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Murat Cabinet. VOL. 11. THE CABINET Is published every Saturday by T. L. IIUBIYSON, JVarrenton , Geo. at three dollars per annum , which may be discharged by two dollars and fifty cents i f paid within sixty days of the time of subscribing. Advertisements conspicuously inserted at seventy jive cents per square for the first insertion , and fifty cents for each subsequent insertion Monthly inser tions charged as new advertisements Advertisements not limited when hand ed in , will be inserted until forbid , and charged accordingly. ■HaeZKZZS —IS-El—ll LUILJUf. ‘■■L “M* From the United States’ Telegraph. We are indebted to an intelligent gentleman, a passenger on board the Helen McGregor for the interening narrative: Ok the morning of the 21th of Feb nary, the Helen McGregor stopped at Memphis to deliver freight and land a number of passengers, who resided in that section of Tennessee. The time occupied in so doing could not have exceeded three quarters of *n hour. When the boat landed, I went ashore to sec a gentleman with whom I had some business. I found him on the. beach; arid after a short Conversation, returned to the boat. I recotiect'looking at my watch as i passed the gang way.—lt was half past eight oi lock. A great num ber of persons were standing on what is called the boiler deck, being that part of the upper de< k situation imme diately over the boilers. It was Crowded to excess, and presented one dense mass of human bodies. In a few minutes wc 3at down to breakfast in the cabin. The table, although extending the whole length of the cab in whs completely filled, there being upwards of sixty cabin passengers, a mong whom were several ladies ami children The number of passengers! on hom'd, deck and cabin united, was between four and five hundred. I had aim >st finished my breakfast when the| pilot rung his bell for the engineer to) put the machinery in motion. The boat havingjust shoved off, I was in the j a t f raising my cup to my lip, the tingling of the pilot bell still on my ear, when I heard an explosion, ro sembling the discharge of a small piece of artillery—the report was perhaps louder than usual in such cases—for an exclamation was half ottered by ne, to the effect, that the gun was well loaded, when the rushing sound of steam, and the rattling of glass in pome of the cabin windows cheeked my speech, and told too well what had occurred. I almost involuntarily bent fr*y head and body down to the floor, a vague idea seemed to shoot across my mind that more than one boiler might burst, and that, by assuming this posture, the destroying matter would pass over without touching me. The general cry of “ a boiler has hurst ‘* resounded from one end of the table to the other; and, as if by a sim ultaneous movement, al! started upon their feet. Then commenced a gener al race to the ladies cabin, which lay ci, ic towards the stern of the boat. AU regaro to order or deference to sex seemed to be lost in the struggle for which should be first and furthest removed from the dreadful boilers. Tin* danger had already passed awaj! 1 remained standing by the chair on ’ hich 1 Imd been previously sitting. Only one person or two staid in the • abin with me. As yet not more than halt a minute had elapsed siinc the explosion; but, in that l>ri< f spare how bau the scene charged!—ln that ‘drop of ime* what coi fusion, distress, amt dismay! An instant before, and all v%ere ip quiet repose of securi y—an ther, and they were overwhelmed with alarm and consternation. It is but justice to say that in this scene of terror the ladies exhibited a degree of firmness worthy of all praise. No screaming, no fainting; their fears, when uttered, were for their husbands anti children, not for themselves. I advanced from my position to one of the cabin doors for the purpose of inquiring who were injured, when, just as I reached, a man entertained at the opposite one, both his hands cover ing his face, and exclaiming “Oh God] oh God ! 1 am lost, I am ruined J ” He immediately began to tear off his clothes. When stripped, lie presented a most shocking and afflicting specta cle; his face was entirely black--his body without a particle of skin. He had been flayed alive. lie gave me his name, and place of abode—then sunk in a state of exhaustion and agony on the floor. 1 assisted in-i ptaceing him on a matress taken from one of the births, and covered him with blankets. lie complained of heat and cold as at once oppressing him. He bore his torment with a manly forti tude, yet a convulsive shriek would occasionally burst from him. His wife, his children, were his constant theme: it was hard to die without see ing them—.‘it was hard to go without bidding them one farewell !’ Oil and cotton were applied to his wounds; but he soon became insensible to earthly misery, lie fore 1 had done attending to him, the whole floor of the cabin was covered with unfortu nate sufferers..—Some boro up under the horrors of their situation with a degree of resolution amounting to he roism. Others were wholly overcome by the sense of pain, the suddeniss of tiie fatal disaster, and the near ap proach of death, which even to them was evident—whose, pangs they alrea dy frit. Some imploring as an act of humanity, to complete the work of distraction, and free them from pres ent suffering. One entreated the pre sence of a clergyman to pray by him, declaring he was not fit to die. I in quired; none could be had.—On every side were to be heard groans and min gled exclamations of grivf and ands pair. To add to the confusion, persons were every moment running .about to learn the fate of their friends and relatives; fathers, sons, and brothers; for, in this scene of unmixed calamity, it was impossible to say who were saved, or who had perished. The countenances of many were so much difigured as to he past recognition. My attention, after some time, was particularly drawn towards a poor fellow who lay unnoticed, on the floor, w ithout uttering a single word of com plaint. He was at a little distance removed from the rest. —He w ; as not much scalded, but one of his thighs was broken, and a principal artery had been severed, from which the blood was gushing rapidly. He be trayed no displeasure at the apparent neglect with which he was treated— he was perfectly calm. I spoke to him; he said he was very weak; he felt himself going—it would soon be over. A gentleman ran for one of the physicians; he caiuc and declared that it expedition were U9ed he might be preserved by imputating the limbs, | but that to effect this, it would be ne ; ressary to remove him from the boat. ! Unfortunately the boat was not fliifti I riently near to run a plank ashore ! We were obliged to wait until it coulo !be close hauled. I stood by calling; | for help; we placed him on h niatiess | and bore him to the guards; there w< were detained some time, from the cause 1 hftv? mentioned, Never did Warrenton. April 17, 1830. any tl.r.ig appear to me so slow as the movements of those engaged in haul ing the boat. I knew, and he knew, that delay was death— that life was fast ebbing. 