Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-04-29

than Twenty Lives.
The burning of the steamer Ocean SPras
about five miles above ST. Louis, on Thurs
day last, was one one of the most crimina
instances of recklessness ever recorded.-
Two passengers on the boat give stateinent'
vb;cb show the following facts. The
.Snyay left St. Louis bound for Peoria on
the Illinois river, and the steamer Hdnni
5ol followed short way behind, bound
for Keokuk on the Mississippi. The Han
ni5ai and Spray commenced Immediately
TO race; the firemen on the former boat
feeding the furnaces with rosin. Mr. Den
nison, of Lynchburb, Ohio, gives the fol-
lowing:
When the Ocean Spray was within
about a mile of where she took fire, she
saw the Hannibal City gained on her, and
the command was given to put turpentine
in the furnaces. He says he had been very
much interested in the race, and had taken
. position in front, where the steps come
down together, so that be could see them
firing up. They first threw in rosin, and
then the mate suggested turpentine. The
captain was by when the order was given,
and some of the men went down into the
hold and brought up barrel of turpentine,
which had been consigned for some person
in Peoria. The men took IN AK and split
a hole in the head of the barrel and then,
under orders of the mate, dipped the fluid
out and threw it over the coal that was
=. nf
enough and the head of the barrel was
Knocked in, and bucket with piece of
rope 70 it was used to dip out the turpcn-
tine. The barrel at this time was stand
ing not more than six feet from the fur
mace doors. After dipping with the buck
ct and sprinkling the coal, sticks of wood
we're taken up and their ends plunged in
TO the barrel, and then laid down between
the barrel and furnace. While lying there
one of the firemen in pulling out his rake,
jerked out o live coal, as is supposed, on
the wood, when it WAS Immediately ignited
and blazed up furiously.
The mate swore at the men and ordered
them TO throw water on the fire. The
water seemed to drive the flames to the
barrel which was soon all ablaze. The
mate grew furious, and cursing the men Or
dered them to cast the barrel overheard
In attempting to do this the barrel was
upset, and the burning fluid in an instant
spread all over the deck and poured in fiery
torrents down into the hold At this the
cry of fire was shouted and the alarm be-
came general.
All who had presence of mind and could
do SO rushed to the bow of the boat, so that
when she struck the bank, as she soon did,
they jumped ashore; but the women and
children, and many men, in the cabins aft,
were not able to get forward, SO rapid were
the flames.
Women rushed over the top of the boat
some ON the hurricane roof, and some, even,
with their children up OH The Texas, and
impIoring for help and screaming from the
fright of the moment. One mother bro't
three children to the edge of the hurricane
roof, the oldest being probably about ten
years of age. She first caught her youn-
gest in her arms and gave it desperate
fling. It struck the shore with great vio-
lence, and must have been seriously injur-
ed. The second child she could not throw
80 far, and it fell 10 the water, where its
little hands, padding above the surface, ar
rested the attention of some gentleman
who reached in and saved it. The third
child being so heavy fell farther from the
shore, and would have been drowned but
for some noble-hearted man, who, having
witnessed the efforts of the heroic mother,
plunged in headforemost, and brought the
child to the surface and the shore. The
mother afterwards leaped in the water and
was rescued.
Mr.. Deuistoa relates that while the
flames were raging he saw some poor wo-
man at the milling just in front of the wheel
house. Those on shors shouted to her to
jump which she attempted to do, but was
caught by her clothing, and swung in un-
der the railing, down into the engine room
where all was one blaze of fire.
Another passenger, Mr.. Brandon, says
the men as general thing, jumped and
reached the shore safely though he saw
four of them banging to one log out in the
river. Three of them were on the upper
side of il and one on the lower. The log
kept turning over and over towards the
man on the lower side, until he becoming
exhausted with his efforts to keep on il,
sank below the surface and was drowned.
He also saw lady who was endeavor-
ing to keep herself up by small piece of a
board not more than foot. square. Her
dress for time seemed to buoy her, but be-
coming thoroughly saturated, the piece of
wood was insufficient. She would sink al
most below the surface, and then by
strong effort, straighten her body, throw
back her head and stiffen her arms, but
all of no avail. She sank and was seen
no more.
Mr. Brandon says the spectacle from the
shore was most heart-rending. The ladies
at first tried to save their baggage, some
of them throwing in their trunks and then
jumping in after them; Others were con-
cerned only for themselves and their chill
dren, and ran wildly about screaming for
help. As the flames approached they
swung themselves down from the guards,
while one or two were seen to slide down
the ropes and posts at the rear. How
many were sunk or lost cannot be ascertain
ed, nor even guessed at now. There were
some fifteen or twenty women on board,
and some eight or ten are all that are
thought TO be saved.
Several horses, which were fastened in
stalls behind the wheel-house, were burn