The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-03
THE BURNING OF THE STONEEALL.
Full Particulars of the Catastrophe
Statement of the Survivors-Horriblc
Sccnes-Incidents, &c.


the appalling scenes inseparable from all such
dire caamitics, and the hair-oreadth escapes and
death struggles OF the passengers as furnshedb by
Western exchanges, are, however, OF painful in
terest. The St. Louis Republican gathers its facts
from survivors who returned to that city by the
Belle Memphis, and from the columns OF that pa
per the following extracts are made:
DEPARTURE OF THE BOAT.
The Stonewal left st. Louis at six O'Clock on
Tuesday evening, with thirty.hye cabin passen-
gers one hundred and sixty live deck passengers,
seventeen officers, thirty eight deck crew, twenty
cabin crew, and freight OF five thousand barrels
of -four, five hundred sacks OF oats, one hundred
and fifty bales OF hay, large quantity or bacon
and pork, some petroleum, and one hundred and
fifty mules AT d quarter past six O'Clock on
Wednesday evening the Stonewall reached
point opposite Neeleys Landing, one hundred
and twenty miles below st. Louis.
THE FIRST ALARM.
Here the cry of "fre' was given by one OF the
deck passengers, who shouted to George w. Full
ton. the first engineer, then On duty. Darkness
had set in and the alarm came with terrible sig
nifcance. The boat was at O point where the
river Is one and hall miles wide, with much
that was combustible on board. and with no
means of escape except what might be obtained
by running the vessel against the bank. Fulton
rushed out and saw bale OF hay in the aft por-
ton Of the boat burning SO small was was the fre
two buckets Of water If they had been at hard
but these were not there.
SPREAD OF THE FLAMES.
The hay was piled up to the boiler deck and the
flames spread with great rapidlty, extending from
bale TO bale Of hay, communicating next TO the
dry woodwork OF the boat, and il was seen ut o
glance that the Stonewall was doomed. The
majority OF the deck passengers were at the time
cOnpregated aft, and a panic which rendered
them powerless TO do anything to prevent the inl
lacfr pucupi among
left his engines and unaided except by one or
two persons, cssayed to prevent the spread OF the
deyouring element. He got the section hose and
went over to the donkey engine to attach 1t. His
become frantic, and moved rapidly in dense
stream forward. Fulton found that he could not
advance aft one step and he gave II up In despair
Previous TO this he had shouted through the
speaking trumpet 10 Fulkerson, the pilot, TO land
the bOit as soon as possible The boat was round
ing towards the Missouri bank when 1t grounded
on q reef called Tea Table ber and remained inn
movable some two hundred yards from the shore,
with deep water intervening. In five minutes
after the ALARM the lames had extended over all
the aft portion and considerable part OF the fer
ward portion OF the boat The deck passengers
rushed toward the fOrecastle, every inch OF which
was covered with shrieking and dreadfuly az
frighted mass OF humanity. To complete the
general CONSERVATION, the mules dashed among
the people, tramplng on and crushing them TO
death.
While this scene was transpiring on the main
deck what were the cabin passengers doing
They had Just set down to supper when terrible
turmoil arose, and they learned at once That the
boat was on fire. In that awlul moment tney
vanly looked for loophole TO escape from the
fate which threatened them. Below, aft and for
ward there was O furnace OF untold ierceness,
and on each side there was waste OF waters,
which, indeed, offered preferable fate to the
other. The cabin passengers choose TO accept
the risk of a milder fate, and they jumped from
the boiler deck into the watery chasn, between
land and land below. The deck passengers also
leaped into the river, as they became more and
more hotly pressed by the names. In ten minutes
from the first alarm, the Stonewall was enveloped
In flames from stem to stern, from main decK 10
pilot house-a vast funereal pyre. BY this time
all wlo could had jumped of the boat and were
struggling for life in the rapid current. Very Few
were able 70 save themselves. The great majority
were, It Is feared, drowned almost Immediately
EFFORTS TO ESCAPE.
