The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-10-01


In our notices Of The late disaster to the
steamer Pat Rogers We haze given many iI.
stances Of hercism on the part Of oficer,
c., " and passen gers; bat there KAs one in
stance of such brutal cowardic that the story
u its details will hardly ,. believed. We
have the facts from sources whose truthful.
ness cannot he doubted, Ard which demand
q more elaborat2 account than that given in
pur river columns this morning. Amer
Charlie Dufour, who was at the wheel 1t the
;:me of the disaster, found it impossible to
no longer control the boat, and with the
flames rapidly nearing his post Ct duty, he
ran down stairs to the passenger deck. The
passengers-men, women and children. who
had escaped from the cabir-were gathered
in group, with many members Of the crew
and deck passengers, at the bow Of the boat
on the lower deck. Dufour found tbs. the
large ii,e-toat, which is placed bottom up
deck, had not been launched He quickly
turned II o7er, caGgbt, hold Of the long
''pain,eE," tie o,har ena Of which was at
.ached to the bow Of the lifeboat. and showed
It oTer .isto tie water. 1t struck fairly upon
The water and foated buoyantly and without
having shipped m ounce Of water. 1t was
capable Of hoidlns eighteen or twenty per-
sons, and with it every one OF the women and
children cons -egatcd at the bow Of the boat
could have .asaved. Aah
The boat was launched just forward o. the
~heelhcuse. Still keeping his end Of the
rope, Dufour ran with it toward the bow,
dragging the boat with him through the wat
er 1T must be remembered. that Dufour was
on the second deck, those whoa he meant to
rescue being on the deck below him. In
moment more the boat would have been
within reach Of ths eager hands and brave
hearts who we're waiting to seize it place the
women aht children in Il and tend it to .ne
shore and safety. But when within ten OF
twelve feet OF the expectant rroupe white
man and negro jumped in. anu before they
could be prevented Gu: the rope and pushed
the boat out into the stream. The negro
seemed to have made some remonstrance, to
which the white scoundrel REPLIED "Shut
your mouth, c'iFse you, or FIJI break your
head I" Deaf to the cries of the shrieking wo-
IL, n snd children thus cut 81 rom the res
Gu, .ich Vas near; unmindful Of Che de
mands Of the men to return and save the
helpless ones, the cowardly brute rowed rap
idly to the shore, and, reaching safely pulled
the boat upon the bank and, il is supposed,
fed to the woods. BY its first trip twenty of
the women and children could have been
taken to shore. Using this largs boat after
ward, many Of those struggling in the water. !,
drowning one by enc because help could net
b had, would have been rescued. We have
aecoIats of fifty death by the disaster. Thir-
ty Of them, it is conhdentially asserted, could
have beer sTeIted had this life boat beer put
TO it's proper use.
we are not informed whether the name Of
-stas wretch Is knows. We suppose some one
,,,h, yitnessc.. his couardly act recognized
Iuim. If so, 1t is due to the public, for the
,nonor Of manhood, that hiE name should be
published far and y Iide, that the execration
of the world may follow him to the grave, if
there be no other punis dment possible in his
case. Does any officer Of the boat, or 40
any of those saved know tie man-Lotl'-
.Ale Courier Journal.