Worcester daily spy., 1872-11-01
Loss of the Steamer Missouri.


KEY WEST, Fla, Oct. 8t.-The following par
ticulars of the burning of the steamship Mis-
souri, have been obtained from the survivors
arrived here:
When the boat which was saved left the burn
ing ship, one boat was seen with its keel up
ward, which had two men on it. The rescued
boat lay for two hours by swamped boat con-
tanning nine men, including the engineers, fire.
men and ships barber. A bucket was given to
the inmates of the swamped boat to bail with,
there being two in the rescued boat. As there
were no Seamen in the swamped boa+ they were
unable to properly manage it, and in this condi-
ton they were left. 1t is not likely that any OF
them were saved.
No sails had been seen for two days previous
TO the fire. On that day the Missouri was in
company with ship from 9.15 A. NJ. until P.
NJ, when she was lost sight Of For forty min.
uteS after the rescued left the Missouri, they
saw the passengers and crew who remained on
board, crowded on the after part of the vessel.
1t is said that the fire WINS first discovered on
the floor of the locker in the pantry, and the
cry of fire was Immediately given. Wet carpets
were put on the fire by the pantry men and
Others, and the stewards reported to the passen-
gers that the fire was out. The alarm was given
while the passengers were at breakfast, but on
receiving the stewards report that the fire had
been eXtinguished, breakfast was resumed and
the fears of the passengers quieted. Within
two minutes, however, several voices screamed
fire from the stoke hole. All was then con-
fusion. Within twenty minutes three boats
were launched.
In the rescued boat, with the exception of a
few pieces Of sugar cane, there was neither food
nor water, and only two small oars and a large
one, neither were there any sails or anything to
make them of. Ii was from nine O'Clock in the
morning of the 22d until two in the afternoon of
the 23d before assistance could be obtained. At
that time the schooner Spy was sighted, and the
,al ,,NVr Had H.
Spy took the survivors to Hopetown, on Elbow
Key, where they arrived about seven P. NJ. of the
23d
On the oath schooner was sent towards the
burning ship with charts and full directions
where to find her, and with instructions to look
for the ships boats and skirt the coast. The
schooner returned about midnight on the Oath,
and reported having seen nothing of the boats
or passengers. The sea was then breaking
heavily on the reefs. The party left Hopetown
at 10 O'Clock on the 25th and arrived at Nassau
at 2.30 P. NJ on the 2Sth.
1t is said that the donkey pumps of the
steamer were never started, one of the passen-
gers asserting that he had hold of the hose
some time, and that no water was forced
throughit on the flames from the donkey. Two
deck pumps were worked a few minutes only.
Within fifteen minutes after the alarm of fire
was given, the twelve survivors were in the
boat, and flames coming from the stoke hole in
a volume. The ships course was never altered,
and consequently the flames were carried athwart
the ship, burning up one lileboat on the lee side
and making it too hot TO get the others off,
Only three boats were launched, two of which
swamped.
1t is said that seven females and seven children
were aboard the Missouri, none of whom got
into the boats. The scene was heartrending.
Not over twenty minutes elapsed after the fire
was discovered before three boats were launched
The MiSsour's engines were stopped but her
sails were left spread, and a speed of a few
knots was maintained when last seen. Capt
Greene was working with Purser Hampstead and
surrounded with smoke and fame Eleven Of
the survivors say the boat was never launched,
but the twelfth, Capt. Culmer, says it was
launched full of people, but was Immediately
swamped.