The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-08-25
T erribIe Explosion
a Steamer Blown to Atoms
LOSS OF THE GEORGE WOLF
FULL PARTICULAR S

gers and crew, and which appears il
the World:
About 2 p. NJ. yesterday, the sterr
wheel steamer George C. Wolf passed
our town on her way to st. Louis
The i'll lated steamer proceeded on hel
way up the river until at a point two
miles this side OF "Shoo Fly Bar,
when q horrible explosion took place
We have been told the Captain was IN
bed and was awakened by hearing the
engiaeer try the steam by the gauge
cock. He was satisfied by the peculiar
sound that there was no water in the
boilers and started down stairs. About
that time terrible event took place
all three boilers exploded at once and
twelve souls were ushered into eternity
without moments warning and fifteen
persons at the same time writhing III
sgonies, and all caused by the careless
ness of one man, the engineer, who was
tue only officer Of the boat lost. Mr..
Dawson and family, co"=:3,IDg of his
wife and two chidre", r. urssengers
on board from Red River, and were
all lost. The steamer q. ". Cheek
arrived at the scene o. The d..aster
about two o'clock this morning. 'ap-
tain George Malone proceeded 10 d
everything in his power for the reI'ei
o. the sufferers. After rendering every
assistance possible he took on bo9r1
the wounded and brought them here.
The sufferers have been promptly cared
for by our city authorities and are as
well as could be expected. Rev. w. D.
Mayfield Was untiriug in his exerl!ons
TO relieve the sufferings OF the poor
caeatures, and by their looks and words
most heartily did they thank him Tor
his l.bors
MrapnIs. August % the IppeaE8 S
spec;.' rom u,ieus. referring to the
Woli disaster. says: The steamer Geo.
C. Wolf, a Red river packet from
Shreveport, La. bound for st. Louis,
aud belonging TO the Carter Line, blew
up at St. francis Island, ten miles
above Helena, at two o'clock Yesterday
evening. Twelve persons are known to
be lost, mostly deck passengers and
rous;abouts. A cabin passenger, an
old gentleman named Nilson, from
Shreveport, for Memphis, was supposed
to have been drowned or blown to
pieces in the wreck. The lady passen-
gers were al saved ,withthe exception OF
Mrs. Dawson, who, with her husband
and two children, from Tupolo, Miss,
were killed. The cabin was blown to
pieces. All the officers are safe except
lie second engineer, who is missing
A white lady and two children, deck
passengers, were buried in grave on
the Island last night. A fireman aud
a deck passenger were put of the
steamer Geo. W. Cheek on the wharf
here this morning, both scalded and
their arms and legs broken, The
number of killed and wounded is sup
posed to be one hundred in all. The
steamers Cheek and Phil. Allen stopped
at the wreck and rendered all the assis-
tance possible.
ST.. LOUIS, August 23.-The follow
ing are the sstements o. the men from
the i'll fated steamer Wolf, now in the
hospital at Helena. Polk Campbell,
white, scalded about the face, back OF
hands and from above the knees down,
says: Got on at Shreveport, on
the way 10 st. Louis; was in the
rear OF the engine lying on plank be-
hind bale OF cotton asleep, and next
10 him was a man his vile and three
children, a girl ten and a boy three
years old; they got aboard at Shreve-
port, going to Memphis as deck passen-
gers; they were all killed, and the Ia
dy's body was seen on the deck Of the
boat after the explosion. Two persons
belonging TO the Transatlantic Circus,
on their way to S.. Louis, names
unknown, were badly scalded and one
killed. The boat was landed after the
explosion on the Kansas shore, when
the engines fell through the deck into
the hold. The captain and men began
then to pump her out and continued it
until after the steamer Cheek left.
Captain Garter was sCalied severely
about the face but was otherwise un-
hurt. Five deck hands, colored, were
all slightly hurt, but remained at work.
Riley Burton, colored roustabout,
Of Nashville, was badly scalded about
the face and body and had his left leg
broken. which has since been amputa-
ted. Part OF the falling boilers
fell on him and crushed
him on deck, in which position he re-
manned some time. Robert Hornsby,
colored, lives in St. Louis, right shoul-
der broken and slightly scalded. Perry
Reed, colored, badly burned and both
feet badly scalded also his face; be lives
at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and was
asleep on deck at the time OF the ex-
plosion and was blown high in the air
and landed on shore. Isaac Simpson,
colored. lives in New Orleans, was q
passenger, lying asleep with Lorenzo
Dorr, deck hand, on the wood rack,
was blown into the river and caught
floating drift from the wreck, on which
he fosted down q mile, where be got
to shore; Dorr was never seen again
he got or board St Eicksburg, on his
wsy to St. Louis. G. Chaltman, color
ed, was asleep in a hammock, was
blown overheard aud drowned lived
and has a wife at New Orleans. At
the time OF the explosion the second
engineer was trying the steam gauges
and remarked TO the fireman, "hold on
with the fires, that mud valve 10 leak
ing" The fireman heard 8 noise be,
fore reaching the fire doors, and al that
moment 1.-THE explosion occurred. He
turned to look and saw the engineer
fall.
The physicians think that all those