The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1866-03-06
offhe Winchester--State-
ment of the Captain.


WELLsvILLE, February 23-1:30 P.
NJ. Steamer Winchester, when about one
mile above East Liverpool, at $40 A. NJ.
took fire. The alarm was given by some
one on the lower deck, and at the time l
was forward on the hurricane deck, and
ordered the pilot to run her ashore i'm
mediately. 80
then ran below and found under part
of the cabin floor the bales of hay on
the guards in a blaze. Think / tried to
turn the hose on, but could not get them
on account of the fire; by this time the
boat was ashore, With the assistance of
the Waterman got the chain and got the
boat fast. On the first alarm the passen-
gers were all awakened up by the por-
ter. s
The flames reached the cabin so qnick-
ly that they all had to run aft and make
their escape by jumping into the river.
Some jumped into the yawl and foated
down the river without oars. Some saved
themselves by holding on to empty bar
rels and other fragments Of the vessel.
Tethe best of my knowledge abont if
teen lives were lost, Ithink all by drown
ing-among them Mr.. Algeo, end lady,
and NJ. Sheets, of Matamoras, Ohio; bar
keeper, George Young, of Pennsylvania,
and northumberland name unknown; a
man and three children, who came on
board at B~aresville, Ohio, names un-
known; a man and hree children, who
came on board at Woodland, Virginia,
names unknown; and a man from Sisters
vile, Virginia. Maud Morton is Re-
ported missing.
These are all I could ascertain. The
books Of the Boat were burned, and con-
sequently it cannot be correctly stated
how many we're lost. The boat Tss laad-
ed with oil, grain, hay, &C., aud is a total
loss. The boat was new, and on her first
trip inthe Pittsburg and Parkcrsbburg
trade. ss
A. S. SHEPHERD, Captain.
Since the burning Of the steamboat
Winchester, near East Liverpool, parties
have 6een busily engaged. in dragging
the river for the bodies of those who were
drowned while s~ep..eayoring to escape the
more terrible fate of being burned to
death. At last accounts four bodies had
been recovered, and identified as those
oe Mr.. Faggart, of .Haysville, John
Vaurneker and his son, Henry V@aurne-
ker, and William johnson, fireman on
the boat. The origin Of the fire has not
yet been a~scertained. sB69 gAa
.fhe toH-boat Robert Fulton exploded
q boiler at Pittsburg on Monday. A
fragment of the boiler went up through
the Clerks office, completely cutting
it Of its coptents., Tho entire books and
papers of the beat are lost, being torn
into shreds and scattered everywhere
about the, boat. Charles Haber, one of
the french, was standing at the fire.
doors at the time of the occurrence, and
was severely scalded about the head and
body. saiiW
A dispatch from Oil City is as fol
lows: t
esThc heavy ice gorge broke at half
past four o'clock Saturday afternoon.-
The Oil Creek bridge was carried away
and three houses crushed in by the ice.
About fifty oil boats and the tow boat
General Irwin, were. crushed and sunk.
The water is off the fats and Oil City
is al, aight, being damaged but slightly.
The river ice is moving, and no further
serious damage is anticipated. The to-
tai loss will heifrpm $50, 600 tosS1oOs 900.
No oil was lost as far as heard from
An AmerieaBsOfieer has lately recruit
ed alarge number of men for the Repub-
lican army IN Vera Cruz. eFhe French
soldiers there are said to manifest less
desire new than formerly for wair With
the United States.