Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-07-29
SINKING OF A STEAMER.
OVER FIFTY LIVES LOST.
THE CAPTAINS STATEMENT.
CAIRO, Monday, july Q

/ The CAFVA1N'S ABATEMENT.
| CAIRO, Monday, July Is.
The steamer James White, Captain H.
L. White, Clerk J. HI. Menige, has Just
arrived from New Orleans, bringing pa
pers or the 18th.
We have the following regarding the
loss of the steamer B. NJ. Runnyon from
her master:
| STATEMENT OF CAPT. ID. c. ADAMS.
On BOARD THE STEAMER JAMES WwIrE,l
| July I'D, 1861.
The steamer B. M. Runnyon struck
snag near Gritfin's Landing, fifteen
miles below Greenville, at ten o'clock
ON the night of July 2lst, and sunk to
her hurricane deck in less than ten min
utes. There were on board at the time,
| from the best information [ can gain,
having lost my passenger register, sixty
seven cabin and twenty-three deck pas
sengers, four hundred and thirty-seven
officers and privates of the 10th Missou-
ri cavalry, one hundred and eleven
mules, siXty-one horses, twenty eight
wagons, and three ambulances, and all
the camp and garrison equippage of the
regiment and about fifty furloughed SOL
diers of other regiments.
believe all the cabin passengers were
saved except a young man by the name
of Chapman, and little boy named
William Payne. Among the deck pas
sengers there were five men, three WO-
men and four children lost.
Officers OF the 10th Missouri cavalry
inform me they have 81 men missing at
roll call upon the steamer Dana, to
which boat they were transferred
They believe they have twenty-four of
that number on the steamer Adams, of
the Marine brigade, which received part
of the passengers from the gun-boat.-
servants of the regiment, who were oc-
cupying the engine room. We have on
board the steamer James White at this
time forty-fve of our cabin passengers
eight were upon the gun-boat Prairie
Bird, eleven upon the Marine Brigade
boat Dana. including eight officers of the
10th Missouri cavalry, being all the per-
sons l have seen comprising part of our
late passenger list.
Very few of the mules or horses es-
capped, as there was not time to cut them
loose. The gunboat Prairie Bird was
below on her way up, and hearing our
signal she fastened with commendable
speed to our relief, after dropping her
small boats to those who were in the
water. Too much praise cannot lie
awarded to Captain Burns and all Off
GERS of the Prairie Bird, who did all
within their power to save life and
property, and had it not been for the
very efficient aid rendered by them, the
loss of life would have been terrible
The officers and crew of my boat were
all saved excepting five negroes of the
deck crew who are missing, and some of
whom may be on some of the marine
boats. The crew lost almost their EN-
tire baggage. The boats money and
part of her books were saved. All her
that the loss of life, from the best infor-
nation l can gain, will not exceed fifty
persons, although the passengers do not
agree with me, and believe the loss to
have been much larger. Had the SOL
dierS remained by the wreck l believe
nearly all might have been saved, as the
skylight, roof and texas were entirely
out of water, and at no time while the
passengers were on the boat We're there
more than two feet of water upon other
portions of the roof. The snag struck
the Runnyon on her larboard side, just
forward of the forward hatch, passing
entirely through her hull and near to
the deck. The boat remained fastened
to the snag, so that it was impossible to
get her to shore or to the bar. Attempts
were made to back her offthe snag with
out success, and perhaps it was best, as
| it prevented her from sinking deeper in
| the water, and as soon as we had left the
| wreck it swung round and tioated down
the river short distance, when the cab
in parted from the hull and continued to
float until it landed upon the bar.
The steamer James White, which
| came up just at that time received the
passengers and crew, who remained up
| on the Prairie Bird. The latter boat
had remained by the wreck to render
such assistance as she could.
Several unsuccessful attempts had
been made to land the wreck before the
arrival of the steamer James White.
D. C.. ADAMS,
Master of Steamer b. NJ. Runnyon.
The passengers who were on the
Runnyon seem to think that Capt. Adj
ans estimates the loss of life too small,
andsome place it as high as one hundred.
The Captain is probably nearest cor
rect.