Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-05-02
Burning of the st. Louis and Now Orleans
Railroad Packet A. T. Lacy-Great Loss
of Life-Boat and Cargo Total Loss

VI Lllo-DOht duu SdEBo u OtuA oOoo
Il,ii,liI. &c.
The steamer A. 7. Lacey, one of the St. Louis
and New Orleans railroad line of packets, took
fire and burnt to the waters edge, u. Island Six
tccn Thursday night about ten O'clock. Tho In
ccy on her way down, and had on board
about twenty-five cabin and nearly the same nun
Der of deck passengers or the cabin passengers,
all are reported MS having been saved, except ono
or two. whose names wo are unable to lenrn.-
Some eight or ten passengers. who had come
aboard Mt Cairo. jumped into the river and were
drowned. Their names nro not given.
The fire caught in the hay, stored on the lar
board side, abreast of the boilers, md was either
communicated by spark from passing boat, or
from cigar thrown in among it--how, it is not
definitely known. The bont was in the middle
Of the river at the time Of the discovery of the
fire, and was instantly rounded To. heavy wind
blowing at the time, but before sho struck the
Tennessee shore onehaf of the boat was in
flames. The Lacey WINS comparatively new
boat having been built but two years ngo. Mt n
cost of 100000. She was insured for 900
divided equally between St. Louis and Pittsburg
Offices. and owned by Capt. A. 4. Lacey. Of
St. Lauls nfter whom she was named, aud Mr.
J,hn Rodney, of Cape Girardeau.
She was heavily loaded, having on bonrd over
l. 100 tons of freight principally corn, flour, oats,
hay pork, ETC., including 200 head OF cattle for
the New Orleans market, the whole valued at
about $l20, 900. all Of which, together with tho
boat, il total loss.
Connected with this sad catastrophe, the great
destruction Ct property is not little to the whole
sale loss Of life. The sympathetic appeals Of the
drowning for help, tho sudden separation Of fam
lilies, the screams of woman and children swamp
ing in tho water, and the whole scenc lit up by an
unearthly glare, lent interest intensely horri-
flying to the sad picture which moment before
was not. Some Of the ncidents, as reported, are
really affecting. After Capt. Lacey has safely
transferred his wife and two children from the
boat to shore. the third. beautiful little girl of
six summers, was taken on the back OF We second
clerk with whom he was swimming to shore,
which he would have safely reached with his
precious charge, but in the excitement oil the mo-
ment the child caught at passing limb sliding
from his back, and was carried down the stream
and drowned. A little child which had been
rescued alive from the water delivered 70 its
mother, from whom it had been separated, and
who in the height of her JOY closely pressed it to
her breast and when to her utter consternation 1t
became cold and expired in less than halt an
hour A number of other and heart-sckening
incidents consequent upon the accident came TO
our ear. but we forbear giving them. The total
loss of lilo, including two cabin boys,three deck
hands, three negro children, together with proba-
by two or three cabin passengers, and eight or
ten deck passengers, cannot fall far short OF twen
five souls
Tho Magnolia, from Louisville. came along
shortly after the occurrence, her officers and
rendering all ard every assistance within their
power to the passengers and crew Of the Lacey, a
number of whom were picked up by her yawls,
and brought to this city last evening. the,remain-
der going back to ST. Louis on the Platte Valley.
We may probably in day or SO. be enabled to
give the names Of all, at least part Of those
whose lives were thus unnaturaly sacrificed. -
Memphis Enquirer, Saturday.