The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-10-29
PRIGHTFUL STEAMBOAT DIS.
ABTER.
Burning OF the stOneWaII on the
Mississippi.


HOme 2SO Lives Lost.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 2S.
Mr.. Phelps, o planter OF Shreveport,
La, has arrived from the wreck OF the
Stonewall, and furnishes the following
particulars OF the terrible disaster 10
that boat: The boat caught fire at half
past @ O'Clock Wednesday evening, al
point little below Neely's landing,
125 miles below 81. Louis, from
candle, which the deck passengers had
near some hay while playing cards, The
steamer was run on gravel bar, the
pilot supposing that the passengers
could wade ashore ou the bar. Unior.
tunately OF the end OF the bar there
was u slough and here It was that the
larger number was drowned. The boat
was not run on The bar but about two
feet, and the shalloweSt point about
her had five or six leeL OF water,
The boat had so much hay aboard that
she burned like tinder, all efforts 10 put
II out were unavAlling. The Belle
Memphis came up At half past nine,
three hours after the accident and reu.
dered all the assistance possible. Out
OF 252 passengers and crew, only 80
are known 10 be saved. The last seen
OF Captain Scott he was floating down
stream on log. The people at Neely
saw the light and hastened to their as
distance, One man rescued 10 per-
sons with skif. II 1t had not been
for this help all would have been
lost. A gentleman from PaducAh,
Kentucky, swan ashore with
lady and at her entreaty returned 10
save her child, and in swimming ashore
he was RraSped by drowning man
and would have beeu himself drowned
had he not shook him of. A man was
taken from the wreck so badly burned
that he died MS soon as he reached the
shore. Capt. Dundy, Of fShreveport, La,
was saved. There were 80 cabin pas
sengers and 90 Of crew. There were
quite number OF ladies' on board all
OF whom are probably, lost except one.
The pilot and the carpenter were the
oDly ones Of the crew saved. The
StonewalI was owned by Captain John
Shaw and Dennis Long, the latter Of
Louisville. She was valued at $45 900
and insured for $50, 600. She had about
500 tons OF freight, including 30 cattle,
horses and mules which were insured,
Capt. Shaw had stopped of this trip
aud Capt. Tom Scott was In command.
Another Account.
CHICAGO, Oct. %.
A special from Carbondale, Illinois
says that the steamer StOnewall, which
left st. Louis on Tuesday evening for
New Orleans, heavily laden with
passengers, horses. mules, hay and
other freight generally, last night
about eight O'Clock, when near Neiy's
Landing. took fire, and despite all ef-
forts to save her was burned 10 the wa
ter's edge. When the fire broke ont,
every effor. was made TO land, but the
steamer was 80 heavily laden that
she could not be brought nearer than
one hundred yards OF the shore, Great
confusion and terror prevailed. There
were about two hundred cabin and
deck passengers aboard, quite a nuns
Der OF whom were women and children
The flames spread with great rapidity;
scores OF men sprung Into the water |
and attempted to reach the shore by |
swimming, but nearly all were lost, |
Every conceivable object that could he |
obtained, was thrown into the water |
and to these the passengers clung with |
all the tenacitY OF life.
The steamer Belle Memphis, Captain |
Crane, on her way to st. Louis, reached
the scene during the fire, and picked |
up from the water all that are known |
to be saved. The pilot, engineer, stok-
er, carpenter, and forLy-iOur passen-
gers, are known to be saved, The cap-
tain, clerks and other officers, and the |
deck hands and many passengers were
lost. All the books and papers Of the
boat were lost, as also were the cattle |
and other freight on board. A number
OF persons died after reaching the
shore from exposure In the water,
There was no explosion. All Of the
women and children were lost, nearly, |
II not all being burned to death. The
OF the passengers and officers
is said TO have been heroic. Such an
appalling scene has not bseu Witnessed
on the Mississippi for many years. The
saved were kindly cared Tor by the olll-
GERS OF the Belle Memphis, and were
carried 10 81. Louis.
LATER.
An Interview with tho assistant en-
queer OF thu ill.Eated steamer by u tele-
graphic correspondent at CarOoudale,
gels from him the following statement;
The alarm vas given At hHlf.pa six,
and In ten minutes the boat was Ia a
sheet OF flame and every person had
deserted her. All that were lost were
drowned, none were burned. or the
eleven women on board but three were
saved. But one yawl was seen and that
WAS taken possession Of by some deck
passengers. No other life boat or lie
rreservers were seen. Tho boat ground.
ed two hundred yards from the shore,
about six feet OF water. There were
forty cabin and one hundred and fifty
deck passengers and sixty OF the crew,
In all about two hundred and fifty
souls. About fifty only were saved.