While the deck passengers and crew were hud
died together on the forecastle E. p. Watson the
carpenter OF the boat, endeavored to get some
OF them to assist him In putting the stage plank
overheard. 1t would have f0ated, 1t was believed,
one hundred persons to the land, but the passen-
gers were struck helpless by the prospect OF the
horrible fate staring them in the face and failed
to launch the plank. Fifteen feet Of 1t was push
ed over the side. About twenty persons got on
1t, some were pushed OF, and about sixteen man.
aged to cling to it until they were taken OH In
engineer, stayed at his post until ne was driven
from 1t by the flames, and jumped overheard.
He started to swim towards the land, but found
the mules so numerous in the water that he
could make no progress, and so swan into the
Whcel-hOuse. He clung here In fancied security
until the lines holding the levers burned of and
the wheel commenced to revolve. 1t made three
revolutions, and he was caught Dy u ana con-
slderably bruised
BUT ONE sKIFF AVAILABLE.
r,,.o.o --o, al, m clfy ovoTahIo IN tota poa-
sengers from the burning wreck. 1t made seve-
raj trips from the boat 10 the land. Besides be-
ing the means OF escape for those on the stage
plank II was used to take Fulton from his peril
ious position. He was the last brought away; af-
ter that no one escaped from the boat. 1t was
feared that some hemmed In by the flames, were
burned to death, and rumor had 1t that some met
with such dreadful fate in the cabin. How
many, will never he known. II can only be
hoped that they all succeeded In jumping into the
river and got To shore. The coal o-lortunately
not large quantity-and the bacon burned very
fercely. The StOnewal was burned to the wa
ter's edge in about one hour and half after the
fire was discovered. But long before this there
was no living soul in 1t.
TERRIBLE SCENE.
The scene was q terrible one-one never to be
forgotten by the survivors. The lamentations,
grOans and shrieks OF dying men and women,
mingled with the noise OF the cracking tlmbers,
and to intensity the horror OF the moment, burn
ing spars, tenders and beams, fell over into the
water, where nearly two hundred human beings
were irving to save themselves from the Jaws OF
death.
AID FROM THE SHORE.
There were numbers Of people on the shore
who had fOcked from the houses in the neighb0r
hood Of the landing, but they were unable to
give any assistance except wnat q lew coulu
render with the tiny SKIN before mentioned.
They saw many an unfortunate passenger taking
his last leap, and, as some who had managed to
get hold OF o spar or piece OF timber drifted from
the wreck they eagerly sought TO give helping
hand to some poor Fellow az nc neareu the sh0re
The peoplc did all they possibly could to mitigate
the horrors OF the night, and at different points
of the river for mile below, assisted persons to
get on shore The number so saved IL is regret
ted, was but small.
STATEMENT OF MR.. r. A. PHELPS.
r. A. Phelps Esq., OF Shreveport, La, states
that there were large number OF laborcrs aboard
as deck passengers, who were en- route 10 labor
on a Southern railroad. When Mr.. Phelps first
heard the alarm ana saw the INDICATIONS ol nre,
il was in the rear of the ladies' cabin lie ran mp
to the Texas and communicated the alarm to Cap
tain J. c. Doty, of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, and
when he returned Immediately To the CABIN tile
flanes had made fearful headway, and the en-
citcment and confusion was unparalleled. lie ut
once threw oil his coat anu boots. put on lile-
preservcr and lcaped into the river from the boil
er deck At this time the boat, lie thinks, was not
more than two hundred yards from the Missouri
shore and when lie jumped over his feet touched
bottom, but on going Il few steps the water became
deeper and he had To swim. Three times between
the boat and the shore he tried To touch bottom,
and the third time came near going down. For
tune favored him, however, and he reached the
shore more dead than alive. An old farmer, who
among others had been attracted there by the
light from the burning boat, pulled or his coat
and put it on Mr.. Phelps, winch ne thinks saved
.IlN.lt 49,