Year: 1871

The Staten Island ferry-boat Westfeld exploded her boiler at Whitehall ferry New York at twenty minutes past one o'clock Sunday afternoon. Between 300 and 400 persons were on board at the time of the sad affair The front of the boiler was suddenly blown out, lodging in the bow, thirty feet distant. The for ward part of the boat, upper cabin and all, was instantly shivered and split into thousand pieces. As an eye witness expressed it, " "the forward part of the boat was lifted fifty feet in the air, the smoke stack fell, and everything was buried in the hold. Many persons were blown overheard. + f|54| ''f

 A father and 8 mother had their chil- dren blown from their arms. The water in an instant was alive with men, women, and children struggling for life. A num- Der of persons, 1t is not known how many, were drowned. The debris in the fore part of the hold was first removed. The cries of the poor half-boiled victims were heart-rending. Stimulants were given them as they struggled beneath the beams, and oil was poured upon their burns. As fast as the wounded were re- covered they were borne to the deck of another ferry boat moored alongside, where they were tenderly cared for. As fast as it could be done, they were re- moved to the various hospitals of the city.

 The Westfeld is a very old boat, and Company. Her deck, as could be seen CTS passed inspection two weeks ago.

 Nho ~f have been employed by the Compan y minutes before the explosion asked the fireman, Patrick Finnegan, about the water, and he said it was all right j; went to the boiler myself, and found the water above the third cock went up through the engine room and noticed that the gauge indicated 27 pounds pres sure of steam then went on deck in two minutes came back, and just as I was going down the stairs to the engine room the explosion took place I cannot say what caused the explosion 1; the boil CT had patch on the part where the break was l examined it three days ago and found it in good condition.

 The fragment of the boiler which was thrown out upon the Barge Office plat form was pronounced to be so plainly an unsound piece of iron, upon examination by several persons who were presumed to be good judges, that Inspector Jame- son caused it to be removed to Police Headquarters for safe-keeping. It was stated that some of the deck hands asserted that the engineer had been absent from his post for about 15 minutes instead of five, as stated by him. self. There was also. much comment upon the fact that while the Inspectors certificate gave 25 pounds pressure of steam as the limit of the allowance, the engineer admitted that the boilers were subjected to 27 pounds pressure five minutes previous to the explosion.

 | Fully 10000 people assembled at the Ildock as soon as the accident was known and the scene as described must have l been heartrending.

 Within the hospital the scene was har- rowing in the extreme. Here upon the floor of the middle room lay boy of 10 writhing and twisting in the agony of worse than death. His little body was scalded from head to foot, and the tor lures that the poor child suffered were intense Near him lay strong man bruised and burned beyond the possibili- ty of recognition, his once healthy frame now one horrid mass of broken flesh. In another part of the room was fine looking young man, whose head and shoulders were raw, and whose lower limbs were burned to hvid whiteness by the boiling water. In all the rooms were men, women, and children in all stages of distress. Two wee things of perhaps five months of age, and apparently twins, were brought in at three o'clock, their bodies torn and scalded most terribly.

 A woman of thirty-fve was suffering the last bangs of distressful death, and another, with hardly stitch of clothing on her body, filled the air with her heartrending screams of agony. At this time there were perhaps sixty wounded people in the different wards, the women occupying the upper floors The surgeon and assistants were indefatigable in their efforts to soothe the pain and agony of the sufferers, and their various aids de- serve more than praise for the tender

 ness and care with which they treated ] their suffering charge. a: 7-Ti I Within two hours after the arrival of

 the first -vieGim, death began to move

 among the ranks and relieve the terrible

 torments of the sufferers. Those who

 died were at once removed from the sight of the living to New street station,

 and thence to the Morgue, where their

 bodies lay awaiting the Identification of

 friends and relatives.

 A passenger on tie boat says: Just

 before the time for starting went ashore

 to buy some peaches. I had got only a few yards from the boat when the boiler

 exploded. The passengers rushed for

 ward, and many jumped overheard. T While dozens were in the water, some

 of the passengers and deck hands began

 to throw the wreck overboard (By . the wreck l mean the loose timbers torn

 away by the explosion. This operation j was, in my opinion, the cause of many I fatalities, for the plank and other tim : bers struck the strugglers in the water even while they were being drawn ovel the side of the boat by their friends.

 I saw two heads to which no bodie. , were attached. Women ran about tht , ferry house with the skin scalded from , their bodies, and for three-quarters O. an hour they had no care.

 The principal surgeon, of the hospital

 finding that several of his patients mus

 surely die, sent volunteer messengel

 for Catholic priest, and soon two were on the spot administering to the suf ferers the consolation of religion. Thi duty was very sad one, as the priest ,, admonitions were often interrupted b, the shrieks of the children and the groan , of adults.

 SCENES AT THE MoRGUE.

 Around the dead-house, the great ex citement reached it's elimination. Scarce ly had the first ambulance wagon witt ) it's. sad freight of mutilated humanity reached the hospital gates when th, quickly increasing crowd made rusl for the Morgue, pushing and crowd1ns for front place to view the horrifyine spectacle. But there were those there