The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-08
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
The htOwlng Up of the Lower Ggasf
Packet WaIoon- Eleven Persons Killed
and Fifteen More or Less Injured.


At hslfpast eight o'clock yesterday morn
| ing the Lower Coast packet Waoon, com
manded by Capt. De Bouobel, while backing on
from the Delaeroix plantation, nine miles below
the city, exploded her boilers, killing eleven per
sons and iniuripg about fifteen others.
II appears the Waloon, in attempting to load
ran ashore. and the captain was forced TO re-
move q large lot of The freight that was forward,
aft, 30 as to Tighten her bow.
While this work was going ON the engineer
raised steam TO the amount OF eighty pounds,
and on opening her out too auddenly, caused the
explosion.
At the time of the blowing up OF the boat the
number Of passengers s estimated at
FROM TWENTY no rHtafT,
Of whom eleven is said to have been killed and
the balance more or less injured.
The chief engineer, MIR. Bernard Donnelly.
and the tiremen, q negro named Me5if, who
were in The hold were killed instan ~. The
negro WAS scaded to DEATH while the engineer
has the appearance OF having been etruok on the
head. j he bodies of these Two men were brought
to the city ON the Wild Gazelle. DonnellYs body
was sent to his residence, corner Of Freret and
Erato streets. McGif7s body was t4ken in charge
by his society.
The captain, Mr.. Charles De Bluehel. had his
knee and side slightly injured
All OF the passengers. who were mostly col.
nred, outside Of those WHO were killed, were in.
iured
SOME HAD AN ARM BROKEN, OTHERS LEG,
whilst The rect we're burned or soalded.
Mr.. Dumas Delsoroix, The owner of The plapts-
ton in front of which the accident occurred. did
m Dnypl tina a
OF the untortunates. After having administered
TO their wants, lie called his plantation hands and
Instituted seatch for The missing ones.
Capt A. Rniz az soon "a he heard Of The dis
aster, chartered tug and repaired to the scene.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
deekhand said while he was eerrvint a sack
OF potatoes from the bow aft, the explosion 90
CURED, and the potatoes went God knows where
he being thrown under the steps and Injured
about the body and head.
negro passenger, and the cook Cuban
named Manned. were blown into The river but
were rescued from drowning. They cay they saw
a lady passenger on the boat clnging to piece Of
the wreck; they could not
SAVE HER THEMSELVES.
but they called the Captains attention to her. and
she was saved. The lady when rescued WAS
found TO be terribly burned about the face.
Another passenger led that while be was
ende svnring to reach the shore, he noticed a
negro woman take two little children one under
each ARM and leap into the water.
As she struck the wa er one Of the unfortunate
little ones slipped from under her arm, and was
drowned. lie Gays she chung to the other one.
and tried to reash floating plank, but The task
vas too great. and she sank with the little one
around her neck.
The steamer Isabel, on her down trir. stopped
at the WI eek and took all of The wounded persons
down the coast TO their homes.
The Wild aazelle also brought the Waterman
and the cook Of the Waloon aud two negro pas |
sengers to the city.
The steam chest OF the exploded steamer was
blown about twenty feet and buried four feel in
The mud. An old pilot, who lost his leg about
rear ago, by the explosion of the Creole, was on
his boat and is among the missing.