The Moselle left Cincinnati on the afternoon of April 25, 1838, between four and five oclock bound for St. Louis. There were an unusually large number of passengers on board, between 280 and 300. A large crowd was there to see the Moselle off because her renown as the finest and swiftest boat on the river were great attractions to the public. About a mile up the Ohio from Cincinnati the Moselle stopped to take on some German immigrants. An experienced engineer on board noticed that steam had been raised to an unusual height. One man even left the boat, in fear, as the immigrants were brought onboard. It was when the boat was shoved off from the shore that the explosion took place. The whole vessel forward of the wheel disintegrated, the remainder floated down stream for about a hundred yards and sank, leaving the upper part of the cabin out of the water. The explosion was reported to be unprecedented in the history of steam, its effect was that of a mine full of gunpowder. All four boilers blew simultaneously, the people on deck stood no chance of surviving. cincinnativiews.net/steamboats_5.htm
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:59:49 +0000
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