Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-03
LOUISVILLE.
A steamboat Sunk and Burned.
Narrow Escape of Fifty Passengers.
A Midnight Scene on the Ohio Falls.

| LOUISVILLE, March Near midnight
last night the steamer Falls City, Capt. j.
! V. Sproule, bound for Green River, passed
| out of the mouth of the old canal with a
! big freight list and fifty cabin passengers.
| Just below the mouth of the new canal she
came up to the J. w. Garrett and the barge
Rachel, which had passed through the new
canal and stopped at the bank. AS the
Falls City came up, proper signals were
given and replied to by the Carrot, when
the Garrett started out from the shore and
collided with the Falls City, the barge
Rachel striking her amidship in the rear of
the boilers, cutting into the hull and letting
in water freely. The Falls City swung round
and struck her stern against the barge, in
juring her wheel and engines so that she
became
UnmanageabIe.
Thee pilot, Geo. Daily, blew the signal of
distress repeatedly. Capt. Sproule and Capt.
Van Meter, passenger and stakeholder in
the Falls City, ran to the after part of the
boat and shouted to the officers of the Gar
rett to come to their assistance and take off
the women and children, as the boat was
Sinking Rapidly.
It is claimed the officers Of the Garrett
must have heard this call as the boats were
not then more than 80 yards apart. The
Garrett, however, passed on down the river.
The Falls City drifted over to Sand Island,
lodged against some coal barges about so
yards from the bank, and the passengers
were taken to the shore over the barges. A
number of the passengers, especially the
ladies, escaped only
In their Night Clothes.
The night was cold and the ground deep
in snow, and despite the efforts of the Off
GERS Of the Falls City, much suffering en-
sued.
The boat sunk soon after the passengers
left, careening to the starboard, upsetting the
stoves in the ladies' cabin and in the texas,
from which she took fire and
Burned to the Waters Edge
in less than half an hour. The light of the
fire was seen in this city, but was supposed
to be fire in New Albany. After remain
ing on the bank about hours the passen-
gers were taken to Portland by Capt. Moses
Irwin with the ferryboat Conner from New
Albany.
The Falls City was built four years ago
by the Louisville and Green River Packet
Company, and cost $4,000. She was of a
hundred and ninety tons burthen, one
hundred and fifty feet long, thirty foot
beam, five and half feet hold, threee boil
ers, sixteen inch cylinders with five and a
half feet stroke full. The cabin had been
recently overhauled and all the Government
appliances added. She was insured for |
$4,000 in the Andes, Cincinnati. The risk
was placed only last night about 6 O'Clock. |
The cargo was insured for about $4,000 in |
Louisville companies, except ST, 200, in the |
Andes. The cargo was worth from /
$4,000 to $4,000. The loss will !
all heavily on the owners, but they will |
secure another boat and put |
ler in the trade. There will probably be |
nothing saved from the hull. Capt. Rob- 4
nsOn thinks the boat and cargo total loss |
An official investigation in the cause of the /
disaster will be held before the local In /
pectOrs Monday at 9 a. n. The flames /
rom the burning boat spread to and
Destroyed Two Barges
to n. j. Bigley; loss about $1,000.
negro man named Anderson Pearson, 4
belonging to the Falls City, is !
Missing,
nd it is feared was lost on the burning |
'oat. Double the amount of insurance
Tould Rave been placed on the boat last
light but the insurance offices were closed