Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-12-24
Iha Late River Disaster.
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lshor NJ John r. Cannon, who has
snsnt mnch time In search Of the body
az An. lamented Lewis X. johnson, OF
tb;s city. has made mp a statement which
We give As the most authentic and satis-
oe6 factory yet prepared concerning the lo's
of life caused by the collision and burn,
oep.op inc OF the steamers United States and
co. America on the night Of the 4th. There
were, as well as can be ascertained, one
tO' hundred and ffty passengers, officers
"A .t and crew on the States. of whom seventy
Eve escaped at the time of the disaster.
Since then sixiy-one bodies have been
st recovered OF these twenty were male
cabin passengers, ten iemae-iourieen
% GOO OF the former and nine Of the latter iden-
ti6ed-and one so badly burned that even
the sex cannot be determined; three
male deck passengers, two identified
and one colored woman, deck passenger,
q H. not identified; twenty two Of the colored
crew, twenty identified; four white at
taches OF the boat, all identified This
gives a total Of forty mine identified and
~ twelve unidentified. Twenty-thrse were
recovered from the wreck OF the United
States. aud thiriy-eight from the river.
OF those taken frem the wreck all but
one were burned more or less, while only
one of those taken from the river was
lI burned. It is little singular that not
one of the negro crew lost was found
.V5 persons known to have been lost from the
States, and whose bodies have not been
found, are as follows:
Rev +. S. Rising, New York; Rev. r.
Hnhss J. Parviu, Philadelphia; Joseph Green,
Wv Tidionte, Pa. Mrs. Eliza House, Br-
mingham, Pc. Mrs: O. NJ. Hays Nash
i'h Vile Lewis r. johnson, Louisville /;
Asp Miss Eva Jones, Pensacola; Master
Willie Pearce, Louisville; VIM. Barker,
unknown Mrs. George Hutcbings Con-
cord. N. III. f; James Fennell, barkeeper
,,.s Coyington; Samuel Smith, assistant en-
giueer. Covngton; servant Of Jesse
N Crane, Spencer county, Ky; Colored
thony Sheppard, Cincinnati; George
Bennett, - Flanagan, Samuel Bacon
Louisyile. Reported Lost-Mrs Bealer,
aB residence unknown; VIM. Tague, Co
/, N lumbus, Ohio.
49, Mr.. Cannon speaks in the most Aatter-
-set ing terms Of Capt. Frank Carter, Capt
Nat Williams, Mr.. James Humphreys,
clerk, and the crew of the steamer J. L.
~ Graham. Their exertions in behalf OF
n the afflicted relatives and friends OF the
lost have been truly noble. :,
wT The mail company has fully repaid all
the citzess in the vicinity of the disaster
who provided the sufferers with clothing
and other comforts. 49,,
tits suggested that it would be well for
the company to offer an open reward OF
! at least 800 each for the recovery OF the
bodies that are still missing.
Two bodies or parts Of bodies, were
taken from the hull of the United States
,eq Friday afternoon. One of them was
lSe that part of man having the picture OF
ia an eagle on the left srm below the elbow
fsi The esglei is spread across the arm IN
'@. stead Of lengthwise, as is usually the
case The other was portion of body,
- and was terribly barned and dishgursd.
1t was impossible to even tell whether II
was man or a woman
The wreck of the steamer United
-F States, says the Cincinnati Chronicle,
raa was on Friday towed up to the Marine
Y. railway and Dry Dock, at Fulton, and
q t there it lies, the very picture of wrecked
. and melancholy dessaton. Cabins,
81 guards. pilot house, all have disap-
an peared. and lying on the hull is the de-
q bris of what was once its powerful en-
,st gnes, pumps, boilers, hues and chin
~ news, an undis,inguishable mass-save
=, to the eye of the ex pert-of bent twisted,
4 battered iron misery. The unfortunate
1884, wreck of this once proud and powerful
ssi steamer. as it lies there wounded and
helpless. is sad spectacle of what those
.Vr destructive fends, force and fire. may
81 accomplish in moment of escape from
"a the control Of their creator and master
man. Ia an uaguarded moment they
lola = willing slaves, the next they turn and
doom their master.
II ia singular, and we would accept
.,is it as a happy augury, that the large
8lli American eagle, painted or the starboard
~ whee-box (the side now presented to
,s view as she lies at the dock), is un-
.sco touched by fame or wreck. The eagle
! q still grasps the American shield, with its
- bright stars and stripes still careerng on,
az when the Inner first sent it through
the limitless ocean of space.
~ The wreck should by all means be
y. Photographic in IFS present condition,
"a Iii a memorable and melancholy relic,
e a photograph of which thousands all
over the land would like 10 see and pre-
v serve.
- The following incident of that sppal-
%. ling disaster, taken from the Evansville
Journal will be read with painful inter-
est:
.i,s the following thrilling incident: Seeing
neither and daughter about to leap into
sel the river as the stern of the boat was
, avinsine toward the shore, he restrained
their impetuosity until tho stern Of the
hoat had swung near the shore. Elch
had a life-preserver properly arranged.
He babe both leap into the river, which
they did, ard just as he was about to
follow their example woman rushed out
of the cabin upon the guard, when, see
ing him. she appeared 10 have become
terrified, and rushed into a stateFoom.
Thinking that he might be able to save
her, he rushed to the ststeroom door and
called to her, saying that if she would
asit r~me quickly he could save her. The
room was fall Of smoke, and he could see
nothing. he called her the second time,
80, Int received no response, when the thick
sninp smoke and approaching fame
drove him overheard The terrified We
80. man wss lost. When he reached the
80 shore he found mother and daughter
i9a eliuginc to the willows, more dead than
alive They we're helped out and saved.
49, This was one Of many appalling ine-
49, dents Of the disaster."-C Courier Journal
8 - c.I Alabama Correspondence.
crtr. A.. Derenber Il ls6S.