Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-08-24
The Ill-Fated st. Louis and
Shreveport Steamer ExplOdes
her Boiler Near Helena.
Full Particulars from Surviving
Passengers-Fifteen Persons
Drowned or Scalded
to Death.
The Dead and Wounded - Mir
aculOus Escapes-The AlIin
and Cheek to the
Rescue.
Special to the Appeal


HELENA, ARK, August %. = The
steamer George C. Wolf, Red river
packet from Shreveport ia bound
for st. Louis belonging to the Car
ter line), blew up at st. Francis is
land, twelve or fifteen miles
above Helena, Arkansas, at o'clock
yesterday evening. Twelve persons are
known to belost, mostly deck passengers
and roustabouts. One cabin passenger,
an old gentleman named Nelson, from
Shreveport for Memphis, is supposed to
have been blown to pieces or drowned
in the wreck.
The lady passengers were al saved,
with the exception of Mrs, Dawson, who,
with her husband and two children, from
Tupelo, Miss, was killed. The cabin
was blown to pieces.
All the officers are safe, except the Sec
Dad engineer, who is missing. A white
lady and two children, deck passengers,
were buried in one grave on the island
last night. A fireman and one deck
passenger were put off the steamer
George w. Cheek on the wharf
here this morning, both scalded, and the
fireman's leg broken. The number of
killed and wounded is supposed to be
about fifteen in all. The steamers
Cheek and Phil. Allin stopped at
the wreck and rendered all the
assistance possible. Mr.. Dan. Sullivan,
a passenger on the Wolff, passed down
on the Cheek this morning.
Additional ParGIe aIars.
Special TO the Appeal
HELENA, ARK, August 23.-The fol-
lowing are statements of five of the
wounded men from the steamer George
C. Wolff, now in the hospital:
Patrick Campbell, white, who is scald-
ed about the face, back of the hands,
and from the knees down, got on the
boat at Shreveport, on his way to st.
Louis. He has a mother and two
brothers at 81 Willett street, New York.
He was in the rear of the engine, lying
on plank behind a bale of cotton,
asleep.
A man and wife and two children, a
girl six years old, and little boy three
years old, got aboard at Shreveport,
going deck-passage to Memphis. They
were all killed. The lady's body was
seen on the deck of the boat after the
explosion.
Four young men belonging to the
Transatlantic circus, bound for st.
Louis, were on board. One of them was
killed. Name unknown.
The boat was landed after the explo-
sion on the left-hand shore.
The engines fell through the deck into
the hull. The work of pumping water
out of the boat was commenced imme-
diately after she landed, and was kept
up until the Cheek left.
Captain Carter was scalded about the
face; otherwise unhurt.
Five deckhands, who were slightly
hurt remained at the wreck; all cOlored.
Riley Burton, colored roustabout, of
Nashville, Tennessee, has a mother and
two sisters there. His right and left
arm are badly scalded, also scaIded
about the face. His left leg is broken
below the knee-joint, since amputated.
1t was caused by part of the boiler fall
ing on and crushing him on deck. He
remained in that condition several
minutes before relieved.
Robert Hansby, cOlored roustabout,
lives at st. Louis. His right shoulder
was knocked out of place, and a slight
scald on his right ankle.
Perry Reedy, colored roustabout, had
his body burnt, both feet and face scalded.
He lives in Bowling Green, Ken
lucky. He was lying asleep in the
deck-room at the time of the explosion,
and was blown on shore.
Isaac Simpson, cOlOred roustabout,
Of New Orleans, who has a wife and
child living on Erato street, had his
body scalded. He was lying asleep
with Lorenzo Dow, a deck-passenger,
on the wOOd-Tack, and was blown iI the
river, but he got on floating drift from
the boat and went down the river a
mile, when the drift floated near the
shore and he got off. Lorenzo Dow is
supposed to have been drowned. He
got aboard the boat at Vicksburg on
his way 10 st. Louis.
George ChallmaD, colOred, roustabout,
was lying asleep in his hammock and
was blowed overheard and drowned.
He lived in New Orleans and has wife
there.
The second-enginer was trying the
gauges, and remarked to the fireman to
hold on with the fires, that one of the
valves was leaking. The fireman heard
the noise before reaching the fire-doOrs,
and turned TO look at the moment of the
explosion and saw the engineer fall.
The physician thinks all will recover
but Campbell and Riley Burton.
A number of citizens and physicians
went up on the steamer Phil Allin to
the scent of the disaster, to render need
ed assistance. Can't get the list of cas-
ualties until the relief party return.