Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-11-20
THE BURNING OF TIE STEAMER
SUNNYSIDE.
Particulars OF the Dissster-Exciting
Incidents List of tho Lost.

has arrived, bringing the startling lntelllgenceG
of the burning of the steamer Sunnyside,
from Memphis for St. Louis. She took fire
opposite Island No. 16, about twenty eight
miles below New Madrid, at o'clock on the
morning of the 18th. She was burned to the
waters edge. Thirty lives were lost.
l am indebted to DR.. Tausig, late of the
49th Indiana, who was passenger on the
steamer, for particulars of the catastrophe.
The Sunnyside had large trip of passen-
gers and freight. Among the cargo was
$3.50 bales of cotton, much of which was on
the forecastle, and in front of the boilers
The boat was burning dry wood, and a strong
wind blowing aft drove the sparks among the
bales Of cotton.
She took fire twice before on the way up,
but it Was readily extinguished. The third
time the fire was communicated to the lower
tier of bales, and was under headway before
it was discovered
All efforts to quell the flames proving inef-
fectual, the passengers were called and the
boat run ashore, the water being very shall
low at the bow, but scme twelve feet deep at
the stern.
The gangway forward was very narrow,
admitting the passage. Of but one or two per-
sons at time, and was soon partially broken
down by trunks which passengers had at
tempted to save. The crew and deck pas
sengers GRO wded forward along the guards and
were saved. The cabin passengers who could
not get through the companion way were OBJ.
liged to leap from the boiler deck into the wa
ter. In the confusion few sprang from the
wrong side Of the boat and were drowned.
The engines were kept in motion TO keep
the boat to the bank. The rapid revolutions
Of the wheels caused strong current, and
drew many underneath the boat, who were
either crushed by the wheels or drowned
An old gentleman who was drawn under the
wheels and passed under the boat was res
cued by one of the crew.
There were ninety cabin passengers aboard
thirteen ladies, eight children, and nun
Der of army officers, among them Major Bos-
well, who was wounded in the shoulder at
Vicksburg. His sister. who, as soon as she
learned her brothers situation, went to the.
camp and nursed him through long and
dangerous sickness, was taking him home.
The brother and sister sprapg overheard,
and had nearly reached the shore, when the
Majors strength became exhausted, and he
IVES obliged to loose his hold upon his sister,
who was carried off by the current and
drowned. The boatmen rescued the Major,
but he was entirely insensible. There is lit
tie hope of his recovery. He was brought up
on the Glasgow, and on her taken to St.
Louis.
Mr.. Boyd, an iron founder of Memphis, was
with his wife and child on their way to st.
Louis. He lashed his wife and child together,
hand to hand, and they leaped into the wa
ter, but were instantly drawn into the wheel,
and all met watery graves.
Mr.. Brady and wife, an aged couple Of New
Albany, Indiana, were returning home. Mr..
Brady was urging his wife to try to escape
by taking to the water, but her terror was
50 great she could not stir.
A great mass Of burning cotton finally
caused the steam chest to explode. This so
the old lady that, in an instant she
was overheard. Her husband followed and
both were saved.
a poor unfortunate fellow, who had lost a
leg by accident, was lucky enough to make
his way to shore.
OF thirteen female passengers only four es-
capped of eight children, SIX were lost; an
assistant surgeon from Memphis lost his
wife; the chambsrmaid (colored), the only
female servant on the boat, was saved; two
of the ladies who escaped were saved 6y the
boatmen; more Of them could have been
saved but were afraid to throw themselves
into the river until blinded by the flames and
smoke, and could not see what they were
doing, and leaped almost into the wheel.
Mrs. Van Buren, and her daughter, Matte
@. Van Buren, of Detroit, are among the lost.
After the boat struck the shore, all noise
was hushed save the cracking of the flames.
1t was as still as midnight. Men rushed
frantically to and fro, noseless and speech
less. Ladies gathered on the guards with
glaring eyes and blanched cheeks. For
time, silence the most terrible and oppressive
reigned, then suddenly the flames swept with
irresistible force aft, and, catching the light
dresses of the ladies, in moment all were on
fire. The screams which then rent the air
were terrible beyond description. Almost
within reach of shore, some sank upon the
burning deck, while others, in their frenzy,
threw themselves into the water. After the
am-chest exploded, the engines stopped
working.
The boat had now burned to the main deck,
and gradually swinging out into the current,
was carried down the river about half mile,
when she struck on bar and broke in two.
The wreck was, visited by party of survi-
vors, who found among the debris the charred
remains of some of their ll-fated friends.-
The clerk had large amount Of money in the
safe belonging to the passengers. The safe
was not fre-proof, and the clerk opened it
and gave the money to its owners, but he was
not able to save any of the boats money or
books.
The gunboat No. came down, and seeing
the crowd on the bank, stopped, and was
about taking them aboard, when the Glasgow
came along about o'clock, and took them on
board. A family living on the island fed the
passengers, and did all they could for them.
The deck hands were mostly saved. Two are
known to have been lost.
To the above l have been furnished with
an additional list of names of the lost: Mrs.
Blake, Mrs. George Cox and child, Mr.. Crew
ell and two children, mrs. Rose, Mrs. Strong,
John Powers, fireman on boat four deck
hands, names unknown; negro woman be-
longing to Major Elliott. Mr.. Blake's child,
ten years old, was saved and sent back to
Memphis.
A DRAFT NEEDED Not single Copper
head paper IN Iowa has uttered a syllable to
encourage eElistments under the recent call
for 800 900 men. On the other hand, how
ever, all such papers have covertly and OPEN
" advised their Democratic readers to refrain
from volunteering. 1t is their purpose now,
and always has been their purpose since the
standard of revolt was elevated at Sumter, to
educate the masses of their party into the
belief that the rebellion was born Of all the
virtues, and that Democrats have no interest
in the great struggle except that which is ex-
cited by a solicitude for the success Of the
Rebel Confederacy. But they have not met
with the success which they anticipated
They have succeeded in attaching to them
selves the blackness of infamy, but they
have not succeeded in driving all men of