The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-19
EDITIO IN
FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
Loss OF the Steamer Mittie Stephens by
Fire-Sixty-thre Passengers Lost
Terrible Scenes on Board.

A brief telegram received some few days
since announced she occurrence OF a terrible
disaster on Red River, Texas, the steamer
Mittie Stephens being burned to the waters
edge. The names Of the sixty-ihree passengers
who were lost have been published. The fol
lowing description OF the casualty, taken from
the New Orleans Times Of the lIth inst, will
command attention.
THE TRIP.
At the time the accident occurred the Mittie
Stephens was on her way to Jefferson, Teas,
with large COMMENCEMENT a0G OF S nr5
some money in green backs FOR paying OH Two
or three reRiments upon the frontier, ana
Is frequently done four Tiers deep upon the
boiler deck. The danger from the accidental
ignition of this mass of inflAmmabe material
was not unknown to the passengers, but ap-
pears to have occasioncd NO protest. On Thurs
pcrt--the last point on Red river navigable,
owing to the raft thirty miles above-aud had
now turned aside into the network OF
bayous, lakes, aud lagoons which connects
Shreveport and Jefferson City. 1t was to this
latter point; and the last one atsalnaoie by
was making when the accident occurred. At
that time she had already gene more than half
that ts had left the now chokedup current
of Red river altogether, and sailed through
De Soto lake into Lake Caddo. The latter body
of water lies partly in Louisiana (the extreme
northwest portion) and partly in Texas, and Is
day mig ht supper had been served at an early
hour on the unfortunate boat, and the passen
gers-a hundred in numoer-aiter occupying
themselves in the manner usual to those who
have been several days on board OF boat, had
retired. AS earlyas 8 o'clock the saloons had
began 20 grow thin, at 10 they were deserted,
with the exception of perhaps here and there
party at poker and by IL o'clock or midnight,
son, and with no prospect Of reaching there
before daylight, there was scarcely any one
stirring hey ond the regularly appointed watch.
The boat was, 1t Is now supposed, sailing,
although the water was ten feet deep in various
parts OF the lake, through the main channel:
that is, through what In dry weather, and when
The lake is to a large extent dried up, c)nsti.
tutes bayou. The fact that large number of
cypress tree stumps jut out from the water
and render the navigation otherwise extremely
| confirms the belief that the main channel was
| taken Is that beats in high water push straight
through 1t but with little trouble to the pilots.
THE ALARM OF FIRE.
1t was precisely at this hour OF midnight
when the passengers and crew were buried IN
| slumber, that the cry of fire was heard on the
| doomed boat-the most startling and terrible
that can be raised upon any kind of vessel cut
| of from communication with the shore. The
| fact that any alarm at all was given meant
| certain deaLh for a large number, The situa-
| tion was such as TO almost preclude escape
| from the intammable character of the cargo,
| and the fact that no other boat was in sght.
| What added still n third agoniSing feature to
| the calamity WAS the suddenness OF the vision
of death which the unhappy passengers,
called upon to Confront. once the alarm had
been sounded, and once the wretched inmates
was yawning before two out of every
| three upon board, the scene that followed must
| have been hideous and appalling in the last
degree. The details that nave reached us of
| the actual scene are meagre, but IL needs but
little imagination TO suppose That no time was
| lost In dressing-that women and children were
running in every direction like pallid spectres,
vainly appealing for a help which would never
| come Another feature which attended the
death of these unfortunate victims was the
| slowness of the death-the agonizing suspense
| which they were called upon to undergo. In
|
| explosions, the suddenness and unexpected d.
ness Of the calamity diyest, 1t Of one one
passenger escapes once the danger IS
3yer-there Is i1 then but little else to to
| fire II is perhaps In the daytime; and If at
night, the narrowness OF the stream renders 1t
present case the passengers, who were unable
or had not the presence of mind to save them
death steadily in the face, while the vessel
| slowly consumed TO gradually retreat to the
rear as the flames advanced, and finally leap 10
it will now be asked, was not the boat run TO
the shore? The answer to this question is that
Inc water OF the lake outside OF the channel
already referred to was too shallow TO admit of
close approach to the low swampy shore.
The boat in all PROBABILITY grounded In
attempting some such movement. Still the
| number of stumps OF cypress there are ia the
hne lax ought & to hSve ave afforded Afforded the passengers
| break. The tirst duty OF the Caplatn-which,
doubt less, was performed-was TO throw over
| from the flames every door, shutter and life
preserver, and to Inform, at the same time, the
passeE gers what they had to do TO save life.
Surprising such precautions to have been taken.
and thBt bale of hay ought to support five
men, that people from the surrounding country
were soon attracted by the flames to their
situation and rendered help, 1t is not easy to
understend how SO many Victims met a
watery grave. What appears singular
too, is that some OF the passengers on
board, who are known, like the first
clerk, or MIR. w. A. Broadwell zone of the largest
cotton buyers OF the city,. TO have been men OF
experience. should have also peIished by the
accident. The fact that the passengers were
asleep and that some of them perished in the
flames, accounts for some of the number but
by no means all. One thing, however, is Ger.
uatn, the Mittie Stephens had al the time of the
accident more than hundred souls on board
In the passengers and crew, At the time of the
accident, and OF that number only forty-threC
were saved. The remaining sixty three perlshet
| by drowning, or SILL more miserably in the
general holocaust OF the vessel; and the psei
ofthese and those who travelled upon the many
other wellknown steamers, are doubtless al
THIS moment beneath the sluggish and suller
waters OF the lake.