The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-08-21
THE OHIO RIVER DISASTER.
burning Of the steamer Pat Rogers
Deaths beth by Fire and water
Statement of 40 survivor.

Dentns bOtn ny Fire ANA wafer
statement Of 20 survivor.
Cincinnati papers Of tho 9th contain par
ticulars of the burning of the steamer Pat
Rogers on the Ohio River near Aurora,
Ind, on the morning Of the 9Th:
a misfortune consisted in the fact that
the fire occurred In that particular part of
the river where the water was AT such a
stage that IL was impossible for her 10
reach shore. drawing rs much water rs
she did
The limit OF time between the first alarm
and The time when everybody had left the
boat is said 20 be twenty minutes. At this
time there was dry land on the starboard
side, only thirty yards distant, buta
WALL or FIRE
intervening on the larboard side, the land
was long distance. The wind was blow
ing toward the nearest shore, and drove
the flames in that direction. Many OF
those who got nearest shore are distigurcd
for life, the exposed part of their bodies
being actually roasted by the excessive
heat.
Thenegro crew behaved badly, hurrying
off the boat before there was any immi-
nent danger. and one white man rowed
away In a life boat that could have been
made TO convey twenty or thirty persons
ashore.
THE LOST AND THE SAVED.
The number on board, all told, Is supposed
to have been from seyenty-tw0 10 seventy
five persons. Her exact list cannot he
had. Reports of the lost have ranged
from sixteen to twenty-eight people.
Probably twenty-five is the number near
est the facts. Citizens and passengers do
not attach blame to the captain and ofi
GERS. AT all events IL has not been ex-
pressed. Suspense and uncertainty as 10
the fate of the missing has added intensity
TO the painful interest felt i'm the calamity
here. At this time forty-five persons are
known TO be saved.
STATEMENT OF CHIEF CLERK wM. c. TAYLOR.
Ii was between 400 and > o'clock when
Shirley Snyder, the third clerk, awoke me
in the texas. As soon as | could get my
clothes on | went out and saw she was
aiirc rs far a. the front end of the texas,
the smoke coming up through the CHM
ney castings, and all the after part OF the
texas was ON fire. Charley Dutour, the
pilot on duty. had just left the wheel. and
the pilot-hOuse was then burning. Charley
told me there was something the matter
with the tiller-rope that il was broken or
something; that he had given her the
wheel "hard down" TO the shore, and she
didn't seem To answer il. | went down
TO the lower deck. The people Were all
there. women and men. and some children. !
in the fOrcastle. A few had already gone
off into the water. We all commenced !
throwing overheard such things as would
float. a lot of furniture, barrels, boxes and !
fruit-stands, and light baggage. and we
tried to get all the people To jump into the |
river after them. We all had to take to the |
water. and the sooner the better. think |
the boat had struck bottom before | left |
the hurricane roof. | was told that there !
was only five feet of water at one point in
side where she struck. But the heat was |
so intense that people had only the chance |
of burning on that side. | did not touch |
bottom when | finally jumped in on the |
outside. The boat was then about forty |
yards from the Indiana shore, and about /
three hundred yards above the mouth Of |
Laughery Creek. In low water it Is all dry |
where the boat struck. | had lIfe-prc- |
server which | did not put on. threw il |
i'm and went i'm after il. floating with it, |
did not gountil nearly all had gone. When /
heard the low-water Indicator blow was l
afraid of an explosion. and took water.
striking out into the river. and floating /
down past the stern. AT about the time
went in the cabin boy went in on door,
and the second clerk. David Mcclure. with
a berry stand. had noticed that the cabin
boy had the captains hat on his head and
my hat in his hand. (rhe captain had
gone i'm with n mattress. on which was the
Indian boy Charley Dufour was haul
ing up the life-boat that he had east over
as far forward rs possible. in order to get
the ladies in, when two men-one black
and the other whte-jumped in and cast
il loose, and that was the last saw of it.
An old man that | saw jump must have
been dead when he struck the water. as he
did not seem To make n motion afterward.
and fell all OF a heap. Perhaps ii was from
er-cxcitemcnt. Others who saw him 90
in thought the same. The heat was severe.
even on the outside. felt il while | was
passing down. but did not realize how Sc
we're 1t was until about II O'Clock to-day.
when discovered that my head was badly
on top. Mr.. Taylor Is incline
to baldness.-i.ep.l ! heard of one ca,
of parties being taken off by skitf.
man who couldn't swim was hanging
the water. on the outside of the vessel. a
by something or other. when woms
came floating down. lie reached out
hand and caught her. and they held the
until taken OF. He was burnedabout q
head and face. think these parties wei
A. -. Cunny, of Newport, and Miss En-
ma Rowden, of Louisville. Cincinnati
EqOynyeg