South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1837-06-03

|
| A. Wise.-D.
We find in the New Orleans papers somt
further particulars relative to the lamentablt
catastrophe which befel the steamboat Der
Sherrod and her numerous passengers. They
are suboined, and they disclose the appalling
fact that upwards Of one hundred lives have
fallen wantoa sacrifice to the reckless folly
ola steamboat race, prosecuted by the crew
under the stimulus of ardent spirits to which
they had access without stint. If acts like
these are not sufficient to wiring from Congress
a law which will put a stop to these Wholesale
murders, that body must be calloas 1ndeed.-lb
additional particulars Of the loss ofthe
/ Ben Sherrod.
The Natche3 contains furtherparticulars OF
the loss of the Ben Sherrod. AT the time she
took fire she was engaged in race with the
steamer Prairie and the fire took from the
great heat of the boilers, caused by raising her
Steam to its extreme power,-a barrel ofwhis-
| kew was placed on deck for the use OF the
hands during the race who drank to excess and
became intoxicated.
AT about IL o'clock at night the furnace
became so heated that it communicated fire to
the wood, of which there was on board about
sixty cords When the crew discovered the
! fire they all left their posts and ran to the
| yawl without giving any alarm to the passen-
gers, who were all asleep in their berths.
The captain for time attempted 10 allay
| the extreme confusion by stating that the fire
| was extinguished; twice he forbid the lower
| ing of the yawl which was attempted by the
| deck hands and passengers. The sllrieks oil
nearly three hundred persons on board now
| rose wild and dreadful. The cry was TO THE
SHORE! TO THE sHoRE!! and the boat made
for the starboard shore, but did not gain it, as
| the wheel rope might have given way, or the
pilot been driven BY the flames from his sta
| ton. The steam was not let off and the boat
kept on. The scene Of horror now beggared
all description. :,
The yawl which had been filed With the
crew had sunk, drowning some who were IN
it, a. id the passengers had no other alternative
than to lump overheard without taking even
time to dress. There were ten ladies on bord
who all went overheard without uttering
single scream, some drowning instantly and
others elinging to planks-two of the number
were finally saved. Some of the passengers
are supposed to have been burnt up on board
the B. s.; one man by the name OF Ray IRON
Louisville, Kentucky, hung to rope ut the
bow of the boat until taken up by the yawl
of the steamboat Columbus which arrived a
bout half an hour after the commencement OF
the disaster on her down ward passage. Mr..
RAYS face and arms was much burnt while
clinging to the boat in the above positlon-he
lost Ss2O 900 in Natchez and United States
paper.
after the Columbus, but from the carelessness
or indiscretion of those ON board, was the
means of drowning many persons who were
floating in the water. She drove into the
midst Of the exhausted sufferers, who were too
weak longer to make exertlon, and by the
commotion occasioned by her wheels. drown
ed a large number. A gentleman by the name
of Hamilton, from Limestone county, Alaba-
ma, was floating on barrel, and sustaining
also a lady, when the Alton droVed up and
washed them both under-.the lady was drown
ed, but Mr.. Hamilton came up and fioated
down the river fifteen miles, when he was ia
ken up by the steamer Statesman.
Mr. Mcdowell attributes the drowning OF
his wife to the indiscretion of the managers
of the Alton, as she was floating safely on
plank at the time. Mr.. Mcdowell sustained
| himself some time against the current so that
he only floated two miles down the river when
he swan ashore ten miles below fort Adams.
One gentleman, Mr.. Cook, fioated down the
| river some miles before he was pickedup lie
hailed wretched and despicable character
! who had put eff in yawl from the shore ,and
| begged his assistance The infamous scoun-
drel, who was intent only on picking up box
es &C., asked with the utmost sang froid,
GLOW much will you give me !" To the en-
| treaties of others help, he replied, 80, you
are very well off there Keep cool, and you'll
come out comfortable 20 Whether the cap
tain of the Alton deserves the censure that has
been heaped upon him we know not, nor will
| we pretend to say positively, until we have
seen his statement; but it does appear to us
| that if the captain of the Columbus had acted
| in a similar manner to that of the Alton there
would not have been half a dozen souls left to
! tell the tale of the calamity.
| Poor Davis, the pilot, who was at the wheel
| during the fire, was conversing with friend
of ours Just before he left this city, about the
burning of the st. Martinsville, and the burn
ing other tiller rope, three or four years since:
'sif ever I'm in boat that takes fire (said
Davis) if don't run her ashore, it will be be-
cause / shall be burnt up in her % Poor fell
low, his statement has been verified he was
burnt up in the Ben Sherrod.
Out of nine ladies that were on board only
two have been saved, the captains wife ant
Mrs Smith of Mobile; their husbands threw
hen coops into the river, jumped off the vince
house, their wives followed their example ant
were saved.
One scene was distressing in the extreme
young and beautiful lady, whose name a
present we cannot learn, on hearing the CRY
of fire, rushed out of the ladies' cabin, in he
loose dress, in search of her husband, at TIN
same time holding her infant to her bosom
in endeavoring to go forward her dress cangh
fire, and was torn from her back to save he
life after seeing her husband fall into th
flames in the forward part of the boat, unabl
to reach him she leaped with her Child int
the water, seized plank and was carried b
the current within twenty yards of the Colum
bus, but just as she had seized q rope throw
from the steamboat, both mother and chill
sank to rise no more.
Our limits preclude fhe flessihilifn 81 an1,