Daily Republican., 1881-07-01
STEAMSHIP EXPLOSION.
The Destructi0n Of . British Steasn-
ship in O south American Pert.

PANAMA, June 2S.--The Patria of
Valparaiso publishes aSistter from Pun
ia Arenas, OF the lst of May, giving the
following account of the destruction of
II. NJ. 5. Dotteral, at that place, on
April Goth. The letter says: On Tues
day, April 26th, at 8 A. NJ, the Eng
lish gunboat Dotterel, last from Monte
videO, anchored in the roadstead Of
Punta Arenas De Magallanes. A few
minutes afterwards the Captain of the
Port and the Health Officer made the
usual visit to the ship, and We're re-
ceived by Commander Evans himself.
At 10 o'clock the Captain and the officer
returned on shore, and five minutes
afterwards a terrible explosion shook
all the houses in the place, causing Il
profound panic. The first moment Of
CONSERVATION passed, an immense col
ulnn of smoke was seen in the bay,
which remained inmovable, on account
of the perfect calm whi:il reisnei at the
moment. In the air, far above the
cloud of smoke, and in the deN,se smoke
itself, could been seen objects of differ
ent forms and sizes and ~ infinite num-
Der of projectiles v vere thrown in all di-
rectons in the bay.
Comprehendins the terrible event,
everybody rushed to tn, beach, and iii
u moment twelve boats well manned
were bound for the scene Of the diSaS-
ter, as only willing hands could drive
them.
Two boats put OFT from th9 missionary
schooner which was lying in port ; the
Chilian schooner San Jose, was Oh the
point of being sent TO the relief OF some
shipwrecked sailors in the straits, de~
satched four boats, and the pontoon
Kate Kellogg sent another. These boats
nearest to the ruined vessel, were the
first to render assistance.
All the boats were soon on the scene
of the disaster, and the clearing OF the
smoke enabled them, amid fragments Of
wood, to seek those whom it was posi-
BILE to save.
A boat of the San Jose discovered
two objects in the water one OF them
striking out with the desperation Of a
person in the last extremity. Hasten
ing to the spot, one of the sufferers wa,
saved from certain death. lhe body
W uS ttlH Hpitl'lN h1hDt, hh'i 'i''"ih =
from four OF five wounds. Wrappin-,
the body in blanket, the boat pulled
tor the shore, and the wounded man
was borne 10 house near by.
The sufferer proved to be Commander
Evans. About the >aur time other
boats arrived with seven men belong
ing to the Dotterel All had received
wounds, one of them, the quartermas-
ter, severely, and all were exhausted.
On board Of the missionary schooner OF
the Malvine Islands, four of the
rescued sailors were taken. The boats
cruised about the wreck all day, gather
ing together the great number OF trag-
mentS of human bodies which We're
floating around. Only three bodies
were found entire, aud those were fear
fully injured. The fragments Of hu-
manity were gathered together, put in
boxes and buried On shore, and the
three entire bodies were buried in the
cemetery, being accompanied to their
last resting place by military and nav>tl
authorities OF the place their surviving
companions and all the principal per
sons in town,
The Dotterel blew up at lo.l3 A, m,
disappearing almost instantly.