The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-11-04

Deck. Crew 3S
cabin Crew ~
Total 272
The boat caught fire at half-past six
o'clock on Wednesday evening, from
candle which the deck passengers
lad near some hay, while playing
ards. The steamer was run ona gravel
,ar, the pilot supposing that the pas
engers could wade ashore on the bar.
Unfortunately, at the end of the bar
here was slough; and here it was
hat the larger number was drowned.
The boat was not run OH the bar but
wo feet, and the shallowest point
bout her had five OF six feet of water.
The boat had so much hay aboard that
'he burned like tinder, and all efforts
o put it out were unavaiiing.
The Belle Memphis came up at half
,ast nine, three hours after the acci-
lent, ond rendered all the assistance
possible.
Out of 252 passengers and crew
,nly 80 are known to be saved. The
asst seen of Capt. Scott he was floating
lown stream on log.
The people at Neely's saw the light
md fastened to assist. One man res
;ued sixteen persons in q skiff. Had
t not been for their help all would
lave been lost.
a geftleman from Paducah, KY,
;wam ashore with lady, and at her
,ntreatv returned to save her child.
IN swimming ashore he was grasped
oy drowning man, and would have
been himself drowned had he not
shook. him off.
One man was taken from the wreck
10 badly burned that he died as soon
Is he reached the shore.
Captain Doudy, OF Shreveport, La,
was saved.
There were thirty-nine cabin pas
'engers and sixty belonging to the
crew.
Quite number of ladies were on
board, all of whom were probably
ost, except one.
Fulkenson, the pilot, and the car
penter, were the only ones of the
crew saved.
The Stenewall was owned by Cap
tain John Shaw and Dennis Long, the
latter of Louisville. She was valued
at S45,O0O, and insured as follows, in
Pittsburgh Offices: Eureka. $1,000:
Boatmen's $1,000; Citizens, $1,000 ;
Monongahela, $1,000; Allegheny, So
300; Merchants and Manufacturers
5000.
She had about eight hundred tons
of freight, including two hundred and
seventy cattle, horses and mules, which
were insured.
Captain Shaw had stopped off this
trip, and Caption Scott was in COM
mand. The other officers were as fol-
lows: Milton Colbert, first clerk VIM
A: Chick, second clerk; Jos. Lester
and DR.. Hoover, barkeepers Ed, Full
kerson and Frank Murray, pilots ;
Wills. Beebe, mate: Geo. Fulton, ell
gineer John Lyons, assistant engin-
eer.
FROM ANOTHER SOURCE.
A special from Carbondale, ILL.,, says
the steamer Stonewall, which left st.
Louis on Tuesday evening for New
Orleans, heavily ladened with passen-
gers, horses, mules, hay, and other
freight generally, last night about
eight o'clock, when near Neely's Land
ing, ten miles below Grand Tower,
took fire, and despite all efforts to
save her, was burned to the waters
edge. When the fire broke oAt every
effort was made to land, but the steam
er was so heavily ladened that she
could not be brought nearer than one
4 - lo eE
confusion and terror prevailed.
There were about two hundred
cabin and deck passengers on board.
quite q number of whom were women
and children. The flames spread witt
great rapidity.
Scores of men jumped into the water
and attempted to reach the shore by
swimming. Nearly all of these were
lost.
Every conceivable object that coul6
be obtained was thrown into the wa
ter, and TO these the passengers cluns
with all the tenacity of life.
The steamer Belle Memphis, Capt
Crane, on her way to St. Louis, reached
the scene during the fire and pieket
up from the water all that are know
to be saved.
The pilot, engineer, stoker, carpen
ter, and forty-four passengers ar
known to be saved, The captain, tn
clerks, and other officers, deck hands
and many passengers were lost.
All the books and papers of the boa
were lost, as also were the cattle ant
other freight on board.
LATER-sTILL ANOTHER ACCOUNT
An interview with the Assistan
Engineer of the ill-fated steame
StonewaIl by teiegraphic correspon
dent at Carbondale, gets from him til
following statement: The alarm wa
given at half past six, and i'll ten min
utes the boat was in II sheet of flame
and every person had deserted hel
All that were lost were drowned
None were burned. Of the clever
women on board, but three wer
saved.
A number of persons died afte
reaching the shore from exposure i
the water. No explosion.
All of the women and childre
were lost-nearly, if not all of thcr
being burned to death.
The conduct of the passengers an
officers is said to be heroic.
Such ap appalling scene has no
been witnessed OH the Mississippi TO
many years. The saved were kindl
cared for by the officers of the Bell
Memphis, and were carried to S
Louis.
The number lost, or their name
had not been ascertained when thi
dispatch closed, but it is feared tina
one hundred and twenty-five to on
hundred and fifty are lost.
But one yaWl was seen and tina
was taken possession Of by deck pas
sengers. No other life boat OF lit
preservers. were seen.
The boat grounded two hundre
yards from the shore in about six fee
of water.
There were forty cabin and on
hundred and fifty deck passengers an
sixty of the crew. In all about tw
hundred and fifty souls. About fit
only were saved.
YET ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
George w. Fulton, the chief engil
eer of the Stonewall, arrived here o
the Belle Memphis, and gives SON
further particulars. Sixteen person