The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-11-04
The StOneWall Disaster.


alive Of the Stonewall disaster, from
one of the survivors, to.wit: John II.
Lyons I'd engineer:
81 reside at No. 1903 North Tenth
street. was second engineer of the
steamer Stonewall. I was sitting at
The table in the cabin, at SUPPER,
about 6 o'clock, when tho fire broke
out. The alarm of fire was given and |
[ started forward as did SO, I saw
Mr.. Ebert, the Clerk, unlocking the
safe as if to take out the valuabies.-I
went up In the texas and met three |
Or four Of the cabin crow coming
DOWN with their valises, went up
nto the head engineers room and
ot his valisc and my own, and caine
own to the forward end of the boiler
eck. l could not get down as the
seps were blocked up with people,
ed the smoke was nearly suffoca.
Ing. l started back to the larboard |
sue and went up to thel hurricane |
ROT The only man on the roof was |
Cptain Scott. 1 went towards til. |
strn and saw him trying to carry a
lddor forward. I set down my things,
took hold OF one end of the ladder |
AMI helped him to take it forward.-l
Htput it over tho roof and started
dom the ladder to 90 to the forecas-
tle,and was burned. 1 do not think
he,Cerreachcd the deck alive, [ think
he vas burned before he reached the
decs. He never spoke word, and
seemed to be perfectly cool. That
wa the last saw Of him. started
bac- then to the stern, and got oppo-
site he wheel-house. saw Frank
Murray go in there and make tor the
WHEEL. l ran back, took my valise,
and 'wung down from tho hurricane
roofo the boiler deck. Then 1 got
hole again, swung down as far as |
couh, and jumped to the lower deck.
l threw my valise in the river, grab
bed wheel barrow, and jumped over
with it from the stern, where there
were very few people. I saw that ten
men lad got into yawl and cut the
painter. 1t was not more than ten
feet from mo when I jumped in the
river. l caught my valise and struck
out FIR the shore. got pretty near
the shore, when man told me he
was drowning. Threw him my val
Use, and in doing so lost my hat. He
got hold of my valise, which l think
wouli have supported him, but he
was much exhausted, and drowned.
The len men in the yawl landed, but
therewas only one of their number
who would 60 back. He was an Irish
man. He took piece of wood about
three feet long, aud started back
alone, padding with the board. He
passed close to me, and picked up five
men alive. He also picked up anoth-
er, who expired as soon as he was
got into the yawl. The head cook,
Young, was one of the five mon. He
took them on the shore at Vancirs
Landing, where he built a fire for
them in cabin. / got within fifteen
or twenty feet of the shore, near a
point of rocks, when the current
struck me and carried me fifteen feet
further in the river. Then Submarine
No. ID, Captain Washington, came
down, and the swell caused by it
nearly drowned me. I thought /
would have to give it up. l did not
SEQ the name of the boat, but we all
knew it was No. - coming right be.
hind us. The river was full ofpeople
at that time. was not excited.
saw her coming down, and thought
some help was coming. l was never
80 surprised in my life as to see hel
pass by. She never stopped wheel
can prove it. The boat was burn
ing when she passed. They could
have saved good many lives If they
had stopped: and their waves nc
doubt drowned a good many people
| could just see them throw up theil
hands and sink !; when they got the
water in their mouths they were
gone. | finally got to the shore and
crawled out on my hands and knees
on the bank, near a lodge of rocks
/ laid there half an hour; l crawled
on my hands and knees nearly halls
mile /; l stood up as much as dozen
times, aud fell right oyer backwards
l think it was nearly a mile from the
wreck, lower down, where I 60,
ashore. When l got so that l could
walk, l went up the creek, as saw
a light opposite the wreck. | tried
to get to it, and found that l coulc
not get across tho creek. / knew il
was not far from Vancil's Landing
and | struck out over the bluffs for it
Before did so hallooed, but could
not halloo very loud, and no one
heard me. got to Vancil's Landing
about 2 o'clock on Thursday morn
ing. had walked, think, about foul
miles. | went to a vacant house
where there were six mon-five mer
who had been picked off crates O.
cabbage and bales of hay by the Irish
man, their rescuer. / could not tel
his name, but he was a whole-soulec
man, if there ever was one he was 6
deck passenger. About o'clock
three men came down in a skifP from
Neeley's Landing, of whom Mr.. Shep
pard was one. They had not beer
on the Stonewall, but came down te
see ifthey could do any service. They
went about a mile below Robinson's
Landing, and got us some hot coffee
crackers, cheese, and bottle ofwhis
key. That revived us considerably
We stayed at the house until the
break of day commenced, and all
started back in the yawl TO Neeley's
Landing. We picked up one man or
the way he was under q ledge o.
rocks. He was an Irish deck passen
ger, and very nearly dead. Whcr
we got % Neeley's Landing, Mr.
Sheppard took us out and gave hot
breakfast. He worked all night no
bly,. In tho morning inqucsts were
held on two dead men-one Mr.
Brennan, and the other an old man
unknown. We buried them aboutha
past 10.
The City of Cairo came down, and
I got aboard to so to Cape Girardeau
The second engineer, Mr.. Paley, gave
me u hat, and the chief engineer, Mr.
Gray, gave me coat. There was ar
| ola ioJ,- and lap,c,, 4ho,o l.,