Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-12
No. Al
A River Horror.

| OlNNOlNA11, ouiO, aug. O.-l he
operator at Aurora, Ind, reports thai
the steamer Pat Rogers was burned
this morning on the Ohio River, one
mile below Aurora, and about twenty
lives were lost, principally ladies.
About 5 O'Clock this morning sever
al bales of cotton, which formed a part
of her cargo, caught fire, it is supposed
from sparks from the chimneys, and
the boat burned to the waters edge.
The boat and cargo, consisting of
cattle, sheep, and hogs, are a total
loss. ~
The boat was valued at 100000; !;
insured in Cincinnati for S32, 900, and
in Louisville fot $4,000 The value
Of the cargo is not ascertained.
Mr.. Holmes, the engineer of the
steamer Pat Rogers, which was burned
at Aurora, Ind, arrived in Cincinnati
on the noon train, and was interview
ed by Cincinnati reporter. He gives
the following account of the burning
OF the steamer:
"lt was just about 6 o'clock, when
just opposite Laughery Greek, that flows
into the Ohio River two miles below
Aurora, that l noticed a bright light
among some bales Of cotton in the after
part of the boat [ hastened to the
spot and found it to be burning rapid
ly, and beyond any possibility of i'm
mediately extinguishing it. | hasten
ed to the hurricane deck and gave the
alarm to the pilot that the boat was
burning, and told him to run her
ashore. The pilot at once turned the
boats head to the shore, and imme-
diately she became unmanageble
The pilot stated that he could turn the
wheel, but the steamer would not
answer to her helm. He thinks the
tiller rope had been cut. From this it
is thoug ht that the FIRE was the work
of an incendiary. Another theory il
that one of the deck passengers while
smoking, dropped sparks from his pipe
into the cotton. When the boat be-
came unmanageble. she drifted Oh to a
sand bar and then grounded. The
flames, instead of spreading along the
lower deck, at once shot up to the
cabin and pilot-house, and then swept
across the hurricane deck. The pas
sengers were all aroused and the boats
were lowered, and many were carried
to the shore but others, III their fri ght
jumped into the water, and those wins
were not drowned reached safe land
ing place after drifting a long time
with the current. There were nearly
100 people on board, but what pro-
proportion of this number were actual
ly lost is not known at this time, al
many reported missing have been seen
by some on shore since the disaster"
CINCINNATI, O., August 6.-The
bodies Of Ferd Welter, Mrs. Smith
aud Miss Cook, of Ma Olson, Ind, have
been recovered from, the river at the
scene of the Pat Roger disaster, near
Aurora.
Further investigation has shed no
additional light on the origin OF the
fire, exceptto dissipate the suspicion
which rested on negro man discharged
the boats employ.
The number on board, all told, il
supposed to have been seventy. The
list cannot be had.
Reports of the lost have ranged from
sixteen to twenty-eight people. Pro
badly twenty five is the number near
est the fact Citizens and passengers
do not attach blame to the Captain and
officers. At all events, it has not been
expressed. The suspense and uncer-
tainty as to the fate OF the missing has
added intensity to the painful interest
felt in the calamity here. At this
time forty-fve persons are known to
have been saved.
A private dispatch from Aurora
states that the names of the white
wretches who acted the coward In
leaving the passengers to perish have
been ascertained, and that neither oil
the men belong to the boats crew.
The latest intelligence confirms the
fear thas the number of persons perish.
ed is near thirty.