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                                                        Registration No. 33-----
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549
               --------------------------------------------------
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
               --------------------------------------------------

                           BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC.
      --------------------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

             Missouri                                    43-0672260
- ---------------------------------           ------------------------------------
   (State or Other Jurisdiction             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
of Incorporation or Organization)

One Boatmen's Plaza, 800 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63101 (314) 466-6000
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

         WESTSIDE BANCSHARES, INCORPORATED INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION PLAN
         -------------------------------------------------------------
                            (Full Title of the Plan)

          -----------------------------------------------------------

                                JAMES W. KIENKER
                            Executive Vice President
                           Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
                     One Boatmen's Plaza, 800 Market Street
                           St. Louis, Missouri  63101
                    ---------------------------------------
                    (Name and Address of Agent for Service)
                                 (314) 466-7718
                               ------------------
                          (Telephone Number, Including
                        Area Code, of Agent for Service)


                                   Copies to:
                             SCOTT J. LUEDKE, Esq.
                          Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C.
                               500 North Broadway
                           St. Louis, Missouri  63102
                                 (314) 444-7600
         -------------------------------------------------------------

                                       CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
=============================================================================================================

                                                    Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum       Amount of
     Title of Securities          Amount to be     Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering     Registration
      to be Registered             Registered           Share<F1>             Price<F1>            Fee<F1>
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     
Common stock, $1.00 par value        37,489             $10.8007             $404,907.44           $139.62
=============================================================================================================
<FN>
<F1> The securities registered hereunder are to be offered pursuant
     to the Westside Bancshares, Incorporated Incentive Stock
     Option Plan.  In accordance with Rule 457(h)(1), the aggregate
     offering price and the registration fee are computed based
     upon the price at which the options may be exercised.


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    PART II - INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     Information contained in the following documents of Boatmen's
Bancshares, Inc. (the "Corporation") filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") is incorporated herein by
reference:

     (a)  The Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1994, as filed with the Commission pursuant to
Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "Exchange Act");

     (b)  All other reports filed by the Corporation pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since December 31, 1994;

     (c)  The description of the Corporation's common stock (the
"Common Stock") contained in the Corporation's Registration
Statement on Form 8-A under the Exchange Act, as amended under
cover of Form 8 dated July 15, 1988, and the description of the
Corporation's preferred share purchase rights contained in the
Corporation's Registration Statement on Form 8-A under the Exchange
Act filed August 14, 1990 and the Rights Agreement, dated as of
August 14, 1990, included as an Exhibit thereto, as amended by the
Amendment to the Rights Agreement, dated as of January 26, 1993,
included as an Exhibit to the Corporation's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1992.

     All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the
Corporation pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment
which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed
to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from
the date of the filing of such reports and documents.


ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF COUNSEL AND NAMED EXPERTS

     Certain legal matters in connection with the Plan and the
shares of Common Stock to be issued through the Plan have been
passed upon for the Corporation by Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C.,
St. Louis, Missouri.  Members of, and attorneys employed by, that
firm owned directly or indirectly as of April 15, 1995,
approximately 75,677 shares of Common Stock.


ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

     Section 351.355(1) and (2) of The General Business Corporation Law
of the State of Missouri provides that a corporation may indemnify any
person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to
any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding by
reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee
or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of
the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
against expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement

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actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such
action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner
he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests
of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or
proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was
unlawful, except that, in the case of an action or suit by or in the
right of the corporation, the corporation may not indemnify such
persons against judgments and fines, and no person shall be
indemnified as to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person
shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in
the performance of his duty to the corporation unless and only to the
extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought
determines upon application that such person is fairly and reasonably
entitled to indemnity for proper expenses.  Section 351.355 further
provides that, to the extent that a director, officer, employee or
agent of the corporation has been successful in the defense of any
such action, suit or proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein,
he shall be indemnified against expenses, including attorney's fees,
actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action,
suit or proceeding.  Section 351.355 provides that a Missouri
corporation may provide additional indemnification to any person
indemnifiable under subsection (1) or (2), provided such additional
indemnification is authorized by the corporation's articles of
incorporation or an amendment thereto or by a shareholder-approved
by-law or agreement, and provided further that no person shall
thereby be indemnified against conduct which was finally adjudged
to have been knowingly fraudulent, deliberately dishonest or
willful misconduct.  Article XIII of the Restated Articles of
Incorporation of the Corporation provides that the Corporation
shall indemnify its directors and certain of its executive officers
to the full extent specified in Section 351.355 and, in addition,
shall indemnify each of them against all expenses incurred in
connection with any claim by reason of service for or at the
request of the Corporation in any of the capacities referred to in
Section 351.355 or arising out of his or her status in any such
capacity, provided that he or she may not be indemnified against
conduct finally adjudged to have been knowingly fraudulent,
deliberately dishonest or willful misconduct, and that it may
extend to other officers, employees and agents such indemnification
and additional indemnification.

