Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-10-29
A DAY OF DISASTERS.

|
A DAY OF DISASTERS.
BNiTisH STEAMER CALL.orE LOST
| An Open Switch Wrecks Train Near Sci
Iersvtlle-Fatal Explosion at WASH
ingtOD, ID. C.,-Ths Missis-
| stPpi Steamboat Dis
aster.
The British steamer Ca lliope, from Cd.
dessa for Bremen, has been totally lost OF
the Spanish coast. Only one person was
saved.
| One Man Killed aud Two Injured.
A disastrous explosion took place yes
terday in Washington in the illuminate
room of the ordinance department of the
navy yard. 1t was caused by the taking
fire of rocket which one of the
workmen were charging. The inner walls
of the building were demolished. George
Lawrence was instantly killed and George
W. Bates and Marion Thompson seyerly
wounded.
Open Switch Wrecks u Traip.
The o'clock train for Niagara, which,
left the North Pennsylvania railroad depot,
Philadelphia, yesterday morning, met
with bad accident at Sellersville, about
thirty miles from tic city. Near that
place there is deep cut, tho embankments
being about forty feet high and the pas.
sage quite narrow. As the train ap
preached at speed of about twenty.eight
miles an hour, and just at turn, the cn.
glnccr, John Welsh, who lives in German
town, discovered that the switch was
open. He put down the brakes as quickly
as possible, but too late to keep the train
| from punidinn thn
shot forward, and ran, perhaps, the length
Of the train beyond the switch, when it
was upset, and completely wrecked, the
tender crushing upon it,.
All the coaches were twisted into zigzag
positions, and there can be. no question,
if the speed of the train had not been
checked, the cars would have all been
wrecked, and the loss of life great. The
fireman, who stood back upon the tender,
jumped at the right moment and escaped
serious injury. His first thought was to
draw the fires and then to drag the Gu
gineer from the cab. The latter received
terrible injuries, his skull and arms being
fractured, and he died. The passengers many
OF whom were bruised by the sudden
shock, which threw them off their seats,
| alighted as rapidly as possibly, and their
first act, when the nature of the engineers S
condition was discovered. was to make up
handsome purse for him. 1t will be
given to his family. Tho courage of the
fireman, George A. Bond, was generally
commended.
The River Boats Disaster.
Further accounts of the sinking of the
steamer Jennie Gilchrist, on the Mississip-
pi above Rock Island, owing to tho reck-
lessness of a drunken crew who ran her
against bridge pier, show that when the
danger became apparent a Mr.. SkiltOn at
once rushed into the cabin, telling the
passengers of the accident which had hap
pened, and urging them to take refuge on
tho barge. He notified the pilot, who cx-
claimed Why don't they do some
thing !! For Gods sake, do something ~
and blew his whistle as a signal Of dis
trcss. The pilot then left his wheel,
giving it turn for port, and made
break for the barge, crying, as he went
down stairs, Save yourselves she is
going to strike the bridge ~ In the cabin
everybody was frantic {; the women were
crying and the men were about rs useless.
No one seemed to have any idea what to
do.
The crew, with the exception of tie
pilot, Derrand, the clerk, engineers and
fremen, are reported to have been drunk
and as terror stricken as the Others As
the steamer drifted down upon the pier
she partly turned and presented her star
board to the pier, striking it just aft of
the boilers. Eight persons had taken re-
fuge on the barge, and as it swung around
to the left of tho pier they cast off the
stern end and spring lines. The bow line
was fastened to the fathead, and when it
was cast off the flat swung to the right.
She hit a little aft of the boiler heads and
broke them in, causing rush of scalding
steam, nearly suffocating those in the barge
whose only hope was in lying down 4
on the deck. In the cabin of the boat
they could hear the cries and means of
the fated passengers who had remained
there, while the crew in the forcastle wero
appealing loudly for help. The barge
drifted off to the left, followed by the
boat and the fiat following it. Near Page,
Deson & Co.'s mill it stranded. The
Evansville had heard the cries for help
and put out from Rock Island to the res
cue. In about twenty minutes it came
upon the stranded barge and rescued
twelve passengers from their perilous sit
uation, carrying them back to Rock
Island. Besides tho twelve saved on tho
barge, there were five picked up on
tho shore who had clung to the wreck, one
being a woman who had displayed re-
markable pluck.
The following is a list Of the saved as
far as known Passengcrs-J. II. Ways,
Mrs. Went, c. B. Davenport, Thomas
Harts, T. McClelland, w. G.. Shelton.
Brown. John Moss, John
Shuber, clerk John Gilchrist, captain
MIR. Derrand and Herr, pilots. Two epgi-
neers and three more of the crew were also |
rescued. Other passengers might have
been saved if they had yielded to the en-
treaties of the moro cool headed who went
among them before tho steame: struck the
pier and urged them to get on board the
barge. The latter even tried to drag them
from the cabin, but they were SO terror
stricken and powerless that they could !
make no effort to save themselves.
There were seventeen persons in all lost.
There seems to be no doubt that the
steamer was totally unfit for the work, ex-
pected from her: She was heavily
aden and most Of tho crew were drunk.
She was not licensed TO carry passengers.
Those known to be lost are passengers J.
Zuber. William Went and dauuhter Mrs