Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-28
The Winchester Disaster.

We CLEAN the following details of the
burning of the steamer Winchester neal
East Liverpool, on the Red river, on Fri
day morning last at 3 o'clock, from the
Pittsburgh Commercial:
When the officers on the hurricane deel
were notified of the fire, the boat was i'm.
media. ely headed for the Virginia shore
upon which she was run under full
head of steam. The first clerk, on
being awakened and informed of the fire
~endeavored to save the money and books
in the safe, but the fire gave no time to dc
either. He only secured some eighty dol
lars that were in n apartment of the
safe, some 81, 200 being left in it. There
was no time given for the saving of per-
sonal effects or property, and all were con-
cerned for the safety of life. On being
run ashore, the stern of the burning boat
was thrown out in the river, consequently
the water was quite deep where the unfor-
tunate passengers and crew we're COM
PEELED to jump of.
The scene was a scene of horror. Men,
women and children, in their night
clothes, stood on the guards irresolute, un-
til driven off by the flames. Of the four
lady passengers on board, but one was
saved, and she was saved by Mr.. Sheets,
who mistook her for his wife, while the
rescued woman's husband fell a prey to
the flames. Men, women and children
were seen to fall into the water, rise and
sink a few times, and then disappear en-
tirely. The cries of the helpless were
most pitiable, and the officers and some of
the crew of the boat labored energetically
in attempting to save life.
Captain d. Moore gives the names of
the following persons known to be lost
Cabin Passengers-Mr. james Aigeo
and wife, of Matamoras, Ohio, who, it is
supposed, were burned to death in their
state room. Mrs. Sheets, wife of one of
the owners of the boat.
Deck Passengers-Mr. Van Meter and
four children, who were en- route to
Greenville, Mercer county, where Mrs.
Van Meter, who was saved, has a brother
residing, named Petit; L. Walter, wife
and two children, destination, Pittsburgh;
Mr.. Faggart, a German, whose residence
was near Haysville, below the city.
George Young, bar-keeper of the boat,
u lPoiuClL VI IlOChCoLSlt 0h0 sOh-llA-ldW VI
Captain Gordon, of the Forest City,
overheard, and was lost.
Mrs. Ridgely, colOred, who was cham
bermaid on the boat, was among the last
to jump into the water. She was drowned.
Her husband is the steward of the steamer
Captain Shaw.
George Latshaw saw one woman in the
attitude of prayer on the lower deck while
shewas enyeloped in flames. He saw Mr..
Sheets jump into the river, who expected
his wife to follow him instead of his wife
a German woman jumped in after him,
whom he took hold of and carried to the
his wife jumped in afterward, but
her wrapper %envelOped her arms and head,
and she was foated off and drowned.
Captain Shepherd, he says, used every eff
fort to save the lives OF his passengers.
The people jumped into the river with
their night clothes, and those who saved
their lives nearly persisted with cold.
William Hendley, a deck-hand, man
aged to reach Mr.. Sheets and the German
woman just as they were sinking from ex-
haustion, and got both ashore. While Ia
king the woman up the shore, found her
an infant, lying on the ice, where it
had been laid by some one who had res
cued it. Saw the mate, John Dunn, save
several persons, and he was very r~esolute
doing all he could. The water was in
cold, and occasionally a piece of
ice was met with. Saw several
persons floating down the river, sinking
and drowning, whose cries for help were
leart-rending. A number of Irish deck
hands, the carpenter and two black men,
in the yawl and aoated off without
bars, for fear, probably, too many might
get in and swamp it. 1t was very dark
when the fire broke out.
The Wheeling hteIligencer thus des-
tribes the burning of the Winchester:
The hay lying rather loosely baled, ig-
lited instantly, and although as quickly
discovered, and every effort made by the
to smother it, the fire darted
through the bales like lightning, and in a
the whole was a mass c. flame,
which, more rapidly than can be told, was
communicated to a lot of oil. Mr.. Dun
var, who was on watch at the time, in
the pilot that the boat was on fire.
Her head was quickly turned to shore, and
Dunbar, letting on all steam, ran her
shore with a force which drove her head
Ugh up on The beach and secured her
galnst all danger of floating out into the
tream.
The scene had now become terrific
wing to the highly oombustible nature of
large portion of her cargo, and the boat
lerself being new, her paint scarcely dry,