The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-02
The Catastrophe ON the Ohio River.


TOTAL L0ss-NAMEs OF THE LOST.
From the Cincinnati Gazette. March 80
On Monday evening last, about O'clock the steamers
Nathaniel Holmes, boundiro ptsburg for St. Louis and
the David Gibson, from New Orleans for Cincinnati, came
In collision ehoft distance below Petersburg Ky aud
two mes above and in sight Of Aurora, with force
as to sink the former instantly, and the latter few
minutes The Holmes had heavy cargo Of nails. iron
and general merchandise. The Gibson had 600 hhds
sugar for Cincinnati.
The night was dark and the wind was blowing VIC.
lenty when the COLLISION occurred and IL supposed that
smoke ooscued the lights so that neither pilot saw the
approaching boat until too near TO prevent the accident
IT, Holmes was cot into pieces and eunk instantly
The Gibson swung around and for the Shore ou
before reaching 1t she sunk, the cabl floating off
There small trading boat named Annie laurie No
s. by but the owner refused to let any have the
use Of sk TO eoto the assistance of the suffer ers Hs
armed himself with hatchet and his wife with a bowie
knife, and the pair threatened to kill any one who
should touch the ska. William Nicholson is the uame Of
this man.
The Holmes had large number of passengers most Of
whom were emigrants to Pike's Peak. She went down
in the middle Of the river and nearly every person be-
tween decks was drowned while many Of those in the
cabin also lost
The crew were all saved except Mr.. CALDWELL the eng
neer, and q cabin boy.
STATEMENT OF JAS. L. GRIFFITH.
Twas talking with the cook OF the Holmes the guards
when the boats struck The cook exclaimed My tod
we are all gong TO the bottom Cons,ern at once
spread among the passengers and hasiened TO the
ladies' cabin to look after my family, and when reached
there they were not to be found There eight Of US,
viz: myself, vile, two daughters, two sons and err
wives. The boat was sinking rapidly and this time
up to my waist in water went back to the door Of
the state room occupied by myself and wife, found
cntangled in ropes and pieces of the RATS fell over
him In the water; became frantic and thought was TO
be left alone Saw young man save one Of my dsugh
ters. The captain came along In life boat Found nv
wife and took her ashore; back and saved nv son
and daughter law do not know how got 70 the shore
and my youngest son. Hiram, are missing. NV name -
James L. Griffith. This happened the Holmes. took
passage s o. Wheeling w WITH @ my family, for Burlington,
and am now destitute AL ask is to be sent home to
Wheeling, Va
Tho steamers colded about ono and half miles above
Aurora, lnd very the bend In the where the
Iowa and Madison struck each other only few weeks
since. Mr. John l. Conoway was at the wheel Of the
Holmes, and striker al the wheel Of the Gbsou-the
pilot, understand, not being at his post Pilot Como
way blew the whlste for the star board which
answered by the Gibson until the boats
other. The Holmes in tho middle OF tho river, and
the Gibson quarterpe from the point the Kentucky
side, towards the Indiana shore fne q. struck the
Holmes on her arboar sdc NEAR her forward chak aud
ebe CONNIE need SINKING Immediately, In about forty of
water. The cabin separated from the null, and oatei
down the river with tho passengers and hanging on
10 the wreck. The boat three minutes going
iown and had not the hull separated from the cabin the
loss Of life would have been far greater than IL was
The Gibson swung round ana was run over 20 the Ken
lucky shore, where she also sunk in twenty five feet
Her cabin aho partcd doated OH was met
the Caroline, between Warsaw and the of Log
Lick, with fiat alongside, several men taking from
he wreck boxes, &c. fho cabin OF the tonnes was
,auRht shout mile above Rising Sun, and lowed by
steamer Kentucky TO the kentucky shore. No lives were
ost of the Gibson; but of the eighty six passensers
cabin and deck-on the steamer Holmes forty two are
ost.
NAMES OF THE LOST.
From Mr. lamont, clerk Of the Homes we obtained the
olowine list Of the lost from of that boat-A French
man named Louis Dupon, wife and three children re
shipped from the Cara Dean, at Cincinnati Henry wech
wifa and three children, OF Wheeling, Va; family of
seven, shipped at wheeling, names unknown, consiang
Of man, wife, two daughters and SON DAVID GIien of
Allegheny, Pa John MiIi,gan, OF Rush tewnship rusca
rawas county, ONO; John Vance, from wheeling Va;
Samuel Owarth, wife ana child from Pargersburg Tor Ma
olson, Ind; James Caldwell, engineer; Hiram r Griffith
and sister, Emma Ann Griffith, from Bridgeport, D for
Burlington, Ia. Herman Mold, wife and three children
Ptisburg Frenchman, shipped at Cincinnati, name
kno~p; child, name unknown, ioond yesterday at
the foot OF Lauehrey siand Thomas McDocaId, Logan,
and John Evans, deck hands, Bpt colofed fireman
Thomson anu two daughters from Cipcinna ana - WI
Hams, CABIN boy. Four others missing, but are sup
posed to have come up the Kentucky TO this city
The Holmes bad fifty cabin and thirty DECK passengers
The exci,emsn ut on the two when the collision
occurred was immense Men, women and chidreu
rushed 10 the deck of the steamer screaming and beg
gng ASSISTANCE The was heart reDdng in the ex
lreme and canpot be doscribei.
one youth named Robert WEIGH, whose father mother
md three stcrs we're lost, spraDg into the river and