Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-08-09
STEAMER o0LD DUsT.
Additional Particulars Of Her
ExplOsiOn-ArrivaI Here
of One of the Sur.
vtvOrs.

When the steamer Gold Dust burst
her boilers, about 8 o'clock Monday
afternoon, she was running aiong
within two hundred yards Of the Ken.
lucky shore, a short distance above
Bayou DuChien, and was about to
make the crossing to the Missouri
side, some three miles above Hickman.
Pilot Ed Gray, formerly Master Of the
st. Joseph and the Colorado, aud once
a member of the Missouri Legislature,
was at the wheel. His son and a lady
passenger were ia the pilothouse and
his brother, Lem Gray, off watch, was
in his room, in the boats texas. The
first engineer, John Bowers, on duty
at the time, was in the blacksmith
shop, or pastry room. The starboard
boiler, or the one next to the Ken
lucky shore let 60 first and the other
two exploded directly after. The first
to explode went overheard as did one
Of the others, while the remaining
one, lodged amidships across
the engines. The engineer
with the striker on duty at
the time, both escaped without a
scratch. A part of the hue Of one Of
the boilers fell in the after part of the
deck room, and was noticed by a sur
yivor to be fat as a plank.
The central part of the cabin, with
the texas and pilothouse we're COM
pletely wrecked, and the debris not
blown into the river fell to the lower
deck in a confused and inextricable
mass, leaving the ladies' cabin open
and wrecked at the forward end. with
no means for those who occupied it to
reach the lower deck with
out assistance. The forward end
of the main cabin, or boiler deck,
remained intact, and those who were
not too badly hurt made their way to
the forecastle below by the stairway.
The pilot on duty, and those in the
pilothouse, went down with the
wrecked part of the upper works to
the lower deck and were
not much Injured, Several
officers occupying their staterooms in
the toxas also fell to the lowOr deck;
some were hurt and others escaped
without a scratch. A number Of
people on the lower deck we're
blown into the river.
After the explosion the wreck
drifted down stream a short
distance and an eddy carried
it in against the Kentucky bank, a
short distance above Hickman, when
the crew made it fast to the shore and
the uninjured busted themselves in
getting off the passengers and others,
wounded and otherwise. Soon after
ward the wreck took fire and burned
to the waters edge. The Gold Dust
had landed at Hickman few minutes
before the disaster, aud at the mo.
ment Of exploding was under a full
head Of steam, with the smoke Of the
John B. Maude, Of the same line,
some distance ahead. The Gold Dust
took no freight after leaving
this port except a lot of lumber, and
several hours were occupied in taking
it aboard. The Captain expected to
arrive at Cairo with or ahead of the
Maude, and looked for a liberal cargo
Of wheat at points above to be taken
to St. Louis.
When the Gold Dust blew
up there were eleven cab.
in passengers aboard, including
Ave ladies' and six gentlemen; also a
number Of deck passengers, and, in.
GLIDING the boats Grew, numbered
LOG souls. OF this number, 81 took
passage by the City Of Alton, yesterday
morning early, for st. Louis. This boat
relched Hickman shortly after mid
night and lay until near dawn before
proceeding.
Seventeen persons are reported
missing, thirteen are dead and twelve,
critically wounded, we're left at Kick.
man for treatment. A few Of the
missing may yet be heard from, though
a number we're certainly blown over.
board and we're lost, while it is
thought several wounded were de-
stroyed by fire with the wreck.
By last evenings train over the
Louisville railway, one ofthe survivors,
Mr.. james McNicholas, arrived, and
is now at his sisters residence,o on Front
street, above Market, with his hands
and the upper part of his face badly
scalded. Mr.. McNicholas is a native
Of this city, born on Shelby street,
and has relatives Of the same name
connected with Bohlen & Huse' ice
! trade, and residing on St. Martin
street. He is reported a very worthy
young man, and occupied the position
of baker or pastry cook on the Gold
Dust. In his early boyhood McNich.
olas sold newspapers about the land.
IL IL - A. -