear
ing the boat fore and aft and making
her complete wreck. All the officers
are reported killed and many OF the pas
sengers scalded to death or drowned.
No names has yet been received. There
were 65 passengers on board and 1t Is
reported that but four or five were
saved.
SECOND DISPATCH.
At four o'clock this morning the
steamer Oceanus from Red River to st.
Louis when 80 miles above Cairo ex-
ploded her boiler blowing her upper
works almost entirely off. Immediately
after which the wreck took fire and
burned to the water edge. Thompson a
pilot of steamer John Lumsden, which
was lying below, on seeing the light
from the burning wreck manned yawl
and proceeded up the river to ascertain
the cause. He found small party OF
survivors on Head Island but passed on
to relieve those on the wreck, 10 or II
were clinging to the wheel, but the
wheel dropped before he reached them
and all but four were lost He found a
passenger, name unknown, near the
shore badly scalded and who died be-
fore their arrival at Cairo.
The steamer Belle, of st. Louis, bound
up, took nearly all the survivors.
Thompson rescued the pilot, Halves,
who subsequently went to st. Louis on
the Marble City. Halves states that
Virgins, their Red River pilot, was
drowned. Harry Trips, the pilot who
was on watch, and Capt. Reader were
buried in the debris and were heard call
ing desperately for help, but the fire had
gained such Roadway that they could
not be reached and were burned. Fisher,
the carpenter of the Inflated steamer,
who reached here on the Shriye, was
not hurt He states that the second en-
gineer, Kennedy, was terribly scalded,
so that he was helpless and blind. Fisher
put him on stage plank with others,
but the stage capsized and drowned sew
eral including Kennedy.
Henry NJ. Warsham, the first clerk,
has not been seen since the explosion.
He expected to go through from Cairo
BIZ rail- but was seen on the boat after
leaving here. Charles Warsham, the
second clerk, Jules Dempercoly, the
steward, and Charles Murray, the cabin
boy, were found dead floating in the
river, all with life-preservers on. They
were brought here by the steamer
Shrive. 1t is supposed they were chilled
to DEATH
There were five lady passengers, all
Of whom are supposed to be lost. The
bodies of four ladies were seen floating
past Watson's Landing to-day, but they
were not recovered.
Fisher thinks that the pilot and him
self were the only employees of the boat
saved, though the Belle of ST. Louis
may have picked up some.
The officers of the Shrive state that
there We're about thirty cabin and thirty
five deck passengers, making, with the
crew, one hundred souls, about eighty
of whom are supposed to have been lost.
the greater portion of the survivors
being on the Belle of ST. Louis. No
names Of passengers nor any reliable es-
innate of the number lost can be obtain
ed except from her.
Fisher describes the effect of the ex-
plosion as terrific beyond conception,
the whole upper works being lifted
bodily and falling on the boat and into
the water completely SCATTERING her.
He saved himself by securing a plank
and floating until rescued by the yawl
from the John Lumsden. He was in
bed at the time and although covered
with bruises was only slightly bruised.
LATER.
The steamer Grand Tower just ar
rived, reports that the first engineer and
mate and thirty other persons are on
the Belle, of st. Louis. The second en-
gineer was saved, but he died of his in
juries