Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-03-31
The Gibson and Holmes Collision.
[From ~, o!neInnall commereial.l


In yesterdays Commercial We announced the
unfortunate collision and sinking of the steam
ers David Gibson and Nat. Holmes, on Monday
night about 8 o'clock, between Petersburg and
Aurora. Both steamers were heavily loaded
the Gibson bound from New Orleans to this
port, and the Nat. Holmes from Wheeling to
St. Louis.
We cleaned the following particulars yester-
day from passengers and the Clerks of the Da-
vid Gibson, and Mr.. Scott, one of the pilots of
the Nat. Holmes. Capt. Kennedy and Clerks
Lamont and florence, of the Holmes. were at
the wreck all day, but were expected here last
night
The night was dark and stormy. Pilot WIN.
Irwin, who was ut the wheel of the Gibson,
states he was coming up the Kentucky shore,
and reached the point below Petersburg, when,
the Holmes, descending, blew her whistle He
says the clouds Of smoke and steam together
with the state Of the weather, prevented him
from seeing the Holmes until she was within
short distance of the Gibson. He Immediately
stopped the engines and commenced backing
the Gibson, when the boats came togetlier-her
bow striking the Holmes on the lniboard side
opposite the forward end of the boilers. The
Holmes being laden principally with iron went
down almost instantly head sorcmost-;he cabin
separating from the hull and floating of. The
Gibson remained by the wreck until it was dis
covered that she was also sinking, when she
WAS ltIlUleulntelY nelueu StiOTc, Nent
down on the Kentucky side, at the point above
Aurora. The cabin of the Gibson also parted
from the hull when she struck the bank, and
was swept OIL
The scene was terrible beyond description.-
As the Holmes went down in the middle of the
river the cries of the unfortunate and drowning
passengers was heard on either shore. The
editor of the Lawrenceburg Register, thus de-
scribes the scene:
1--WE were at Aurora at the time of the catas-
trophe, and the walls that went up FROM the dis
tressed sufferers would make the stoutest heart
quake. As soon as the cry ui distress was heard
at Aurora, all that was in the power of the citi-
zens was rendered. Every skif that could be
found in the dark night went to their aid. Men
rowed with superhuman power. and load after
load was landed upon the beach, among whom
were many women who had lost their children,
and children who had lost their parents, and
Others who had lost all they had
Their situation was truly agonizing; they
were all as wet as they could be.
We saw one old man from Wheeling who had
lost two children, but had saved his wife and
other children.
Another told us that he had six children, and
he could not find but three, and did not know
whether the remainder were lost or not.
We observed little girl about five years old
who could not find relative, but she, like. the
rest, found plenty of friends in the citizens of
Aurora. There was also another little girl about
nine years old, named Welsh, from Wheeling,
who was so near gone that she could not stand
Her parents could not be found, but after a
while, her brother, lad about sixteen years old,
was found
We also-saw young lady who was badIy
scalded. An agonzed mother could not find
her infant child, and her grief bordered on in
sanity.
We noticed numerous other cases of suffer
ing One had hole cutin his head, occasioned
by the cabin falling on him; another had got
his neck fast and his head just above the water
These two men had to be cut out. One little
boy was fast in the wreck and could not be a~
treated, but we did not learn whether he was
dead ut the time or not
One young man had on board span of gray
trotting horses which cost him eleven hundred
dollars in New York, and bound to the city of
Mexico. They seemed to be the pride of his
life. When the crash was heard he made for
his horses to cut them loose, but the water
crowded so fast that he could not get sight Of
them When he found that they were gone, he
remarked that he did not care whether he was
saved or not He told US that the money he
had left was fifteen cents.
The Telegraph and Kentucky came along
shortly after the collision. The crew of the Glib
son came here on the Telegraph. The Kentucky
landed the cabin OF the Homes together with
some twenty passengers, and the hurricane deck
load of freight, near Bellcvicw. The passengers
were clinging to the hurricane deck when re-
Iieved by the Kentucky. A portion remained
Mt Aurora in order to search for their missing
friends, while others came on to this CITY. The
officers of the Kentucky and Telegraph extend
ed the hospital,ics of their respective boats,
doing all in their power to relieve the sufferers.
The passengers and crew on both the sunken
steamers lost everything in the shape of bag
gage, barely escaping with their lives.
The Holmes had % or 80 deck, and between
fifty and sixty cabin passengers. Twcnty-three
of those on deck, and fifteen or twenty cabin
passengers, are missing, and supposed to be lost.
The cabin-register, and entire contents of the
Office being lost, it is impossible TO give tue
names of the lost. Mr. Michael Dunn has fur
nished us with the following list of drowned
Mr.. JAS CALDWELL the engineer on watch, and
one of the owners of the boat; one cabin pas
seuger, a young man from Bridgeport, and Nell
son White, of the firm of Wiley & White, Mar
tinsvile; French family, of. six or seven, who
reshipped here from the Glara Dean, were all
lost, save two children; Michael Walsh, of
Wheeling Island, was saved.
The Holmes had 400 tons of freight, and load
ed principally at Wheeling. She received at
that point 1900 kegs of nails, from the Virginia
La Belle and Belmont MiS;'S8 tons dry goods
from Wheeling and Pittsburgh; 1000 bds pa
per; II tons threshing machines from Martins
vile; lot of glassware. She also took, 90 tons
of iron at Portsmouth, and small lot of freight