Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-09
TWO CENTS.
Statement Of j. w. Reed.

twelve O'Clock. After the excitement became
general l advised the passengers to keep cool
as the boat 1 knew would ground in low
water. Many jumped overheard before
she struck, and 1 threw planks to them
don't think a single person was drowned of
the forward deck after the boat struck. Capt
Wood was the last man that left the boat.
don't think there was a live passenger ahoat
when Capt. Wood left the boat. don't think
anything was left undone by the officers to save
lives and the boat. 1 told many of the
passengers, "For Gods sake. don't iump
overheard; We will be aground in low
water soon, and you can wade ashore" They
would not heed me, but jumped excitedly into
the water. had a cousin who jumped over
board before to boat stopped, who was lost. II
we could have got all the planks over board
many would have been saved. The shrieks Of
the women and children were enough to appal
the stoutest heart
The wawaset
is total wreck. She lies in about IL feet of
water at high tide, with her bow stuck fast on
the gravel bottom, at about four or five feet low
tide. The Wawaset was 10 feet long, % feet
wide, feet depth of hold, and was 1880 tons,
custom-house measurement. She was fitted mn
to suit both freight and passengers. She was
built in 1868 at Wilmington, Del. for the pur-
Smyrna to Philadelphia, but was chartered by
the government and brought to this river
to be used as transport for troops
The ferry company purchased her from the
government, and she had been used on the line
between this city and Cone river for freight and
passengers. Last spring she was completely
overhauled on the ways at Baltimore a saloon
cabin put on her upper deck aft, new furnished
and newly upholstered and painted throughout
making her one of the most convenient as well
as stauch boats on the river. Captain Wood is
an experienced seaman, and the full CORPS of
officers and men are old and careful hands at
steamboating.
No one can give any information as to how
the fire originated, but all agree that it started
in the boiler room below about her machinery,
and that in two or three minutes all about mid
ships was on fire the flames bursting up through
the decks and gangway, thus cutting OFF all
communication, butween the stern and aft
parts of the boat. In less than twenty-five min
utes from the time the fire broke out the steam
er was destroyed. As the windows and doors
were all open the draft was intense, and the
doomed boat was soon a sheet of flames.
THE LIST OF THE OFFICERS
OF the boat is as follows: John X. Wood, cap
tain; Robert Nash, engineer; j. W. Wheeler,
clerk; Robert Gravett, mate; John w. Boswell
pilot; and Samuel Nash, % engineer. There
were also four deck hands, two firemen, one
steward, one cook and the chambermaid. One
of the deck hands and the chambermaid of the
number mentioned were lost.
Mr.. Samuel Nash, assistant engineer, swan
ashore with an old man before he returned and
saved his father. He does not know the name
Of the old gentleman, but describes him as short
and stout.
Rohert Nash ha
that the scene of terror among the women and
children exceeds anything he ever witnessed in
his experience of thirty years steamboat engi-
neering; that the situation was such that it was
utterly impossible to do anything to save them
more than was done; that the fear of the women
Of the fire caused them to jump peIl-mell into
the water. He thinks several of the children
were burned to death.
THE INSURANCE ON THE wAwAsET
amounts to S25, 900, distributed as follows:-In-
surance company of North America, Philsdel-
phia, 50, 800; Phoenix, of Hartford, $1,000; Vir-
ginia Fire and Marine Insurance company, of
Richmond, $4,000; Etna, of Hartford, 5000;
Atlantic, of New York, s5,OOOi Potomac, Of
Georgetown, $1,000.
Scenes at the wharf To-day.
By early morn the news of the terrible disas-
ter had received general publicity, and, either
friends krown to be on board, thousands fiocked
to the wharf. The stern-wheel steamer Ma
tional, dilaIidated craft, which had brought
the bodies of the dead to the city, was the object
OF general OBJ ervation. Groups collected here
and there dis ussing the probable cause of the
fire and the fatal results arising from it. The
early boats from Alexandria brought up hun
dreds each trip to augment the already ex-
pectant and excited multitude. Women,
and men, wa'ked to and fro with a distract
ed look, avail ing anxiously the arrival of some
further details from the holocaust Toward
eight O'Clock the crowd became so great as to
render it necessary to close the large gates Of
the wagon entrance to the Alexandria boats,
and without stood packed assembly of men,
women, and children, waiting, aye, many wait
ing for tidings which would pierce cle heart
THE DEAD BODIES.
The bodies OF the dead were placed in a small
wooden house on the company's wharf, on a
wide wooden platform. Cold in death, at 6
O'Clock this morning, lay six bodies, four hav-
ing been previously removed. The most touch
ing appeal to the sympathetic was perhaps the
body of little girl not over two years of age,
who lay in the center. Around its mouth play
ed a smile, and the features were most perfect
in compose. A wet sheet covered the bodies,
and as they lay motionless awaiting Identiica-
tlon, IL reminded one OF the morgue OF those
cities whose daily calamities require such a de-
pository. Two policemen guarded the door,
but admitted all to view the remains who had
reason to believe they had relatives or friends
on the Inflated boat. Almost every moment
women passed in, and raised slowly the sheets
which concealed from public gaze the distorted
features of the dead, and breathed q SIGH of re-
lief when the inspection developed that thus far
they had reason to hope for the safety Of those
dear ones in whom they were most interested.
The Office of the Potomac Ferry Company was
also beseiged, and almost necessarily new in
curing parties arrived, who were given the
fullest information in possession Of the compa-
ny's agents.
The Dead.
At IL O'Clock there were two bodies Of the
women and three of the children laying at the
wharf. One Of the former was recognized rs
that of Patsy Sands, but the other one 10 un-
known. Capt. Wood called to see II he could
identify it, and thinks she belongs to the neigh
borhood Of Smiths landing, but does not know
her name. All the children have been identi-
fed exceFt one. The appearance Of the bodies
has changed very much since morning, being