St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-04-17
-fuTUi CutdD,ity.
STEAMER BURNED AND 100 LIVES LOar.


The steamer Neabird, burned in Lake
Mich gan off Waukegan, Wis, Thurs
day, belonged TO the Two Rivers. Mani
towoc and Chicago line, and was on her
fifth trip for the season. The fire was
discovered about halt-pa>t & a. NJ, in i
pile OF freight stored :lround the after
guards. and i'll ten minutes the boat wa
envelop-d in flames All on board was
terrible panic and confusion, the officers
and crew Were demoralizcd, and no at
tempt was made to lower the boats. The
steamer was rapidly consumed, and only
three passengers are known to have been
saved, G. A. Chamberlain, Edwin Ham
ncbcrry and James III. Learned.
Mr. Chamberlain says that about ~
\. NJ he saw n porter come ont Of the
ladies cabin with >cuttle OF Goals and
ashes, 20 to the bulwarks, near where Il
heap of miscellaneous freight wa, stored.
and throw the contents overheard. In
about 4 quarter OF an hour after he h ard
AN alarm OF ire. and saw flames ISSUING
from this pile Of freight. and when the
porter threw the Goals overheard. the
wind probably blew some back into the
freight. No explosion was heard. and
If the fire had caught from the boiler eX-
plodin-, it would have been discovered
sooner.
James H. Learned, til, third survivor.
- lar, from the steamer. makes a state
lnent from which the following i the
substance
'At about : O'Clock Thursday morning.
| went up on deck and cony cr>cd with
the first mate of the steamer IN regard 10
ti.o .ii"tamvv from CiIiua.v, and learned
that 1t WAS about 20 miles. | then went
10 my witc's statcroom. and soon after
wards heard an alarm of fire | Went
out 10 ascertain the cause, and found the
boat on fire, and the flames bursting out
near the stern. and close 10 the statcroom
| had Just left. | Immediately rushed
out TO rescue my wife, but WAS prevent
cd by the flames which cut Oft commumi-
cation with the stateroom. and did not
see or hear OF my wife after | left the
st;iteroom, when the alarm was oiven.
Finding 1t too hot TO stay on board. and
realizing the act that the destruction of
the steamer was inevitable, sprang into
the water. and being u vigorous swim
mer, soon got hold OF i board. and soon
afterwards clinched on piece of the
paddlc-boN floating near. lclung to thi,
and driited with the waves to the south
west.
Mr.. Learned landed three miles north
OF Evanston. ILL.,, between and ) O'Clock
thursday night, after having been upon
i fragment OF the wreck twelve hours,
drenched to the skin, his clothing frozen.
and himself more dead than alive. after
perllous ride of not far from fifteen miles.
Mr. Learned agreed with the statement
of Mr.. Chamberlin as to the General de-
>criptlon of the catastrophe. but thinks
that there We're not more than thirty
passengers on board. \ large number
got oft at Milwaukee, much larger. he
thinks, than the number that embarked
at that port. Mr.. Learned saw about
twenty Passengers jump into the water.
Some SWAIN around for some time, and
others seemed TO sink almost Immediate
iy. lie saw no women jump overheard. T.
and dld net see any woman in the water. |
lie believes that there were about ten
women on board, all of whom must have
perlshed III the flames. An attempt was
made to launch the steamers boats. but /
the rapidity with which the flames spread
rendered it impossible to accomplish shat
object. The sea was not very high, and |
the boats could have easily weathercd it,
il the could have been launched.
From the best evidence which Can't.
Goodrich of the Seabird has been able to
obtain, no effort was made to stop the
engine until circumstances prevented its
urther motion. The result was that the
helm having been put a-port, the boat
began TO describe Il circle of nearly a
nile IN diameter, and the belief of those
who ought to know, Is that had the pro-
5ress OF the steamer been stopped at the
irst alarm, the boats might have been
gotten out and all on board saved. The
teamboat Inspector of the Chicago dis
rlct has decided to issue an order to thr
Engineers of all the steamers on the lake
o stop their engines on the instant of an
harm OF fire, without waiting orders from
heir superior officers, and not to start
gam without an order delivered person.
lily by the chief officer.