File:Steamboat disasters and railroad accidents in the United States (1840) (14574500487).jpg

Identifier: steamboatdisaste01howl (find matches)
Title: Steamboat disasters and railroad accidents in the United States
Year: 1840 (1840s)
Authors: Howland, S. A. (Southworth Allen), 1800-1882
Subjects: Steamboat disasters Railroad accidents Shipwrecks
Publisher: Worcester, W. Lazell
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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about a mile and a half above thequay, the steamer proceeded up the river, and madefast to a lumber raft for that purpose. Here the fam-ily was taken on board; and, during the whole timeof his detention, the captain had madly held on to allthe steam that he could create, with the intention, notonly of showing off to the best advantage the greatspeed of his boat, as it passed down the river the en-tire length of the city, but that he might overtake andpass another boat which had left the wharf for Louis-ville but a short time previous. As the Moselle was a new brag boat, and had recentlymade several exceedingly quick trips to and fromCincinnati, it would not do to risk her popularity forspeed by giving to another boat (even though thatboat had the advantage of time and distance) themost remote chance of being the first to arrive at thedestined port. This insane policy, this poor ambitionof proprietors and captains, has almost inevitablytended to the same melancholy results. The Moselle
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EXPLOSION OP THE STEAMBOAT MOSELLE. 117 had but just parted from the lumber raft, to which shehad been made fast,—her wheels had scarcely madetheir first revolution,—when her boilers burst with anawful and astounding noise, equal to the most violentclap of thunder. The explosion was destructive andheart-rending in the extreme,—heads, limbs, andbodies, were seen flying through the air in every di-rection,—attended with the most horrible shrieks andgroans from the wounded and dying. The boat, at the time of the accident, was aboutthirty feet from the shore; it was rendered a perfectwreck ; and was entirely shattered as far back as thegentlemens cabin, and her hurricane-deck, the wholelength, entirely swept away. The boat immediatelybegan to sink, and float with a strong current downthe river, at the same time receding farther from theshore,—while the passengers, who yet remained un-hurt in the gentlemens and ladies cabins, becamepanic-struck, and most of them, with a fatuity w

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