The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1883-01-24
"Reminiscences Of the Explosion
Ola Famous Steamer OF Her
Day on the Upper Ohio.

N
4 Day on the Upper Ohio.
Correspondence otthe Gin. Enquirer.
PotSr PLEASANT, W. Va, Jan. .,
1883. On the night Of the 9Th Of
January, 1S4S, the steamer Blue
Ridge, owned by Capt. James A.
Payne, exploded her boilers at the
head of Raccoon, four miles below
jeallipolis, Ohio, and was, together
with her cargo, a total loss. Last
Monday was the thirty-fourth ami.
yersary Of this sad event, and was
considereda at the time one Of the
greatest calastrophes that ever had
occurred on the Western waters
The BlueRidge was a single.engine,
side.wheel boat, and at the time Of
the accident was a weekly packet
plying between Charleston, W. Va.
and Cincinnati, Ohio. She was about
lthesizepf The steamer Chesapeake,
and was at the time Of the explosion
commanded by Capt William Sum.
mers, now deceased. Clerk, William
Hedrick, second CLERK, James d.
Summers. Pilots, Rial Finney and
Penn Wright, and Engineer Harry
Cobb, She hdd a large number Of
passengers aboard, mostly LADIES; the
last named, owing to the coOlness
and heroic conduct of Capt. Payne,
the owner Of the boat, and at the
time passenger, were saved. The
boat had a large number of -four bar.
rels on board, aud as she sank in the
waters the cabin aoated of, being
buoyed up by the barrels. Captain
Payne succeeded in getting the ladies
on the roof of the cabin, and sent
them ashore in the yawl In detach-
ments, not permitting a man to leave
until every woman was safely land
ed. Captain Payne remained with
the cabin, and succeeded in landing
it where Millersport now is. Prof.
Tosso, the celebrated violinist, ac-
companied by his charming and ac.
complished daughter, were among
the passengers, and she, by her hero,
ic conduct, saved the lives Of several
infants, denuding herself of her
skirts and wrapping them up, thus
saving them from freezing to death,
as The night was bitter cold. Rial
Finney was blown from the pilot
house hack to the stern of the boat,
and had his nose broken by some
sky-lights falling on it, and he car.
ried the scar to the day Of his death.
Penn Wright was &sIeep in his state
room and was blown into the river.
He succeeded in reaching the shore
in an exhausted condition, and had
he not been found by a kind,hearted
farmer, who was brought to the river
by the noise Of the explosion, he
would certainly have perished. The
farmer took him to his house, and by
vigorous treatment brought him
back to life, Captain Summers was
on the roof and the concussion threw
him on the ferocastle, falling on the
capstan, He was considerably brui.
sed, The old Captain after@ard
steamboated in c California, from which
place he returned some years ago to
his old home in Gallipolis, and there
died. James H. Summers was in
the act Of retiring, and had just put
his foot on the lower berth to get in
the upper one, when the explosion
took place and threw him on the
lower deck. He swan ashore with
Harry Cobb, the engineer, and see.
ing aligh. out in the bottoms, they
made for it, and found it TO be a log
heap burning. They replenished the
fire and remained there until morn
ing, when they were found by their
friends and provided for. Captain
James H. Summers was clad only in
his shirt, drawers and socks, and his
suferings on that terrible night must
have been intense. The captain now
resides in Gallipolis, and is the com.
mander Of some tow.boats. Rial
Finney has been dead some fifteen
years. Penn Wright is still slar.ga.
zing on the Kanawha, aud most any
day you can hear his shrill piping
voice from the pilot-houso, relating
some old.time stories of steamboat.
ing nlhe Kanawha. William He'd.
rick was long a commission merCh.
ant in your city, and died there some