     Pursuant to a policy of directors' and officers' liability
insurance, with total annual limits of $55 million, the
Corporation's officers and directors are insured, subject to the
limits, retention, exceptions and other terms and conditions of
such policy, against liability for any actual or alleged error,
misstatement, misleading statement, act or omission, or neglect or
breach of duty by the directors or officers of the Corporation in
the discharge of their duties solely in their capacity as directors
or officers of the Corporation, individually or collectively, or
any matter claimed against them solely by reason of their being
directors or officers of the Corporation.


ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

     The following exhibits are submitted herewith or incorporated
by reference herein:


 Exhibit
 Number     Exhibit
 ------     -------
         
  3(a)      Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation;

  3(b)      Statement of Change of Registered Agent;

  3(c)      Amended By-Laws of the Corporation;


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  4(a)      Rights Agreement, dated as of August 14, 1990;

  4(b)      Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated as of January 26,
            1993;

   5        Opinion of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C. re legality;

  23(a)     Consent of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C. (included in
            opinion re legality);

  23(b)     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP;

  23(c)     Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP;

  23(d)     Consent of Frost & Company;

   24       Powers of Attorney


ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

    (a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales
    are being made, a post-effective amendment to this
    registration statement;

             (i)    to include any prospectus required by section
         10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

             (ii)   to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
         arising after the effective date of the registration
         statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment
         thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate,
         represent a fundamental change in the information set
         forth in the registration statement;

             (iii)  to include any material information with respect
         to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in
         the registration statement or any material change to such
         information in the registration statement;

    provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do
    not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or
    Form S-8 and the information required to be included in a
    post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
    periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to
    Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
    1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration
    statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability
    under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective
    amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
    relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering
    of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
    initial bona fide offering thereof.


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         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-
    effective amendment any of the securities being registered
    which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

    (b)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for
purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of
1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to
section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the
initial bona fide offering thereof.

    (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under
the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers
and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing
provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in
the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the
Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities
(other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant
will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been
settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933
and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.


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                           SIGNATURES

    THE REGISTRANT.  Pursuant to the requirements of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that
it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of St. Louis,
State of Missouri, on May 17, 1995.

                             BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC.


                             By /s/ Andrew B. Craig, III
                                ------------------------------------
                                  Andrew B. Craig, III
                                  Chairman of the Board
                                    and Chief Executive Officer


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the
following persons in their respective capacities on May 17, 1995.


Name                          Title
- ----                          -----
                           
/s/ Andrew B. Craig, III      Chairman of the Board
- ---------------------------   and Chief Executive
Andrew B. Craig, III          Officer (principal executive officer)


/s/ James W. Kienker          Executive Vice President and
- ---------------------------   Chief Financial Officer
James W. Kienker              (principal financial and
                              accounting officer)


          <F*>                President and Director
- ---------------------------
Samuel B. Hayes, III


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Richard L. Battram


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
B. A. Bridgewater, Jr.


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
William E. Cornelius


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          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
John E. Hayes, Jr.


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
C. Ray Holman


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
John Peters MacCarthy


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
William E. Maritz


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Andrew E. Newman


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Richard E. Peck


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Jerry E. Ritter


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
William P. Stiritz


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Albert E. Suter


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Dwight D. Sutherland


          <F*>                Director
- ---------------------------
Theodore C. Wetterau

<FN>
By /s/ James W. Kienker
   ------------------------
   <F*>Attorney-in-Fact



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                   BOATMEN'S BANCSHARES, INC.
                 FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT

                          EXHIBIT INDEX


Reg. S-K
Item 601
Exhibit No.                  Exhibit
- -----------                  -------
            
 3(a)          Restated Articles of Incorporation
               of Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. is
               incorporated herein by reference
               from the Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
               Registration Statement on Form S-4
               (Registration Statement No. 33-
               55625), dated September 26, 1994.

 3(b)          Statement of Change of Registered
               Agent of Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
               is incorporated herein by reference
               from the Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
               Registration Statement on Form S-4
               (Registration Statement No. 33-
               55625), dated September 26, 1994.

 3(c)          Amended By-Laws of Boatmen's
               Bancshares, Inc. is incorporated
               herein by reference from the
               Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
               Registration Statement on Form S-4
               (Registration Statement No. 33-
               55625), dated September 26, 1994.

 4(a)          Rights Agreement, dated as of
               August 14, 1990, is incorporated
               herein by reference from the
               Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc.
               Registration Statement on Form 8-A,
               dated August 14, 1990.

 4(b)          Amendment, dated as of January 26,
               1993, to Rights Agreement dated
               August 14, 1990, is incorporated
               herein by reference from the
               Boatmen's Bancshares, Inc. Annual
               Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
               year ended December 31, 1992.

   5           Opinion of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh,
               L.C. re legality.

 23(a)         Consent of Lewis, Rice & Fingersh,
               L.C. (in opinion re legality).

 23(b)         Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.

 23(c)         Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP.

 23(d)         Consent of Frost & Company.

  24           Powers of Attorney.