Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-11-04

yawl, but some of the deck passengers
seized it. and, without oars, indiscrim-
inately piled in and padded ashore
with their hands. From the small
blaze on the hay near the boiler deck,
the fire spread to the coal oil, and the
whole ship was in blaze. The boat
was loaded with bacon and other So
lidities, and the flames spreading with
fearful rapidity soon found the solid
combustibles, and an intense heat was
generated.
The reasons for the great loss OF life
under the circumstances are thus
stated:
Many jumped, struck bottom and had
their feet carried from under them by
the swift and treacherous undercur-
rents; others, blind with frenzy and ex-
citement, rushed to where the crowd
was thickest and jumped in among the
mules, struggling and kicking, and
among the stout and hearty laboring
men, whose presence of mind bad left
them, and whose only thought seemed
to be that safety was only secured by
all jumping together in one vast, grand
heap, on top, in between and among
each other. Thus sure death was
secured. With everybody the question
was "touch and go" Impulse got the
better of judgment, and reason and
common sense, that would have rushed
for life preservers and taken doors off
from hinges, took back seat. Men
lost hope, and infatuation seized every
one.
The following is the statement of
Watson, carpenter:
The first / knew of the fire was thus:
The officers, including myself, had just
sat down to supper, and we heard one
of the negroes call out ''fre, fire, the
boats afre." The mate said, eff that
ID niger doesn't stop hollering,
I'll kill the son of gum The mate
was irritated, as negro had given a
false alarm of fire short time before.
A second or two after this, there was
cry of fire again, intermingled with a
sound of excitement and confusion, and
every one at the table was instantly
conscious that peril existed. We all
jumped up from our chairs and scat
tered. ran to the forward steps, and
descended amidst a wild stream of pas
sengers, officers and crew, one madly
rushing, struggling, closely jammed
mass, impelled by common desire,
and only desire-to escape from the
horrors of a burning Mississippi
steamer. saw the fire--we could all
see it--gathering headway rapidly, as
some of us had seen it before on other
boats, and as all had read of it. The
boat was under way, with the wind
from the south, blowing the flames rap
idly from room to room and stanchion
to deck. At the wheel was Ed. Fulk-
erson, who promptly rounded the boat
to, and ran her upon a gravel bar as
the only resort to save life. The bar
or lump is near Tea Table, and just be-
low the place called Neeley's. The
fire was now making dreadfully quick
headway, the wind blowing through
the boat from the stern. The stage
plank protruded over the guard about
fifteen feet. l tried to get others to
help me in launching it overheard, but
no attention was paid to my request.
1 couldn't get 'em to hear to any
thing; they were panic struck and
jumping and tearing and struggling and
running over one another; l was tum-
bled over on the deck and trampled on
It'll l hardly felt any breath in my body;
l got up as soon as possible and threw
off the heavy coat l had put on previ
ously, ran along the stage, as l thought
this the only chance for my life. and
jumped into the river; the water was
deep and couldn't swim, but l got
hold of what seemed to me to be bun
die of clothes; the boat was about 200
yards from the bank of the river-on
the Missourisside-and l was trying to
get there as quickly as practicable;
the water was almost alive with people,
mules and horses; the mules were
loose previously on the deck, and some
one l suppose cut the horses loose, and
the turmoil drove them overheard
The bundle Of clothes.I struck didn't
support me well, and Invent for lad
der. Grasping theladder was a negro.
He kept turning it round and round,
until | thought l would be lost, and l
called to him, "For Gods sake, don't
keep turning the ladder, and we'll both
get ashorei" He must have been out
of his wits, for he kept turning the lad
der, fell off and went under l made
a dash for bale of hay, and got on it
The band burst and the hay fell to
pieces. l then got small board under
each arm, and by this means and
good deal of kicking up of my heels, got
to the bank. | was almost too ex-
hausted to stand, and a kind farmer
came along and helped me to his house
close by, where l received much atten-
ton. While / was in the water l saw
a woman drown right along side of me,
but l could not help her. She was an
Irish woman, and had been passenger
on the deck. The shrieks and cries of
the people drowning, or about to go un-
der, were heartrending, and made me
almost crazy. One of the most terri
BILE sights l ever saw, was drowning
child. 1t came floating past me, but |
only saw the little hands and wrists
and l. thought her last and
smothered words were "mother, moth
er." Her lips, head, body, SO soon to