1 could not take my gaze from bis face—there all was coolness and re signation. No word of gesture indic ative of impatience escaped him. He perceived by loud, and perhaps, angry tone of voice, how much 1 was excited by what I thought the barbarous slowness of those around; he begged me not to take so much trouble; that they were doing their best. At length we got him on shore—lt was too late; lie was too much exhausted, and died immediately after the imputation. So soon as I was relieved from at tending on those in the cabin, I went! to examine that part of the boat where the boiler had burst. It was a com-, plete wre k—a picture of disrruction. It bore ample testimony of the tre mendous force that power which the ingenuity of man has brought to his aid. The steam had given every thing a whitish hue—the boilers were displaced —the deck had fallen down —the machinery was broken and dis ordered. Bricks, dirt and rubbusli were scattered about. Close by the bowsprit was a large rent through which, I was told, the boiler after ex ploding, had passed out, carrying one or two men in its mouth. Several dead bodies were lying around.* their fate had been an enviable one compar ed with that of others—they could scarcely have been conscious of a pang ere they bad ceased to be. On the starboard wheel house lay a human body, in which life was not yet extinct, though, apparently, there was no sen ribility remaining. The body must have been thrown from the boiler (leek, a distance of thirty feet; The whole of the forhead had been blown away; the brains were still boating. Tufts of hair, shreds of clothing, an and spolches of blood might be seen in eve ry direction. A piece of skin was picked up by a gentleman on board, which appeared to have been pealed off by the force of the steam; it exten ded from the middle of the arm down to tiie tips of the fingers, the nails ad hering to it. So dreadful had been the force that not a particle of the flesh adhered to it; the most skilful operator could scarely have effected such a result. Several died from in haling the steam or gas, whose skin was almost uninjured. The number of lives lost will, in sift probability, never be distinctly know n. Many were seen lloug-tnto. the river, most of whom sunk to rise? no more. .Could the survivors'have been kept until the Hat of jjassengers was called, the precise loss%ould have been as that, however, though it had been attempted, would, tinder the circumstances, have been next to im possible. Judging from the crowd which I saw on tiie boiler deck immediately before the explosion, and the state merit which I received as to the num ber of those who succeeded in swim ming out after they were cast into the river, I am inclined to believe that between forty and fifty must have per ished The cabin passengers escaped, owing to the peculiar construction of (he boat. Just behind the boilers were several large iron posts, supporting, I think, the boiler deck* Across each post was a large circular plate of iron, of between one <s* two inches in thick ness. One of those posts was placed exactly opposite the head of the boiler which burst, being the second one on the starboard side. Against this J>lsit the head struck, und pnne’r | to the depth of an inch, then broke A flew off at Hti angle, entering a cotton bIo to the depth of foot? The boiler head was in point Marik range with the breakfast table in the cabin, and had it not been obstructed by the iron post, must have made a clear sweep of those who were seated at the table. To render any satisfactory account of tho cause which produced the explosion can hardly be expected from one who has no scientifi or practical knowledge on the subject and who previously thereto was paying no attention to the management of (he boat. The captain appeared to he very active and diligent m attending to Ins duty\ He was on the boiler deck when the explosion occurred; was materially injured by that event; and must have been ignorant of the mismanagement, if any there was. From the engineer alone could the true explanation be afforded; and if it was really attributable to negligence, it can scarcely be supposed he will lay tho blaino on himself. If I might venture a suggestion in relation thereto, I would assign the following causes.* That the water in the star board boilers had become low in consequence of that side of tho boat resting upon the ground during our stay at Memphis; that, though the fires were kept up some time before, we Bloved off, that (he head which burst had been cracked for a consider able time; that the boiler was extreme ly heated, and the water, thrown in w lien the boat was again in motion, was converted into steam, and the lines, not being sufficiently large to carry it off as quickly as it was gen erated, nor the boiler head of a strength capable of resisting its action —the explosion was a natural result. 1 assume this proposition to be cor rect— that, in every case where a boil er hursts it is fair to infer that it pro ceeded from neglect, until the contra ry shall be proved. A Cabin Passenger on board the Helen Af'Gregor. By tiie bases of tie new Constiltf. tion of Colombia, as proposed hy the Congress at Bogota the executive is “irresponsible, except in cas of high treason specified in tho Constitution.’* As in the British Constitution, hi& minister are to bear the r sponsiftilitv of the government. Should this pro vision pas 9, Bolivar, although without the outward symbols of royalty, wilt be King in fact, w hich is all his am bition could desire. The executive is to be elective, but judging from taa time Bolivar has already held su preme power, he may continue to hold it for a period, quite as hr g ;>s the ordinary reign of King, or even should he retire, the “irresponsibility* of the office is the same. The Cath holic religion is established under the protection <f the government—and the periods of election are to be I prolonged. The government is to be central instead of federative like our jour own, and Venezucala is to be |subdued. —Thus ends another act of the'drama of South American Liber ty.— Geo. A poor man was recently found guilty of bigamy in Providence. Tho law of Rhode Island provides that tho culprit insiirh a case shall bo sot oti the gallows one hour, with a rope about his neck, he fiord not exceeding one thousand dollars, and imprisoned j not exceeding two yearn; to suffer any ior ell these punisbmetsca at the ts. i cetion of the Court.—So much) |f,r , appropriating to one’s self a double ]share of the cbiufurts eff this life,— sh No. 43.