Your description sounds not realistic to me!
If a block went dry, maybe the pistons melt to the cylinder - then you never will run the engine again... and why the white smoke?
More reasonable seems to me, headgasket damage -> water in oil and/or combustion chambers (white smoke) -> not enough lubrication -> piston damage.
Well, I know how it works with a dry block in front... 7 Years ago... 50km, including traffic jam (half an hour in Zurich rush hour) and highway (120km/h and more) and at the last 10km a intensive inclination... replaced a hose, filled in coolantwater - it runs till bevore i come from work... 110tkm later...
