, 1873-08-11
THE POTOMAC HORROR.

There In no wharf Mt ChHttorton
ootut. wloro tho steamer ,yaa burned, n'la tho
a,rlipr In made by tho tiho Of email hoata. ono
If thcBo was boiug unslippod For this purpose
glcn tho cry Of llro was hoard, aud tho IatneB
,amo with suci, forco tint pauio onBuod at
,uco, Tho passengers n,nde n rush for Tho boat
lint wns being loworot, orowtling 1t full whom tho
taclliuc broke or boca,no unhltclod, nrd all weor
precipttatcd into tho river. The torror-Btricken
pasBcngers were forced by the flames to
lump overheard, to whom Capt. Wood and h'n !
crow throw lifo.rrcaoryora, calling upon those
WHO soro struggling In tho wator to aavo thoin-
selves. Tho pcoplo on tho shore did nll they |
could to asslpt iu saving lifo, but thor nlcahs
Of rosc,lo wore worry uuoquat to tho terrible OK"
tromity.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 0.-At hnlf-pnst o'clock
this morning, tho stoamor National arrived hero
from tho scono OF tho burning steamer Wawaa-
got. having on board about twenty-five survivors
and o|oyon dond bodies. Tho bodies woro re-
cogujzod NJ thoso Of Mrs. Muse, who, 1t Ia ro-
no,.tod. had three children with her. oil loAt ;
Mrs Jun Kelly, Of Virginia; the cl,ild Of James
Reed Mrs. b[atllildn Walker, OF Washington
Miss tnliana Mills, and four colorod children.
Captain WOOD, Watson Whoolor. tho clorls,
hrr. 6faBh the cnginoor. md Mr.. Heed, mato or
tho steamer Wawassot, arrived here 1hia morn
ing abont o'clock Oil tho steamer deorgana.
Tho passengers atl agree that tho otlcerB OF tho
boat did tlleir utmost to Baye life md property,
but 80 sudden an tiorco was tho fire that Hcarca-
" anything was saved. ,
Patsy Sandy, Julia Kelly, Boasio need Cardia
IlobIs, AIrs. Esther Griffin aud two children,
Mrs. ,josoph Rood and three chiltron, George
Tibba (leck hapd), tho chambormad aud seven
In tke opinion or Cnpt. Wood, thoro arc from
ton to twelve bodies undiscovered. In order to
obtain thon,, tho Superintendent Of tue Potomac
Ferry Company md others started down tho
river this morning in tho tug Le"lB. pIoVlueu
with graphing 'rors.
Capt. Wood mikes tho following etetomont ,t
the s1sF asf hawoen 1e roa SGen9 nt Gt
aud Ohattorton. waa III the pilot houBo at the
timo, Tho fireman told mo the boat waB on IRE
below, when immediately came out and found
tho flamos iaa reached to tho hurricane deck
bio to got to tho lifo-boata, which wore on tho
aftoruart torB Oh eacllHidc follower thom, although
thoy wore full OF fasaongers. I throw water on
tho wheol-ropes to keep tho ateer1go all right
ing tho ycssol, and tho only chanco to aaye the
pnssengors was to Keep her going. The boat
reached tho beach in about twelve or thirteen
minutcB aftor tito alnrm. In loss than tvo mitI-
rem Of Tho ptlot-holao. Tho engine refused to
work about l,nlf Il minute boforc tho boat struck
the shore, and grounded in loss than five foot at
water at the bow. remained on tho hurricane
taina in my room, and wero issNing from tho 10
loon windows below. I then got on the forward
dock and did what could to saye the
passengers grent many worc ,tt nfraid t TO JUMP
safely do 10. Upon thia insurance ono or two
nlado the loap, aud many others, seeing the
water WIS shallow, followed, and were sayad. 1t
was with difficulty checked them from jump
otiicr. am t:,tstlel that nearly nll tho loss Of
lilo occurred ut tho stern OF tic bout tho t'amas
forcing tho passengors to Jump oyerboard or
ho lur,,od just beforo loft tho bont heard
nIra. Taylor Of Aioxau4rin crying for help from ON
middle chaills, mud Acnt boat to her feHce aud
Bavod hor. I OH satisfied tho excitement
caused u,M1uo losa Of life, and that every pna-
pcnger was saved who jumped overheard for
ward. A great many lyeA wore lost N the life
bouts by bning oveYernwdeA before tho hont stop,
ned. Ono OF tlAem was crowded with colored
passongors, md when sho wns cut loose the
atcrn Iulgod out md she was swampod ABOUT
q dozon sinall childron wore aboard aud think
i've or nix wcre lost, The fire caught in the
hold, The boat was very dry, and tue tlames
when they reachod tho oiled machinery, spread
lito torch. At the time OF lhc accldent hu'
few Of tho pasoongets were ,aeleop. and nonf
were in tho s1ate-roonB. Tho hont was valued al
nbout sa0,000.
