Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-05-19
Terrible Scenes on Board Burning steamer

fire commenced in bale of hay. The Demo-
crat says:
Capt LACEY, of Cape Girardcau, together
with his wife and two .chi ildrcu, one an in
tcrcsting little boy aged about eight years,
and the other little girl of four or five
years, were among the passengers. The hap
py family had not proceeded on their journey
more than one hundred ana ffty miles, when
terrible disaster overtakes them, death
snatchesnwoy the little daughter, aud father,
mother and son are thrown upon the barren
shore OF the river exhausted in body, their
lives barely saved and their hearts over
whclmcd with the grief that had so suddenly
come upon them. Our informant states
that as he stepped out of his state-room, he.
met Capt. Lacey rushing towards the stern
of the boat to save his family. He called
after him, telling him not to frightcn tho
women, for he Thought that the bale of hay
in which the fire w2s first discovered had
been thrown over board, and there was no dan
ger
Our informant then went back into his
statcroom drew on his pants and once more
stepping into the cabin was confoundcd and
terrified at the progress of the flames, which
had already broken into the front part of
the cabin, and were carrying everything be-
fore them. He then ran back to assist the
ladies and children in their escape. Seeing
Capt. Lacey with his boy in one hand and
his little girl in the other, while his wife,
frantic with fright, was clinging to his
person, he approached the Captain and told
him if he would give him the little girl he
would try to save her. The Captain gave
her up, she going willingly without word
OF objection, while her little brother clung
to his father, aud in a moment after, with her
Cli L.
plunged into the water The child strangcd
very much at the first immersion, but still
clung to our informant's neck, who struck out
for the shore
lie had swan but a short distance when
he was assailcd by large Gcrmau woman,
who, III her frantic struggles pushed him
and the little girl beneath the surface, which
again caused her to stranglc, but she still
held on. Nearing drift pile, both our in
tormant and his precious charge were sucked
under the logs by the trcacherous waves and
current, and while under, struggling for his
own life, having become badly strunglcd, he
missed the grasp of the little girl around his
neck, and she, probably caught by her night
dress in the drift, was lost. Our informant,
on emerging from the drift, happily caught
u log, on which he foated until rescued bv
the yawl, about mile below. Capt Laccy's
little boy was taken from his father and
saved by the noble exerions of Mr.. VIM.
Mundy, the pilot, who, after his safe arrival
ON shore, was so exhausted that he had to-
be drawn up the bank. The engineers,
MIR Buchanan and Mr.. Owens, assisted Cant,
Lacey and his wife to the shore
a large number of the deck passengers
threw themselves overheard, and many were
drowned. One man most inhunancly left
his two young children in their beds to be
consumed by the fire, while he made good his
escape to shore.
One poor Irish woman, who was confined
TO her berth by the ST. Vitus dance was lost.
Another Irish woman, with whom the ma
tcfnal feeling was as strong as life itself,
wrapped her little babe in blanket, and
safely reached the shore with the precious
bundle in her arms. Her anguish may be
imagined when, in unwinding the blanket.
she found her child sufocatcd and dead.
Tho number of cattle on board was Get
hundred and sixteen. The groans and no.,
ings of these poor animals as the fire -
along their backs and roasted them al.
all tied by their horns to the forward and
after guards, with no way of escape, is de-
serlbcd as most awful and distressing.
Several deck passengers were seen, by our
informant, to pass under the drift pile, and
were undoubtedly drowned. The fire was
seen distinctly at New Madrid, a distance Of
about fifty miles from the scene of the dis
astcr, and the clerk of the wharr.boat at that
point stated, when he saw the light, that he
knew it was the Lacey.
LIST OF PERSONS KNOWN TO BE Losr.--
Mr.. A. II. Laccy's little daughter, four or
five years old One German woman, name
unknown, on dccA One Irish woman, name
unknown, on dcck.\ Mrs Eliza Head, as
sstant chamber-maid for the trip. One
Irish woman, who was sick when she came
on board, bant in her berth on deck. Ono
black girl, about fve years old One black
boy about eight years old. Two German
children from ten to twelve years old Deck
sweeper name unknown. Two iremen, names
unknown. Charley Barnett black porter,
better known as King, John BeckIey, mu-
latto, Seythmaker Anthony Tremble, mu-
latto, pantrymau. One white cabin Ebov.
name unknown. One infant, belonging to an
Irish woman, one of the deck passengers.
A LETTER. from Charleston to the staunton
Nndtcdtor, says:
Dir. Memmingcr, thc gentleman recently
sent to Virginia from this State, to discuss the
propriSty of Virginia cooperating with South
Carolina in iDitatory steps to secure a confer
enee of the Southern States, has been yerv
attentive TO our deleoot;on Yostoyaax, -