Southern telegraph., 1837-05-23
From the Matches Courier.
PUBLIC MEETING.
CoUaT HOUSE, MATcuEz,l
Way I6, 1887.

| Nhhy lut lCOt
AT a meeting Of the citizens of Natchez
convened pursuant to adj urnmcrt, the
committee appointed to investigate the con.
duct of the officers of the Steamboat Ben
Sherrod, Alton, Columbus and Statesman
at the time of the destruction of tho Ben
Sherrod, made the following
REPORT:
The committee appointed by the chair
man on yesterday, to enqnire into the late
melancholy af',ir of the burning of the
steamboat Ben Sherrod, and the uaparl,-
Ieled loss OF human life occasioned thereby
and also into the conduct of the Coptains
and crews Of the Steamboats, Alton, Colam.
bus, and Statesman, on the same occasion.
ana to make known the result Of their en-
quIrles 10 this meeting, beg leave to report: !:
That they have had those subjects under
consideration, and have made every inyes-
tI5aIon and enquiry. within their power re-
IatIve thereto, anc find the result of all the
testimony they have been able to obtain, to
be in substance as follows, to wit:
Thatthe steamboat Ben Sherrod left the
city of New Orleans, bound fot Louisville.
hlvng on board upwards of two hundred
passengers, exclusive of the crew, tho.team
boat Prairie leaving about the same time
tor the SAME place; and that the s7id Seats
had been racing from the time they left
New Orleans, until the fatal occurrence.
which took place about IL miles above Fort
Adams, at | O'clock, on the m lrning Of the
0th INST, the Prairie being a few miles
ahead; that previous to that time said boats
had passed and repassed each other some
twice or three times.
That the Sherrod had been on fire and
was known to be so by the hands on said
boat, some time before the alarm was piyen
to the passengers in the cabins and on the
lower deck, and that ample time elapsed af.
ter The discovery Of the fire, to have run The
boat ashore, ard landed every passenger on
her, she being then not exceeding 200 wards
from the shore on the right hand side of the
river, but that no attempt whatever was
made to effecta landing, after tile discovery
of said fire, until several minutes had clans
ed, when the Captain &c. G. Castleman.0
finding the boiler dock in flames, ordered
the OF to run her ashore, but it was now
TOO late, the wheel rope having been sever
ed by the fumes. The Cnptain then or
dered the Engineer to stop the boat, but he
had fled from his post, thus leayingthe boat.
under full headway, uncontrolled BY The nj
ot, and bearing out from the shore farther
n'o the middle of the rivor. Tho flames
lad now reached nearly to the stern of the
'oat, all was consternition and despair, the
'awl suspended by pulies, was Immediate
y hIled with passengers, and in lower ny it
Q the surface Of the water, some one cut
way the bow rope, v hich caused the yawl
be run down, and the loss ofall within IT, (
The remaining passengers and crew were |
ow forced oyerbo.rd by the approaching I
imes. Ii
Such was the state Of things whom the {
Columbus, passing downwards,
onndod to, and came to the relief Of the I
iferers; the Captain and the crew usinn p
very ef)rt in theirp power to save as many b
J possible, and happily succeeded in res !
ing several persons who would dotherwise !