The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-10-05
The Details
az THE CORONA DISASTER
A, Related by Survivors Of the
Awful Explosion.
CAPTAIN SWEENEY'S STORY
THE Affair, He Says, Was Inde'
SCI uibabIy Awful.
N,nr We're IInried Under Tlmbers aud
ye,lLd to l,cdh-Tho Miraculous
g,c.p of Captain Blanks Wife.
The Lo,s Of Ilra VIII
Each at Least Fifty.

Nry O!lrANs, LA,, Oct, 4.-The steam
mo B.vry Harris went down from
R,ouSln this morning to the wreck
ol tbe llI.itcl steamer Corona. The
hullbas .uG, IN deep water. The body
oip.t Ryan, steward, was found iammed
b4tgcen two bunks in state room.
THE body Of Mrs. HUI has been found
and sent to Baton Rouge, on the CIeve-
land this morning No other odies
have Ms yetbrcn recovered, The valises
of Willie Nelson and j, " Joutdan have
Ss.n found. Capt, Ben Cornwell passed
mon The steamer Dlckiv yesterday on
nj. vy home 10 Smlthland, La. lie re-
ceiyrI plrlirul attention here and his
iniodrs arr not considered dangerous.
He /. bldly burned about the face and
hands,
nspr reached the city to-day. Seven Of
them came By rail and others by the City
Of 81 l0nis, As they stepped from the
train tbey could easily bO identified by
their cut and bruised CountenanCes.
They were quickly surrounded by II
crowd Of weeping men and women, all
anxionstn learn the fate Of some loved
ones. The scene was indeed heart
rrnding, aud slrongmen were compelled
10 turn aside their heads when some one
in answer to u question would ascertain
the one inquired after was among the
lost,
THE c4rrAIS's wIFE's STORY.
Mrs. Henry Blanks was among those
who came down by the City OF st.
Louis. She says: "l was standing with
INV sister and youngest child in my |
arms in the rear OF the boats cabin |
when the explosion took place. The
ChanbrrmNld came running 10 us with
life pnscrvrrs, which We fastened on.
William Fleming, the pantryman, then
calnp running to us and told us to go up
on the hurricane roof until he could get
the life boat down, which he did In n
hurry. We then got into the yawl, and
hardly had We been seated when the
boat was swnmped, throwing us all into
thp river. |, with my three.year.old
child III one arm, held on to u piece Of
until one Of the 81. Louis
boats came and saved us. OF my sister,
Mrs, Hull, who isa widow, l saw no
more aIter wO Capsi2cd."
cArtAiS swgENEY'S STATEMENT.
Captain Sweeney stated that the whole
thing CAME on so suddenly that he hard
y had time to sec anything, Captain
Blanks, who was sitting in the barber's
chair, was hurled through the cabin
roof andnsiantly killed. The others in
tue cabin were struck by flying TIMBER,
AMONG whom was Shrimp Hanna, who
was standingurar lle clerks office. The
explosion scented to 90 down ward and
the full force was in the rear part OF the
boat. Tue cabin parted and one half Of
ii tell into the river and the other half
iloated withthe wreck. Those who were
not killed outright by the flying timbers
were pinned down aud sCalded ~ death,
Captain Sweeney said that the scene
was indtscrOabe. When the explosion
took place he WIS on the iOrgCastle, and
thus escaped the heavy timbers that
We're flying around. lie remained on
the wreck as long as possible, aud US
then was no chance to rescue any one,
he sprlng overheard and was picked up
by the yawl Of the City OF st, Louis.
Mr. Henry JOlle, the pilot OF the
CoTOnr, says he was in the pilot house
atthe time Of the explosion and felt as
though he was blown up at first and
then lelI down through the wreck ON the
lower deck on debris, and found his arm
bhls hurt, lie also says his steersman,
Nh Pierce, wasin the pilot house with
him aud was also blown up, aud when he
saw him liz WINS lying On the lower deck
!one feet away from him, also badly
hurt by the fall and flying timbers.
"Alhr the explosion | found myself
Among the Srtck,ge aud was picked up
by one Of Tie boats Of tue resCuing
steamer Ny right arm IL, l fear, irac
sqrd and my head is cut in several
Elt@s"
Henry Baugbmnn, passenger, Of Dan.
y'lIG rtier Leonard, rUustabOut, and
Alexander Seymour, night watChman,
Vie IalI,r lust night reported lost, were
rescued by boats from tho City Of 1t, |
IONS and can't down on her and were
scni to the hospital.
The death list will reach fully fifty,