The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-02-17
THE MITTIE STEPHENS BURNED.
Terrible Loss of Life.


aIieled catastroDhei
The Mue Stephens, Capt. Kellogg, George Remer
clerk left this port for Jefferson, Thursday, the
lltb at O'Clock P NJ, with over one hnhafea sous
on board. Nothing worthy OF notice happened until
Il o'clock at night the time for chan ging watchmen
about two and n half miles below swansons
landing in Caldo Lake, when Mr.. Lodwick remarked
to Mr. SWAIN the pilot watch that he smet some
thing burning, and at the same time noticed smoke
rising from the hay forward On the !arhoard side Inc
alarm at once given, the boat headed for shore,
and all hands put work to extinguish the fames but
without effect In less than five minutes the bow OF
the boat was run ashore near Jeters place, at which
time the forward part of the boat completely in
flames, cutting off all esrcss in that direction The
passengers then rushed the stern Of the boat driven
by the flames and with tile hope of making their
escape in that direction. The stern of the boat vas at
least one hundred and sixty feet from the Shore i"
F; ten feet water The yaHl swamped at once by
being overloaded and the occupants met watery grave
Here the scene beggars description. Nearly one hun
dred frantic terror stricken people, men, women ana
children, were collected the after guard, with the
flames Kissing and cracking behind them and Watcfy
grave before them Every movable thing was thrown
overheard and many men jumped overheard and found
watery graves fighting for something to float Here
fathers could be seen hunting for their wives and chill
dren wives for their husbands ana children Tor their
parents amid the shrcs and cries Of the excited crowd
I As the flames approached all of the men jumped over
board some to find watery grave and others to save
themselves by swimming, but not lady could be
induced to take the cold water and they persisted II
the flames. In less thano half hour from the dis
covering Of the FIRE tie vessel was total wreck, and
over sixty persons had persisted. The steamer Dixie
Capt Thornton Jacobs, came alongside and rendered
valuable assistance with her skf in picking up per-
SONS floating in the water. Messrs. Swain and l.od
wick staii at the wheel until dvena"ay by the flames,
and were the last persons to leave the hurricane root
at wtc, time the cabin was entirely deserted They
both jumped overheard from the stern and swan
ashore In fact all wo saved did the same thing
As soon as the FIRE was disco.ere large amount OF
powder was thrown overheard, well as "ha else that
could be got at but the fire made such lesdway that
every effort proved ftni:less. Capt Kellogg and lis
officers behaved with great GOODNESS, and made every
effort in their power to save the passengers The fol-
lowing is list of the lost and saved:
TIE Lost.
Crcw-George Relner. LIST clerk Chas. Weir, l+t
engineer: Thomas Mulgan % engineer; III McGill,
striker; Peter Fisher James Gardener, and John Bat
teesc coored, fireman.
PasSengers-Mrs. Jackson and three children; Mrs.
T. L. Lyon and sou Frank Mr. and Mrs Lewis and
three children unknown lady, from Grand Ecore;
W A Broadwell, New Orleans Mr.. j. c. Christian,
Mr. Boynkin, Mr. Ash, Mr.. New
! Deck observation-disclosures johnson, Nancy Bradford
and child WIN. Morris, Amanda Morris, Martha VIII
snis, Henry Ashley. Sidney Ashley, Robt Phillips,
Jno A. Phillips, james Phillips, Martha A. Phillips,
Alex. Phillips
Deck Crew-Wm Murphy, Joseph Canes, Andrew
Cfalishnn, Thos Ryan, Pat Reilly, Nat Buchanan, VIM
Buchanan, Jim Hill, Henry Hicks, Peter Engine and
| six not known.
Cabin OSCILLATIONS Baptste pantryn,an; Nj
poleon Washington, texas tender; Chas. Redford,
John Smith and Dennis Williams, cabin. boys; Robt.
Franklin, I'd porter; G. W. Hughes, LIST cook C!as.
Crane, baker; Ann Collins chambermaid.
Survivors
H. Kellogg captain T. N. Hetberton, clerk Geo
Kline, clerk John Poland, mate Peter Sutherland
and William Swain pilots; Joe Lodwick and Joseph
West, steersmcn; B. Ii Covert steward; w r. Gnyan
barkeepcr Sam Wilcox striker; Sam Underwood, watch
man, Phillip Hill, Carpenter; ,John Wilson, porter
Z G.. Chapain barber VIM. Adams, Nat Itny, Peter
Beck, Toueg Foster Geo. lillian Hughes and thirteen
others.
Passengers Saved-G 3 Jrke, S G. johnson, J. B
SerEOnal A. bciiae. w. r Cooo, ~ Face u W
Peterson, Geo. Il. Caglc, G. A. Williams, Elizabeth
Johnson, Mary johnson, Aim Ashley, B0ah Ashley
7. L. Lyon,
The survivors, forty three in number were taken to
Jefferson 10 Il perfectly destitute condition.
The last seen of Col BroadwelI was az he jumped
oTerbosrd at the stern Of the boat. He no doubt
drowned.
The circumstances attending the loss Of Mrs Lyon
and her son Frank, truly heartiending. They
we're the last in the cabin awake, and then not unit
the fumes had reached them. They rushed TO the a
end of the cabin where Mr. Lyon used every effort to
get his wife ard child to step the railing and jump
into the river distance Of eighteen twenty feet
The sight too much for her, and blinded and suf
focaed By the smoke size swooaed away with her chile
ciingng to her. Mr.. Lyon stad with them until the
flames seorched him and compelled him to leap over
board after all chance Of saving his wife and child hat
gone He WAS picked up By the D:xie's sk;h' in i'll
sensible state
The last seem of Mr., George Rsn,er, the frat clerk
was as he jumped overheard. He Of the old
clerks the river but not the regular clerk Of The
boat. Mr.. c. +. Hayes, who occupied that position
taken sci, ast before the boat left New Orleans
and stopped of.
| Mr.. J. G Christian, was one of the Oldest and mos
| respected citizens Of this parish. lie got board
tie Stephens at MoorInssport, where he had beer
waiting two days and in less than hour met watery
grave in sight Of the port from which he embarked
| OF the other persons lost we bad no personal &C
anairtauce but how the eye dims and the cheek
blanches glance the lorg list Here We
find father, mother aud three children in one place
four OF the in another, two in another SC,
all OF whom found their last resting place at the mic
hour of night by the light Of the burning wreck. Grea
God how inscrutable thy wsya
From what we can learn tie safe contained at leas
$500 900 in gold, which presume, be recovered
The steamer Dixie, Capt Thornton Jacobs, whicI
arrived here yesterday, brought the charred remain
of Mrs Lyon and son. They were found on the lowe
deck Of the wreck Immediately below the place herr
they were hat seen. The Dixie her down trip In
by tho wreck all day Sunday aud her officers scceede,
in recovering the remains of fourteen persons. TOT
much praise cannot be awarded Capt Jacobs for his in
valuable services in rescaing the passengers. At III
time lie first discovered the flames he WAS six mile
eli, with fires out aud laid up for the night. He a
once dispatched his skil TO the scene, and followe
with the Dixie as saon as he could raise steam
t~ Md.