The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-10-29
pailp argus.
OFFICIAL PAPER.
TERRIBLE STEAMBOAT DISASTER.
Burning Of the Steamer stonewall and Loss OF
200 Lives.

| Advices from st. Louis state that MI
Phelps,s planter from near Shreveport, La
arrived there yesterday from the wreck Q
the steamer Stonewall, and furnished tn
following particulars of the burning of tha
vessel and the loss of about 200 of her pas
sengers. These being the irst tidings from
the disaster and given under the inAu
elce of considerable excitement, il is hoped
that further accounts will lessen the numbe,
Of lives lost, at least,
The boat caught fire at half past sill
o'clock Wednesday evening, at point q
little below Neelys landing, rs miles below
st. 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 on the bar. Unfortun
ately, at the end Of the bar there was a
slough and there it was that large number
we're drowued. The boat was not run on
the bar but two feet, and the shallowest par,
they had was six feet under water. The
uOot hau bO tnuCh hOuhIu kuht buC
ed like finder and all efforts to put the fire
out were unavailn9, The Belle Memphis
came up at halt past one - three hours after
the accident, and rendered al the service
possible. Out of 252 passengers and crew
only thirty are known TO be saved. The
last seen of Captain Scott he was floating
down stream on log. The people of Nee
ly saw the light and hastened to assist. One
man rescued six persons with skif. Had
it not been for their help they would have
been lost. A gentleman from Paducsh,
Kentucky, swan ashore with lady and at
her entreaty returned to save her child, In
swimming ashore he was grasped by q
drowning man and would have been him.
self drowned had he not shook him of. One
man was taken from the wreck 40 badly
burned that he died as soon as he reached
shore. There were thirty.nine cabin pes
sengers and sixty Of the crew. Quite q
number of ladies were on board, all probab'
ly lost except one. Fulkerson, the pilot, and
the carpenter were the only ones Of the
crew saved. The Stonewall was owned by
Captain Shaw and Dennis Long, and valued
at $4,000. She had about 500 tons of
freight, including 200 cattle, horses and
mules which were insured. Captain Shaw
had stopped off this trip and Captain Tom
Scott was in command. The other officers
were Milton C. Elbert, first clerk VIM. Il.
Chick, second clerk; +. Fulkerson and
Frank Murray, pilots; Wilz Beebe, mate;
Geo. Fulkoner, and John Dioner assistant
engineers,
The chief engineer of the Stonewall ar.
rived here on the Belle Memphis and gives
some further particulars. Sixteen persons
were saved by clinging TO the stage plank
and sixteen SWAN ashore. These are all
out of the 250 or 260 souls on board Of whose
safety there is any certainty. One man was
picked up and carried ashore but he died
soon after. The only officers Of the boat
known to have been saved are George W..
Walker, chief engineer, 4. Fulkerson and
E. ?. Watson, carpenters. The striker and
two deck hands were also saved. Of three
ladies on board only Mrs. Gregg, on her
way with her family to meet her husband,
was saved. The scene on board was heart
rending. The flames spread with wonder
full rapidity under the action OF strong
wind aud the passengers in their terror were
forced overheard into the Mississippi and
drowned each other in their desperate strug
gle to free themselves. Others would Jump
into the water and whirl around in the strong
current for an instant and disappear forever.
Mr.. Fuller jumped overheard and attempted
to swim ashore but coming in contact with
q piece of timber, he clung to it and was
finally taken ashore in boat.
Charles Williams, a deckhand, says he
tried to smother the fire with blankets when
it was first discovered, but the wind blew so
strong he could not He then tried to use
the hose, but the crowd of frightened deck
hands and passengers 80 crowded upon the
men having it in charge that they were
obliged to give it up. Williams then threw
overheard bale of hay, and getting upon
it drifted to the stern of the boat, where he
encountered the boats yawl, containing si1
men and q woman. He was taken IN IT.
but they could not stem the current. Mll'
Eams and the woman we're put ashore. The
remaining men made another attempt to
reach the steamer, using the seats OF the
yawl for paddles, but the current was too
strong aud they were carried down stream
and seen no more. Williams thinks that
not more than thirty persons were saved, but
i, is hoped that many were able to reach
shore at different points down the river, and
that further information will show that the
loss of life was not so terrible and appalling
as a. present supposed. There is no tele-
graph office within several miles OF the dis,
aster, and no information later than eleven
o'clock last night has been received.