Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1837-06-03
whom the following were picked up BY the Colum


J. bus
i OEF1cERs-Capt c. G. CastIeman and lady
n George Stiles, Clerk: VIM. Bell, first engineer
!! Stephen Hooks I'd do; Chs. Greenlee, pilot; Sml
: Pig, Cd mate; John i'll. Carpenter.
CREw-Patrck Rice, Jacob Lightsroof, Johr
Eeman, A Goddin, Amos Burby, Bully John, NJ
8 O'Hara. Cbrles Simms, Fred Cover, Willis CaId
: wen. John Johnson, Jacob Rose, Edw Fleece, b
I Mcdaniel, Noses Caldwell, Chs. Ande rson. Peter
! Sewer, Robert Louisianed, Andrew Moore. Joseph
. Cooper, Josiah Fisher, John Cork
PAssENG ERs-Jas. Smith. lady and son, Thos
Cook, Wm II Cloud. WIN. Beate, Amos Brundell,
Thos Larmer, Saml. Ray. Lister Sexton, Nh. Gable
2 and Son; and four left at Fort Adams, names IN
> known were in the cabin Saml. Squ,nnes and A
sa Gates deck.
Il One gentleman, Mr.. Cook, foased down the rv-
; er some miles before he was pckedup. lie nailed
the wretched and despsable character who had put
oil in yawl from the shore. and begged his assist
ance. The infamous scOundrel who was intent
only on picking up boxes &C., asked with the ut.
mos, sang froid, .sIow much will you give mes''
To the en;seaties Of others for help. he replied,
I"Oh, you're very we'll off there! Keep cool, and
you'll come out comE,rtablcv' Whether the Cap
tain Of the Alton deserves the censuIe that has
been ped upon him we know not, nor will pre-
tend say positively until have seen his state
ment; but il does appear to that If the captain
Of the Columbus had acted in similar manner TO
that Of the Alton, there would not have been half
dozen souls left to tell the tale Of this calamty
| Poor Davis the Pilot who was at the wheel du-
ring the fire, convers;ng with f;iend Of ours.
Just before he Jeff this city, about The burning of the
ST. Martinsvllle, and the burning Of her tier rope
three or four years since: ''If ever I'm in boat
that takes fire, (said Davi>,) if don't run her a.
shorc it will be because shall be burnt up herr'
Poor fellow, his statement has been verified; he
was burn, up in the Re-" she!!o d. ooard only
,rx o." nes q sassvcd, The captain. wife and Mrs smith
of Mobile. their husbands threw hen coops INTO
the r,ver jumped off me wheel house, the ladies fol-
lowed their example, and were saved
One scene was distressing in the extreme; a
Young and beautiful lady, whose name at present
we cannot learn on hearing the cry Of fire, rushed
out Of the ladies' cabin, in her loose night dress,
in search Of her husband, at the same time, holding
her infant to her bosom; in endeavorny TO get for
ward. her dress caught fire, and was torn from her
back to save her life; after witnessing her husband
fall in the flames, in the forward part Of the boat un
able to reach him she leaped with her child into the
water seized "a FLANK and carried by the cur
rent within so yards Of the Columbus, but Just as
she seized a rope thrown from the steam boat,
both mother and child sunk to rise nomore!
Our limits preclude the possibility of enurnera-
ting all the various heart rending sights that this
caIami,ous affair occasioned. The captain, for in
stance, saved his wife, but saw his two children
irish. Mr.. Smith saved his wife and one child
and saw the nurse rush mady thro' the flames with
his daughter, and both pershed. Mr.. CANDLES
wife, we understand, was burnt to death; he escap-
ed although very badly burnt. One young man
" no had reached the hurricane deck in safety,
heard the cries Of his sister, rushed back to the cab
in clasped her in his arms, and both were burnt to
deatb-Onc Of the clerks, Of the pilots and the
first mate were burnt up. All the chamtermalds
and women employed on the boat, persisted. Out
of IS negroes that were known to be on board, only
y escaped alive The Ben Sherrod had the largest
Is, eho hv fol
the above list Of names it i'll be seen that out of
the 50 saved over 80 belonged to the boat and out
Of the 60 20 cabin passengers, there are but a.
bout 10 or IL alive. One Of the officers OF the boat
assured u.s. that in addition TO the cabin pas~en-
gers, there were at least 20 or more deck Passen-
gers, of which scarce SIX are saved.
Altogether this has bcen one Of the most serious
disasters that has happened in tie annals Of the
Mississippi steamboats,; there beng at least one
hundred and fifty families deprived By il Of some
dear and beloved member-Over one hundred be-
ings hurried BY it out Of time INTO eternity, with
scarce a moments ~arDing.-And amongst those
who are saved, many said to be severely burnt:
some 50 much 30, that their recovery is very doubt
full
We understand that eight different explosions
took place on board the boat, whilst burnng-hrst,
tarrcls Of whiskey. brandy, &C., then the boilers
blew I'D with fearful explosion, and lastly, 80 bar
rels Of gunpowder exploded which strewed the sur
face Of the river with fragments.
A large quantity Of specie was in the boat on its
wav to the Tennessee banks, this was lost one
gentleman placed his poke, book containing $3s,-
600 under his pillow, and though he escaped with
life, he lost all bis money. great many more
persons on board had very large amounts Of money
with them, the most, all Of which in the confu-
sion, was lost.
| This is the second boat that has been burnt du-
ring the short period that the Herald has been in
existence: and we trust that citizens will call
public meeting md adopt such resolutions as shall
offer safeguard against the repetition Of snch dis
asters Let none travel in boats that allow the
crew the indiscnmipate use Of liquor, OF that are
not provided with especial night watchmen, fire en-
CINE. hose, &c. We say that we hope some such
,,an may be adopted; bu, fear that 80 long as