Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-03-19
The Particulars More Com.
plete.
Names of the Four Men
Lost.
what Captain Mcclellan Says Of
the Terrible Disaster.

built. The captain has been a river
engineer, and is familiar with boilers
and the various classes of iron of
which they are constituted. He
deemed the battery of four boilers on
the Means as perfectly safe and in
good order; also says he was always
very careful with them, never permit
ted an extra pressure Of steam on
heavy work, and always felt that
it would be better to lose little time
and expend a few hundred dollars ex-
ira money to keep boilers in good re-
pair, and from being strained. So par
ticUlar was he on this point that some
Of his crew termed him cold water
boatman, At Lake Providence on the
way up rivet or two in the boilers be-
came loose and the boat was stopped to
clean ont boilers and repair the same
The engineer did the repairing and put
a bolt in the vacant space. 1t caused
the boiler 10 leak somewhat, but nei-
ther henor the engineers deemed it a
defect likely to cause danger. A part
Of the starboard boiler, some three
sheets. is the only fragment of the
battery not lost. This piece
fell after the explosion on top of the
barge Gordon, went through the roof
and lodged or the railway iron within.
An examination Of this fragment by
Captain Mcclellan and others, result.
ed in the expression that the iron was
without flaw or blemish, indeed, per-
feet, and as tough as any boiler iron
can be. The captain believes the part
ofthe boilers that gave way was the
forward mud drum, and that the ex-
plosion was mainly downward, as the
hull of the steamer was blown in
twain directly forward Of the boilers.
The latter were of fOrty.two inches
diameter, and two Aues in each.
The Means left New Orleans at
noon on March lst, Mardi Gras, with
seven barges, on two of which was 300
tons Of railroad iron and a lot Of tin.
She had no other freight. The boat
was little over sixteen days out
when she exploded, and the boilers
had been cleaned out three different
times during the upward voyage. AS
an instance of cautiousness Of Capt.
Mcclellan, it may be noted that when
one of the pilots said be did not be-
lieye she could make progress through
strong current at one ofthe crossings
below this city unless, as the pilot OBJ.
served, "You swell her up" The
captain replied he would not permit
it, He would rather sland and leave
half ofthe barges and double trip it
through the strong current, than to
take such a risk.
When the Means exploded Captain
Mcclellan was asleep. He awoke in
the water, the bed clothes still about
his limbs, and the debris of the wreck
all around. 1t was sometime before he
could clear his limbs from their tangle,
then he climbed to the top Of the
wreck, ranto a pile Of life preservers
near the cabin recess, threw the strings
Of several over his head, and started
to cast them to the men who were
struggling in the water. About
then the part of the roof or deck he
was on, upturned and carried him un-
der it. The life preservers about his
neck held him up close against the
roof, and for a period he regarded
himself in the closest place he had
eveg been. Indeed, the prospects
were against him ever seeing daylight
One by one be broke the preserverS
strings, cleared himself of that tackle
got out to the edge Of the roof, ross h
the surface Of the water, and wai
hauled out on the barges unconcious
Theu segeSal men rolled him abou
for a while, turpsd him upside down
until he evicted several gailOns Q
muddy river water, and then he re
turned TO his senteg. 1t was a clos,
! All,
Morr... Fitzgerald. the deck haut
| lost. was seen to. swim ashore, bu
slipped back from the bank and wa'
drowned. The two German uGemeo
named Hickman and Topmeyer, were
doubtless blown into atoms. Tht
wounded are all doing as we'll as coulC
be expected. Mr.. Purcell, the pilot
whose leg is broken, and VIM. Wool
bridge, the cook, are rather badly of
but will both be apt to recover.
1t was long and dreary night tina
experienced by the survivors 10 tn,
drift on the barges sixty miles dow
the river. They we're all lashed to
gether with about forty feet of tn
forward part of the boats hull. Fiy
| er ak times the feet lodged aRains