The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-06-24
from the Cleveland True Democrat
FHii Particulars of the Burning of the
q, R. CREEFHTH

sE. He GAkH&G9hkhs
This morning, the 18th at i O'Clock, some
20 mics below Cleveland, Oh her way uP.
the steamer G. B. Griffith, Capt. Roby,
caught Gre and burned TO the water's edge.
There were. at least. according to MIR.
Parks estimate $50 emigrants, chiefly I3n-
gIish and German, As or 50 cabin passengers,
AID the crew, numbering about 25.
ho books were saved. A list, therefore,
OF the na&Aes OF passengers cannot DO Civ
en-.
The scene On the lake ehere was nelancho-
~ liz the e&trcme.
One hundred and Fifty bodies were screwed
along. The boats weuld gather up G4e or
six together, from the bottom of the lake. In
the death Struggle they had clasped each
other with Grmest grip.
The Griffith was on the Toledo and Buffi-
10 line-was owned by Roby & Studdclord:
and was nearly new.
The tollswing were among The saved
Mr.. Atkinson, Cleveland; II. c. Parks, T.
NJ, Rochester, Pa; Mr.. Jones, 81 engineer;
w. Evans, 1st mate; w. S Machrochy, Gin
cinnati; VIM. L. Tincon Chataueue county,
d. Y; B Selover, J. Hurd, ID. Nj. Reed. Bel
ionta1ne; Martin Brennan, e Elizabeth street,
n. \. -Four females are said 10 be saved
Darius G. Randall, Joncsvlle Michigan; and
Mr.. Stebbins, LIST engineer.
Among the lost were:
William Daily, Elizabeth street, n. Y;
Capt. c. c. Roby. wife, two children and
mother; Mrs. Wilkinson, Toledo. Horace
Palmer, telegraph operator, Toledo; Theodore
Gilman, Richard Mann, Sandusky; MIR. w.
! q. Tinlham. and 2ehdren; Mrs Heth, wife
/ OF Francis Heth, Wall ST.. n. y, and their
/ four children; M. June, "a engineer; WIN.
! TiTlman, bar-keeper; A. Ferguson; ]. II.
: 10, Il Ia.
/ bis pockets; -- Marsh from Massachu-
sets. was about p years of age-hody not
found, had gold vateh. A man with j..
NJ" on his shirt. Another with f. L."
The names Of the foreigners lost cannot be
ascertained The dead will not be cess than
z80-we fear the nuuaber may be larger.
A majority ofthe English emigrants were
destined for Medina CO., where they have re
latives,
P. S. We left the ground after 6 o'clock
on the evening of the disaster. The number
efbodes found was 154. trer.eh fegty feet
in length, six feet deep and wide was dug,
into which ninety-fo"r persons were promis-
cuously thrown and buried.
According 10 the statement Of Mr.. Parks
which we have no doubt is correct-iorty per-
SONS were saved. The whole, with the crew,
numbering at least 1925.
This viii leave yet in the water enc hun
dred and rhirty-one3
One of the editors of the Cincinnati En-
quirer, who came with some of the sufferers
in the railroad ears, gives the following in re-
gard to the disaster IN his paper of Thurs
day last:
Itappcars that the steamer was striving TO
beat The ST. Louis, and had passed her. As
ii was the first trip Of the Captain, on the
boat. he WAS probably ambitious TO make a
quick one. The firing was kept up, aad it is
supposed that the boat caught from the heat
of the chimneys. As soon as it was discover
ed the boat was headed for land about two
miles distant. The plot was faithful to bis
post and stood by the wheel until the boat
struck, when he burst from the prot house,
his clothes in one sheet Of flame. He was
lost
When the boat struck, the passengers rot
i knowing the draught of the boat, supposed
that they could wade ashore, a short half
! mIle distant. But the boat had grounded in
seven and 4 half feet water and the aonse-
quence was that as the passengers went over
her sides in droves. and found that taey were
beyond their depths, fhey struggled and seiz-
ed one another, Sc rlsht bat few eseaped.-
Twenty bodies were taken up atcn time, all
: interocked together with grasp which ii
is the reason Of such an rnparalltI He'd loss of
life under such circumstances.
There was an English colony on board.
comprising thirty three persons. OF these,
three only were saved. One OF this number,
Robert Hail. lost wife, four children, moth
err two sistsrs and two brothers.
From all we could learn, there appeared 10
be but little presence of mind among the crew.
and still less among the passengers.