The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-25

Steamer Emmn the Mississippi River
seventy Lives Lost.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 2l.-The Emma No. left
this port about / o'clock Saturday morning,
with moderate cargo of pg-iron, groceries, wine,
and four hundred bales Of cotton, half OF which
wac for Evansville.
The following persons are known to have
been on her:-W. q. Spence, ID. Kincade, j. Il.
Forbes, of Lauderdale county, Adam Pfeister,
of Owensbor0, Kentucky, and four wood-chop-
pere from Cincinnati, none of whose names
appear as known to have been saved. The first
three names were farmers, having just disposed
of their cotton, and were on their way home.
Pfeister had engaged to manage plantation
In Arkansas, and had gone to bring his wife and
children. The woodchoppers' names cannot be
ascertained, A party OF young ladies from
Danville, Kentucky, were also reported TO have
taken passage, but did not; they left here on
Saturday evening on the st. Louis packet.
From additional particulars, we learn that
when the boat took fire, Captain Maratta, with
his brother lowered the yawl, intending to place
the ladies in il and take them ashore, and not
withstanding the fact that he stood in 1t with
cooked revolver warning them to keep away
until he had landed the ladies, when he would
return, the passengers and several OF the deck
hands made rush for and swamped it, all who
were in IL at tie time going to the bottom, eX-
cept the captain, who seized a fender and again
resumed the work of saving the passengers by
building floats.
His conduct, as well as that of the other Off
GERS of the boat, and the officers OF the steamer
Columbian which passed the wreck two hours
after the accident occurred and rescued the sur
vivors, is highly commended:
The officers of the Belle Memphis report the
wreck as still smoking when they passed They
also state that the accident occurred one mile
from Randolphs Landing, that being the nearest
point where skiffs were obtainable; also, that
several persons were saved by citizens in that
vicinity, and were, with the remainder OF the
survivors, taken to Cairo.
About 10 o'clock A. M, on the 10Th, she struck
snag in the chute of Island No. IS, and com
menced sinking slowly, remaining on the snag,
despite all efforts to back her off and get her TO
shore. Every effort was made to stop the leak
without success when arrangements were made
to send passengers and crew ashore in
the boats. The were all safely placed in the
yAwl and as many passengers as II was deemed
safe were plated in charge of Walter Maratta,
clerk. Before these arrangements were COM
plete, the steamer careened, upsetting the stoves
and setting fire to the cabin. AS the flames were
seen bursting forth, Captain Maratta and the
officers could not restrain the affrighted crowd,
who jumped into the yawl before 1t could be
sent beyond their reach, and was swamped and
all on board were probably lost, as the yawl
turned bottom upward, and just then the flames
drove those remaining on board to other parts
of the boat, and the yawl was seen no more.
Efforts were being made at the same time to
launch the life-boat from the hurricane deck,
but the flames prevented that and then doors,
planks, bales of cotton, and debris even made
use of, by all who could, to reach the shore.
Pilot Attenborough, Mate Caleb Maratta and
the captain assisted everybody possible with
such means of saving themselves, and after all
were gone Maratta reached the wheel, and re-
mained until taken off by skiffs from shore.
Mate Caleb Maratta, Pilot Attenborough, three
passengers, first chambermaid, and first cook
found barely room on the narrow strip of the
forecastle, sheltered from the flames by casks Of
! wine, which they prevented burning by throw
= ing on water with their hats, until they were
taken off by skiffs from shore.
AS there were no houses nearer than one mile,
no assistance could reach them until the boat
was sunk, and all above the water consumed
except the narrow strip spoken Of
The people on shore rendered every assistance
possible, picking up those in the river and help
\ ing those already on the shore.
The steamer Columbian, Captain William
: Barnes, bound for st. Louis, arrived two hours
afterward, and picked up every one who could
be found and brought them to Cairo. Many
were without shoes, coats, or hats, having
thrown them off to assist themselves in reaching
shore. The officers of the Columbian supplied
these necessaries, and treated all so kindly tina
the survivors are loud in their praise. II Is pos
I sible that some of the missing were taken t.
farm houses, some miles from the river, and ar,
safe. ..
The steamers hull lies In eighteen feet water
with her bow still on the snag, about eighty fee
from the Tennessee shore, above the point, IL
the foot of the chute.