The National tribune., 1888-07-26
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE WASHINGTON O. THURSDAY

the heIlish vengeance of the Confederate,
Charles Dales. Curses upon his memoryi
The awful loss of life by this explosion WAS
due to the fact that all the boilers were ex-
ploded simultaneously, which caused acomplete
wreck of the vessel. The maximum pressure
of steam was being carried in order TO make
Roadway against the stiff current caused by
high water. The Spring rise was at its hight,
aud the river banks were full, and in places
overfowing. The accident occurred several
miles above any possible succor, and the yawl,
life boat aud life -preservers were all destroyed
by the explosion. Most of the people were so
reduced in strength by disease and long con-
fiuement in rebel prisons that they were wholly
unprepared to help themselves render aid
where it was possible to their less fortunate
brothers. The discharge of steam and bot wa
ter was of such tremendous volume that every
part of the vessel was deuged and overwhelm-
ed in an instant, and every one was more or
less scalded. All the conditions were unfsyor-
able, except possibly the trees and debris float
ing in the river, as is always the case during
the Spring rise, which afforded the only i'm
mediate help to those who had strength enough
to grasp hold of and hold on to floating OBJ
ject.
ONLY THOSE WERE SAVED
who thus held on to pieces of boards, to limbs
of trees and other drift until they had foated
down abreast of the Navy Yard, and the boats
N'AOSH0NSA ~t'AAAS ~ NAA~NA
lief.
Out of the 65 persons saved by my cutter
not one was free from severe bodily bruises OF
painful scalds. Most of them were nearly
| nude. One poor boy clutched the limb of a
tree so tightly that we could not force him to
let go his hold We took the limb and man
aboard together. He was found to have lost
his reason, and was holding on with maniacal
| grip. Another was 80 badly scalded that the
| flesh sloughed off when we pulled him over the
gunnel of the boat, One young lad who had
| been reduced to skeleton by his confinement
in prison had his sight destroyed by steam
| He thanked God that he was saved, and with
| in a few moments breathed his last in the arms
! of one of my sailors. His last words were
Tell mother" How often / have wished
| some good angel would tell me where to find
! that poor, bereft mother, that l might break tc
| her the unfinished sentence. A woman was
| rescued who held on to plank with one hand
| while she kept her babe above water with the
other arm. The babe was dead but the half
/ dead mother did not know the awful truth til
| hours after she was saved. For days she was 9
I raving maniac. Many of the scalded, chilled
| and horror-stricken men when we would slow
| up by them to take them in the boat would
utter cry of joy at the thought of being saved
! throw up their hands, and, before we could
| seize hold Of them, go down forever. The las
man my boat picked up and, as | Tecollect 1t
1 the last person saved, had lost his reason ant
seemed energized by his maniacy. He cam'
swimming down by my boat, swearing and
laughing alternately in his madness. We hat
great difficulty to get hold of him, and greate
difficulty in keeping him in the boat after W.
| hauled him in. Within an hour he was stif
/ in death.
Thousands of people gathered along th'
wharf. The loyal women of Memphis mani
Tested great sympathy for the wretched an'
suffering, and offered to throw open thei
homes to receive them, or to do anything il
their power to ameliorate their suferinga
! Many were taken to Pinkney and other hos
pitals, and everything that could be done wa
| done for the unfortunate men. The tragedy
cast a gloom over the loyal part of the city tina
was not lifted for weeks. It was the allah
sorbing topic of conversation on the streets anC
everywhere. The universal verdict was tina
| the wretch who put the powder in the Goa
| should be gibbeted when caught.