Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-03-06

! Inc OT0W IN accustomed SCrOng
Prejudice A g ainst Steamboat
Travel for Awhile-The Cause of
the Accident.
The first steamboat accident occur
ring on Western waters was on the
| 9th day of June, 1916, when the
! steamer Washington blew out her cy-
Under head, causing death to eleven
| and injuries to four of the crew.
| The Washington was the fifth steam
boat that ran on the Ohio river. Her
| hull was built at Wheeling and her
engines were made at Brownsville, Pa
| She was in all respects the largest and
finest craft which had hithertOfore
| fioated on any western stream. AT
the time of the accident Capt. Harry
Shreve, who built the Washington, was
in command and was thoroughly
skilled and experienced in all the
duties Of his calling. The boats ma
chinery was all presumed TO be in the
best possible working order and no
human foresight could have anticipated
| the fatal event.
| day, June 7th, on her down trip, and
| on the afternoon of the following day
| went safely to anchor off Harmon,
where she remained until Wednesday
morning. The fires were now kindled
| and other preparations were maze
| for continuing the trip down the ONO.
| However, a difficulty occurred in get
ting the boat into proper position TO
start The machinery while laborlng
| to effect this object having carried
| the boat near the Virginia side, 1t be-
came necessary to throw out kedge
anchor at the stern. Soon after all
| hands were
SUMMONED AFT
to haul in the kedge and while they
were collected on the quarter for that
purpose by singular and most I'M
fortunate chance, the end of the cylin-
der nearest the stern was suddenly
| blown off and column of scalding
| water was thrown among the group,
infiicting the most painful injuries to
nearly the entire crew of the craft ana
| killing a number on the spot The
cries of CONSERVATION and anguish
which Immediately followed was IN
deed heart-rending. The captain,
mate, and several others were blown
overheard, but all, with the exception
of one man, were rescued from the
water, though all were found to be
more or less seriously injured, either
by the fragments of the cylinder or
the scalding water.
| The inhabitants of the town OF Har-
mar were generally alarmed by the
| sound of the explosion, which seemed
| to shake the solid earth. A number
| of physicians and crowds OF citizens
rushed to the wrecked steamer to learn
| the extent of the calamity, and the
scene of misery presented to the gaze
| of the spectators may well be lmagln-
! ed. The deck was strewn with man
gled and writhing human beings,
| uttering screams and groans OF intense
suffering Some more fortunate than
their companions lay still in the
EMBRACE OF DEATH.
Among the injured six or eight un-
der the influence of their. maddening
torments had torn off their clothes to
which the entire skin of their limbs
and bodies adhered. The eyes OF 9TH
ers had been put out and their faces
| changed to indistinguishable masses
of flesh by the scalding water Sew
eral Of the crew suffered from Internal
injuries caused by inhaling the steam,
the effect of which on the lungs is
agonizing beyond all powers OF i'm
agination to conceive
The cause of the explosion was a
disarrangement of the safety valve,
which had become immovable in con-
sequence of an accidental slipping OF
the weight to the extremity OF the
lever. Those who were killed were
Peter Lamfer, B. Harvey, Annie Y.
Jones, Thomas Brown, James Militia,
NJ. Jones, Samuel Wait and the col
ored cook The injured were Capt.
Shreve commander of the boat; Mr..
Clark, engineer; James Blair, George
White, Enoch H. McFeeley, Joseph
Walsh and John Williams. The gen.
tleman mentioned last in the preced-
ing list, while lying in the cabin OF
the Washington in his last moments
| offered one of
THE CABIN BOYS
all his money if he would knock him
| in the head to put a speedy end to his
| suffering The boy who received the
| offer grew to manhood, often related
| this horrible, but true story, and the
| town of Marietta, Ohio, of which he
was resident, will always honor the
name of Capt. Hiram Burch. Several
of the injured persons died shortly
after the explosion. At a meeting OF
| the citizens of Marietta a committee
was appointed to provide for the suf-
| ferers and to make suitable arrange
ments for the burial of the dead.
| The first steamboat accident in the
| West produced a great deal of excite
ment among the inhabitants Of that
region, and occasioned for some time
strong prejudice against steamboat
| travel, the people being oblivious to
| the fact that when the water convey
| ances We're confined TO barges and keel
| boats there was more real danger and
more actual loss of life than may be
classed among the incidents of steam
| boat navigation.