Vicksburg, MS Steamer W. T. Scovel Explosion, Dec 1906

STEAMER BLOWS UP

Ten to Sixteen Persons Killed and Many Injured.

VICTIMS HURLED INTO AIR

Disaster on the Mississippi River Near Vicksburg.

Crew and Passenger List Included Fifty Persons, of Whom Only One-half Have Been Accounted for – Known Dead Includes Captain of Vessel – Accident Occurs at Gold Dust Landing – Steamboat Was Near Shore at the Time.

Vicksburg, Miss., Dec. 19. – One of the most disastrous accidents in the history of the Mississippi River occurred at 10 minutes past 11 o’clock this morning, when the steamer W. T. Scovel, plying in the Vicksburg and Davis Bend trade, was destroyed by the explosion of her boiler. Owing to the large number of her boiler. Owing to the large number of negroes on board, it is impossible to ascertain the exact number of the dead and injured, but officers of the boat who arrived here to-night state that no less than ten nor more than sixteen were killed. The probabilities are that a like number were injured.

The white dead are as follows:
Capt. JOHN QUACKENBOSS, master of the boat, Vicksburg, Miss
Clerk WADE QUACKENBOSS, Vicksburg, Miss.
LAVELL YERGER, commercial salesman, Jackson, Miss.
Clerk JOSEPH SMITH, Yazoo City, Miss.

The white injured:
Tennoy Roberts, assistant pilot, Vicksburg, Miss., injured internally, very serious
John Dougherty, pilot, shoulder dislocated
Charles McKenna, passenger, painfully injured
[illegible] Butterfield, slightly injured in the head

The number of dead and injured negroes cannot be stated at this time, but of a crew and passenger list of about fifty, about half are missing.

Caring for Injured.
The negro dead were cared for at the place where the accident occurred, as were some of the injured. About five of the injured negroes were brought to Vicksburg on the steamer Senator Cordell, with the white dead and injured. The accident occurred at Gold Dust Landing about seventeen miles south of Vicksburg.

The Scovell was at the landing taking on freight, when suddenly a terific [sic] explosion occurred and the boat was blown practically to atoms.
Many of the timbers of the boat were thrown hundreds of yards and come of those aboard were blown almost as far. The pilot house and front part of the cabin were blown to splinters, and some parts of the boat were so badly damaged that she began to sink immediately. When the Scovell left here late this afternoon she was listing to heavily and her cargo of a thousand sacks of cotton seed and fifty bales of cotton will be lost.

Pending the arrival of the Senator Cordell the injured were cared for at Gold Dust Landing as well as possible.

Steam Smothers Cries.
Of the white dead only the body of Lavell Yerger has been recovered. Wade Quackenboss was heard to call for help soon after the explosion, but according to the reports of those who were on the boat, escaping steam soon smothered his cries.

Capt. Quackenboss was not seen after the accident. Pilot Dougherty was blown several hundred feet out into the river, but despite a dislocated shoulder managed to swim to the bank.

The story of the accident, as told by J. I. Bruce, the engineer of the boat, is as follows:
“We were lying at Gold Dust Landing this morning taking on a cargo, when I noticed a small quantity of water coming through the boiler. I suspected that something was wrong, and proceeded to make an examination. About this time the Scovell broke her head lines and drifted, so that I did not have time to make a thorough examination. As soon as I got her back to the bank I crawled on top of the boiler and proceeded with the investigation I had just got down from the boiler when the explosion occurred.”

Boiler Was Defective.
It is said the accident was caused by a defective boiler plate.

Mr. Bruce was not injured. When the Cordell arrived at this city at 9 o’clock tonight, a crowd of several hundred people met her at the dock. They made inquiries of relatives and friends. Owing to the heavy loss among the negroes aboard the landing was crowded with women and children of that race.

The injured were taken to the Vicksburg hospitals.

The captain was one of the oldest and best known residents of this city, and was well known to every man on the river. The steamer Scovil was only recently purchased by him and others for the Vicksburg and Davis Bend trade. The boat was insured for $6,000.

Wade Quackenboss was the son of Capt. Quackenboss.

The Washington Post, Washington DC 20 Dec 1906
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Transcribed by Jenni Lanham. Thank you, Jenni!