INCIDENTS.
Cant. Wood docs not think that the numbol
lost will rcnci, oyer thirty. -.
john Rood HtateH that he WAS busy throwing
overheard some r1unks to the women whom tht
flames burut up lho ganEway, forcing h'm u
Jump overheard, and ho swan ashore. lie says
ulso. that it was not above three min1lteh bntor'
ali Communication was cut on between tho boz
nt.,l stern Of the boat. There were about tWent
ch,ldrou OH board, exclusive Of LIT rsg'stere'
passengers.
Robert Nash, tho onginoor, was tavol BY III
no1,, thu AA,;:etf.nt engineer, who Jumped oyeI
boar.l a1,t' Awam ashore with his fAtler.
Capt. Woud was considerably burned abo1'
tho head. ....-
A. Coronor'n inquest was held ct htoWart
wharf M tho Potomac River, oyor the bOdteu {
those luBt BY tho burning of tho Nawaasct an
tho verdict reloves the officers OF tho boat 1fo1
all blan.e.
non1Es RECOVERED.
All the bodies brought to thn city this morn
ing from the WawnRsat have been recognized al
removed to their former homes.
STATEMENT or THE PILOT.
Tho pilot makes II htatemnnt, i'll whieh he 70!
he remained III tile pilpt-houso until the wlloe
ropch broke and tho tlro WIS coming into Il
piiot-ho.se. Ho tllon swan ashore with tv
made aocond trip with q boat, rosouing thr
colored women and Children, who we
hanging to tho r',assor, nft"r Whit
ho swan out again and n,nao t5
unnrcccahful attempts to rcacue Officer Reoi
wife; When he r9achcI tho storm Of ,l! the bo 10
for tho lust time, three children, two white q!
one colorcd. woro thero. whom ho tried to get I
hut tho fumes prevented hin, anl they We
burned. I1e then bailesl oat tho hfo- boat q
look ninc dead bodies 10 lllu wharf, four viii
aud five colorcd. sia1no lieu u1ay bo formed
the excitement prevailing fsonl tue fAct tint
tho 600 lifo-pse1orvors u, hoard only two we
used.
MORE noniEB RECOVERED.
The bot!ieH os three children wero brong
here tl.is evening. Twelve ''ealies, u! colort
wero wasl!oA aal.ore and buried To-day: L
body Of u coiored wonlan wnh recovered by I
non engaged in gf"pl Lug, WHO VIII ros'llHo o. u
labor to-n,orrow. So fur, twenty-ona hud
have boon recovered.
Wolll4I.bo Murderer KILLED by ka
ara1e1lli&.A Victim.
ST. LoUrH, Aug. 9,-I,ast Tuesday mnrni
Thomas Woodson. II nephew Of Gov. WuodHt
OF this ttnto, eliot and killed William Barlow,
n ,nrntati unnr pnraiyul Station Tnya Dn