Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-04-17
Terrible Steamboat Disaster.
NEARLY 100 LIVES lost.

NEARLY 100 LIVES lost.
A terrible Steamboat disaster occurred
on Lake Michigan, on Thursday morn
ing of last week, by which nearly 100
lives were lost, and only three reported
as being saved, of the entire crew and
passengers. 1t was the side-wheel steam
er Sea Bird, which left Milwaukee for
Chicago, and was burnt off Waukegan.
1t appears that a porter brought scut-
tie of Goals and ashes from the ladies
cabin, and went to one side of the boat
where there was miscellaneous quantity
of freight, and threw them overheard.
Fire was soon after seen issuing from this
freight. 1t is thought when the porter
threw the Goals overheard, the wind
blew some back into this freight. 1t was
near z o'clock in the morning. The
fire sped with great rapidity, and the
scene that followed was terrible, the worst
of which will probably never be known,
as so few escaped. Mr. Edward Hanne-
berry, a seaman, and one of the three
who escaped, makes thrilling statement
of what portion of the terrible scene he
saw. He rose at about 5 o'clock, and in
half an hour saw smoke rising from the
deck, and appears to have been the first
to give the alarm of fire. Some of the
women and children were burnt in the
ladies cabin. We give below the con.
Guiding portion of his statement;
Some of the crew tried to get at the
small boats, which were aft. l went
with them, but we did not get further
than the smoke-stack. 1t was no use
trying; the whole after part was burn
ing up, and the boats themselves were
on fire. l was perfectly cool all the
time. | knew the boat was "going up"
and somehow felt that was all right.
So waited about ten minutes, l think,
before /, with the assistance of five or
six Others, showed the gang plank over
board. During this time the flames
were making great Roadway, and in five
or six minutes after the fire was first
seen by me the engines stopped working
All the passengers had crowded into the
bow, and some of them, the women and
children especially, were crying and
wringing their hands and moaning pit
eously. Six or seven of us showed the
gang-plank over, just forward of the
paddle-boxes. | waited until the gang
plank had foated past and then I Jump
ed. | was the first man overheard. |
swan to the gang-plank and 10 or 10
others followed me. So many of us on
the plank caused it to sink, and we had
hard work to keep it and ourselves up.
| got along pretty well until three or
four, seeing that l was holding my own,
got around by me and took hold Of me.
| shook them all offexcept colored boy,
the cooks helper. He put both arms
around my neck, and | could not shake
him off. then helped him to get on
the plank, and one man caught hold of
nay wrist and drew me on the plank.
johnnie O'Brien ! helped on the plank
two OF three times. We all struggled
very hard, but there wasn't man said
word. | got hold of one Of the gang
plank ropes, and | stuck to it until |
was picked off. | could see about me
men having hold of boxes, chairs, fend-
ers, and two men | saw clinging to bag
of wool. We foated past the bag, and
one Of the men said to me-he wasn't
more than ten feet away" You're going
pretty fast" There was very heavy
sea, and after we had been in the water
10 or 20 minutes, swell lifted the plank
and capsized it. All who had hold of it
except me were washed away, and | did
not see any of them again. | was chill
ed through. The water was almost at
freezing point. l was just able to climb
on to the gang-plank after the rest had
gone, and | knew that if staid in the
water l should not live long. So stood
UP on the gang-plank and steadied my
self by the ropes. | had all my clothes
on, and these were soon frozen stiff.
As stood on the gang-plank, all alone
by myself, had no thought of death
the same confidence that / had felt in
being saved from the first, still chung to
me. looked about me, and, though the
sea was rolling heavily, l could see the
Lakes surface dotted here and there with
pieces of the wreck to many of which
men were clinging. About half a mile
away saw one of the boats Tenders. and
a woman was clinging to it. As l was
watching her | saw her disappear under
swell. / saw the fender afterward. but
she was gone. The boat drifted TO the
leeward, in shore, much faster than | ON
the gang plank. About twenty minutes
after | had left her, / saw the crowd of
naSSen orers a II on baraI On flo r..