Year: 1871

Statement Of Doctor Daniel McEwan.


Doctor Daniel McEwan give the following
graphic and interesting account OF the accident.
The doctor was Of The earliest medical atten-
dants on the grounds ana did good service In minis
teribg to the needs OF the unfortunate victims. We
prefer to give this account in his words, tho
narrative Of the particulars OF tie various cases
adds much to the vvldness OF the conception OF the
disaster says the doctOr:-


] live at the Eastern Hotel, within stones throw
OF the slip where the accident took place. About
one O'Clock heard the explosion 1t was


HEAVY DULL SOUND,


that seemed TO carry with 1t, even at the moment
you heard IL, q peculiarly dreadful significance. I
had never heard an explosion BEFORE but an
pesred to iee at once that something terrible had
happened ] rushed to tile window looked
out towards the spot from whence the
SOUND had come, ana saw the smoke rising from
the Staten Island ferry house and the crowds Of
people running there. At first it was mostly steam
that rose up. bat soon heavy


VOLUMES OF DENSE SMOKE
slowly assembled III the ar. could not sec the boat
from my window, however-ony the ferry house.
As soon as l comprehended that there had
been an accident put my Instruments
in my pocket and down stairs to the site OF the
disaster. People then coming out Of the terry
house, some OF whom said that they had been pas
sengers in the boat injured but that they had es-
capped, having luckily been the after part of the
boat They were all greatly terrified and excited
Soon afterwards met q man who had been


WOUNDED


His own was badly hurt. Splinters OF wood had
penetrated the nesny part Of the forearm, some or
which had penetrated right down to the bone. 1t
was bleeding profusely and this show ed that the
injury had not been caused by scalding 80 much as
by direct violence. had scarcely looked at him,
when number of other persons yet more severely
wounded, claimed my attention. They were


PRINCIPALLY FEMALES.
The most came out OF the ferry house, running az
though greatly frightened and neeing from some
terrible danger. MOST OF the injuries were caused
by righfu scalds, and appeared TO be rather palm
ful than dangerous or fatal.
In nearly all the cases the parts Of the body which
had been uncovered by clothing had been dreadully
Injured by the steam and hot water. The skin In
many cases had


PEELED OFF THE FLESH,
like a glove and was hanging down In shreds The
sights thus 10 be witnessed were pteous In the ex-
tremc noticed that the palms Of the bands were
generally more injured than their backs. There was
bnt little bleeding the absence OF which
is, indeed, usually q characteristic Of scads.
the wounded, the females especially, were
greatly excited and screamed with fright and
called out for their friends. The crowd
that had gathered round sympathized with
them, but did not seem to know In what way TO
anord relief.


The worst case saw at this time was boy OF
about ten years of age. The


STEAM SEEMED TO HAVE PENETRATED
beneath his clothing and to have reached every
square inch OF his body and TO have scalded him all
over, without, however, producing any deep-seated
injury in any one particular spot. his skin was IN.
Jured from the crown OF his head to the sole OF
his foot He was clad, too, in pretty
thjck ADJ whole garmeQls. though they were not