Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-03-06

From the Oinctnaol Oo0oele.


'Duxumg0f IN 0ssaamse Henry n. Jmoo.
The Boat and Cargo entirely Dssfyoyed-AH
the Passengers Saved-zioo Of the Hands
badly Burned
About half past one o'clock Saturday a.
ternoon. the steamer H. A. jones', Can't. w.
Packet line, started from this city for Park
ersburg. having on board twenty five pas
sengers and q good load Of freight. About
10 o'clock at night, when about mile be-
low Augusta. passing through the Angus
ohute, some forty miles from this city, the
second steward, John Boyd. went into tie
pantry for the purpose Of preparing the usu-
al IL o'clock lunch for the crew, and in ct
tempting to fill the boiler under q coffee
uru with alcohol, fire was communicated to
the tin can cOntaing t. e fluid, which burst
in an instant, scattering the alcohol over
the room, enveloping the whole interior in
flames
The cook of the boat, James Wilson, was
sitting in the pantry reading, and his per-
son, as well as that Of Boyd, the steward,
were covered with fire, the latter being al
most enveloped in flames The face, hands,
arms, breat and back of both were badly
burned, and Boyd is supposed to have been
burned internally. They were taken to
Augusta, and put under medical care, where
they still remain.
The Waterman of the boat heard the ex-
plosion, and Immediately gave the alarm to
the pilot at the wheel, J. Case, who headed
the boat for the Kentucky shore, about IS
yards distant, and RIM the bow aground
within Is yards of the bank of the river
The passengers had all retired for the night,
but were quickly aroused from their beds,
and notwithstanding the rapid progress OF
the flames, which spread over the entire
upper part of the boat in fifteen minutes,
all wer saved by the small boat. Fortus>
ately the only women board vas the
chambermaid, who was rescued from tn.
water when almost exhausted. The mel
jumped into the river, and were picked up
by the yawl and conveyed to the shore.
Capt. Knight with his wife and one child
were aleep in the Texas" and made their
escape with difficulty. Two of the Cap
tain's children wers asleep in the cabin, and
were rescued by the father by breaking the
window Of their sleeping room, through
which they escaped. Cap. X. had both o.
his hands badly cut in the effort to rescue
the children.
After the passengers and crew were safe
ly landed, an attempt was made to scuttle
the boat, but the water not being deep
| enough, it was but partially successful. In
a very short time she burned to the waters
edge. Nothing whatever was saved, the
baggage of the passengers, as well as the
freight on board, being burned. John Don
ahue, the barkeeper, saved his trunk, but
lost everything else. The porter of the boat
lost $50 in money.
Soon after the accident, the packet Ohio
No. 2, came along, and took on board the
passengers and conveyed them to Parkers-
burg. The crew, twelve in number, re-
turned to this city yesterday morning, on
board the steamer Boston.
The Henry A. Jones was built about Is
months since, by Capt. Pat Rogers, and
Capt. Knight, and was owned by them
She was valued at 81 700, and was insur-
ed for $4,000. Her cargo consisted Of 26a
bales Of cotton received here from the Glen
dale, from Memphis. 80 bbls pork. 100
tierces sugar, 2lS bbls -four, 1870 boxes OF
meats, and lot of hams. shipped from the
Dunleith and insured at Nashville. There
were about forty packages of assorted arti-
| cles. The cargo was to be shipped by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Feast. A Dor
ton OF the freight in The hold will proba-
bly, be saved in damaged state. About
s. 900 in money, and lot of valuable pa.
pers, were in the safe of the boat, and were
preserved
The escape of the passengers and crew
was very fortunate indeed. When the
alarm was given, the the passengers were
all in tneir beds, and most of them asleep,
and the rapid spread of the flames, and the
confusion which followed as the passengers
were aroused and came rushing on deck,
created scene of terror that was exciting
in the extreme CAPT. Knight and his o.
fiers exhibited the utmost GOODNESS and fore.
thought, and promptly directed their efforts
to re.euinS tho passengers.