Santa Fe weekly gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1864-1869, 1869-05-29
Number 81.
From the Cincinnati Commercial of May 18th.
STEAMBOAT CONFEDERATION
AT CINCINNATI. l.
Six steamers Destroyed.
The Landing in a Blaze.
THE RIVER GLOWING.

NuluiiuS III u ttl llhit NNEuttlg,
ously with the striking of the Cathedral clock
at o'clock this morning the Covington and
Newport fire and church bells rang out in an
angry clatter, and almost Immediately tho
sky TO the south of the city began to glow
with the illumination of one Of the most dis.
astrous steamboat CONGREGATIONS that ever
occurred on tho Ohio. The fire was in It's
heat of awful destruction before the alarm
bells of this city sounded the command to our
engines to rush to the river. Those who had
heard the first bells and saw the first flames
had settled down to the conclusion that Cow
ilgton was suffering, or Newport, and then
people who were awake began to believe
steamers were being burned, By the time
tho first engines reached the landing that
portion of it between Main and Broadway
was bright to almost daylight brightness,
and great loaping sheets of flames from half
dozen beautiful boats were reaching their
immense folds far up the grade Of the levee.
Crowds who had already reached the point
were forced back, away back up to the north
side of Front street, by the immense heat.
The body of flame was fully five hundred
feet long by hundred in width, and II reach
ed up into tho air far above the level of the
Spencer House roof. The burning boats were
the Clifton, Mary Erwin, Darling, Cheyenne,
Menotte and Weslmoreland.
The Charmer had dropped down out Of tho
way. and the West Wind, lust coming up,
had towed the St. James out of danger. All
statements that our reporters heard agreed on
the Clifton as the starting point of the fire,
and that it progressed in tie order in which
the boats are named above.
The flames from the burning boats shot far
into the air. illuminating almost the whole
city, and shedding radiant sparks all over tho
lower squares as far north ms Third street.
The levee, that had been deserted for so long
time was suddenly peopled by thousands
of men, women and children. alarmed by tho
prolonged ringing of the bells, and attracted
from drowsy beds by the great light Mt the
river. The fremen answered the first alarm
with amazing promptitude. Horses plunged
madly along the lcvee, and hose unrolled it.
sell in all directions. ..-...
The mere handful Of nrcmen who dared
meet the destroying clement at the waters
edge, seemed so puny and insignificant in tho
light of the grand terrific eonfogration, that
tho crowds upon the wharf could not hope for
| the salvation of any that might be on board
the doomed vessels; they could but stand and
gaze and shudder Tie light woodwork
could not long withstanding the hot breath
of the Fire Fiend The symmetrical outlines
of the boats were lost sight Of in the sheets of
flame and the dense volume Of smoke that
enveloped them. The white srars and tho
delicate tracery Of the cabins were one mo-
ment resplenlent--th next they were gone.
Deprived of support, the decks quivered and
crashed down to the hull, the tail chimneys
in second topped over and fell like forest
trees, 5ome upon the wharf some into tho
water.
Oil burst from confinement, and flowed In
broad streams far down upon the surface Of
tAe river, resembling, when viewed from tho
Suspension Bridge, a separate rivulct of mol
ten gold.
1t appeared at the first hopeless task to
resist the progress of the fire on the six boats
over which it had so quickly spread and
hopeless IL proved. For the stiff breeze blow
ng from the East bore the flames from ono
boat to another until all were ablaze. and the
six river palaces wcra swept away like chatf
before the wind. Tho llremen, seeing that it
would be useless TO attempt to save the boats
that were on FIRE when they reached the wharf
concentrated their engines to save the steam
ers that lay above tie Melnottc. Planting
their hydraulic batteries on the steamer Sill
yer Spray they stood, with scorching facos
and blstering hands, directing their heavy
streams of water to points likely to be attack
ed. They were very successful in preventing
the flames from communicating to tho boats
above tho Spray, and even that boat was not
injured by the flames to any appreciable ex-
tent At o'clock when the confagration
had spent It's energy on tho six steamers, tho
tremen were still holding their own.
1t is beloved that no lives were lost by fro
but deck hand who escaped from the Clifton
states that a companion, in trying to save
himself, jumpedinto the riverand was drown
ed.
When the FIRE was blazing ieroest NUM-
Der of kegs of powder on the Clifton explod-
cd, but as far rs we could learn, did no parti-
cuar damage.
By balf-past O'Clock, when one of our 70.
porters left the completely destroyed boats TO
return to the office, he had to work his way
through such crowd Of people rs was never
before called out, after midnight, by q fire In
this city. Along Thrl, Fourth. Main and
Sycamore, and along and down half dozen
other Streets thousands Of men were rushing
1t resembled the night of the burning of
Pixies Opera House; but that was before
midnight. In this case ninety-nine out of
ono hundred who hurried to the FIRE had been
started out of sleep, and Ind hurried their
clothes on, at a moments warning.