The Republican journal., 1869-11-04
HORRIBLE CATASTROPHE.
Burning Of Mississippi Steamer---More than
Two Hundred Lives Lost.
ST. Louis, 0CT. 2S-EVENINt

ST. LOUIS, OCT. 2S-fN ENlNG
Mr. Phillips, ap lanter of Shreveport, La,
has arrived here from the wreck of the steam
cr Stonewall and furnishes the brlcf partlc-
ulars of the terrible disaster to that boat =
The boat caught fire at half past SIX Wednes-
day evening, at point a little below Nealey's
Landing, and 125 miles below st. Louis,
from a candle which the deck hands had
while they We're engaged in playing cards
The Stonewall was run on Il sand bar, the
pilot supposng that the passengers could
wade ashore. At the end Of the pier there
was Il large slough, and the reason that the
larger number were drowned was, that the
boat was run on the bar but two feet, and the
shallOwcSt point about her had five or six
feet OF water. She had so much hay on board
that she burnt like finder, and all attempts to
eXtingush the fire We're without avail. The
last seen Of Capt Scott he was floating down
stream Oh a log. The people at Ncaley's
Landing saw light and attempted to assist
the unfortunate passengers. one man saved
lG persons with skiff' Had it not been for
their help all would have been lost. A gen
tlcman from Patlucah, Ky, swan ashore with
a lad, on his back, and nj her entreaty return
ed TO save her child While swimming ashore
he was grasped by Il drowning man and was
compelled to shake him off in order to save
himself One man was taken from the wreck
50 badly burned that he died as soon as he
reached the shore The Stoncwall was own
ed by Captain John Shaw and Dennis Long,
the latter Of Louisville, and was valued at
$4,000. insured for $50, 900. She had about
800 tons of freight. including 30 cattle, horses
and mules They were insured. Capt. Shaw
had stopped off this trip and Captain Tom
Scott was in command Of the boat.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
A Chicago special from Carbonate. H.,
saws that the steamer Stonewall, which left
ST Louis Tuesday evening for New Orleans.
heavily laden with passengers and horses,
mules, hay and other freight generally, took
fire last night when near Nealcy's Landing
and despite all the efforts to save her she
burnt to the waters edge. When the fire
broke out every effort was made to land, but
the steamer was so heavily laden that she
could not be brought nearer than one hundred
wards from shore. General confusion and
terror prevailed There were POO cabin and
deck passengers on board, quite a number OF
whom were women and children. The flames
spread with great rapidity. Some Of the men
sprang into the water and attempted to reach
the shore by swimming; nearly all OF them
were lost. Every conceivable object that
could be obtained was thrown into the water
and to these the passengers chung with the
tenacitv of life Steamer Belle of Memphis,
Capt. Crane. on her way to st. Louis, reach
ed the scene during the fire and picked up
from the water all that are knownto be saved.
The pilot, engineer, stoker, carpenter and
thirty -four passengers are known to be saved.
The Captain, the clerks and other officers and
deck hands and many passengers We're lost
The books and papers of the boat were lost;
also the cattle and other freight on board.
l. o,l,;, 4l,,
shore from exposure in the water. There
was no explosion. The conduct OF the ot1i-
GERS and passengers is said to have been he
role. Such an appalling scene has not been
witnessed on the Mississippi for ":any years.
The saved were kindly cared for by the oi1i
GERS of the Belle OF Memphis. and were car
ricd to St. Louis.
An interview with the assistant engineer Of
the Inflated steamer by the Geographic cor
respondent at Carbonate, gets from him the
following statement The alarm was given
at hall-pas O'Clock, and in ten minutes the
bow was in sheet of flame and every per-
son had deserted her, and all that were lost
were drowned-none We're burned OF eleven
women on board but three were saved, But
one yawl was seen, and that was taken pos
session of by some deck passengers. No
other life boat OF lte-prescrvers We're seen.
The boat grounded POO yards from the shore
in about six feel Of water. There were a
party of cabin pa ssengers, one hundred and
fifty deck passengers, and sixty of the crew,
in all about two hundred and fifty souls.
About fifty only were saved.
ST. LorIs, NOV. l. Parties from the wreck
OF the steamer Soncwall report Gj bodies re-
covered. The colered steward and the cham
bermaid are the only ones identified. The
feeling against Capt. John S. Washington, Of
the steamer Submarine No. 49, who passed
the Stoncwall while she was burning, and
when, il is said, many lives could have been
saved, is very intense. He is condemned in
unreasonable terms. A report is received
from Capt Girardeau that a vigilance com
mittce has been formed to lynch him on his
return up the river
CHICAGO, Nov /. A despatch from Car
bondale says that = party is busily engaged
dragging the river for bodies of those who
lost their lives by the recent steamboat disas-
ter Up to , o'clock this afternoon upwards
of 60 bodies have been recovered, ten of
whom have been identified by their friends.
Two or three chared bodies were found on
the wreck