The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-08-20
The Steamboat Disaster on the Ohio
River.

line operator at Aurora, Ind, reports
that the steamer Pat Rogers was burned
this morning on the Ohio River, one mile
below Aurora, and about twenty lives
were lost, principally ladies.
The boat burned near the shore, the
flames enveloping the shore side of the
vessel. Passengers who jumped over
on that side were nearly all lost
or badly burned. None who used life
preservers are known to be lost, and two
ladies were saved without the use of
preservers. Many sank by clinging to
each other in the water.
The scene of the wreck is thirty miles
from here by river, and was above
Laughery Creek and q short distance
below Aurora, Ind. The fire was
discovered about twenty minutes before
five O'Clock. All the passengers were
asleep. The crew don't know much
about it. Heartlessness and heroism
were displayed in awful contrast. The
officers exerted themselves nObly to save
the passengers. A man who claims to
have been the last to leave the boat says
the last object he saw was child three
years old, beyond his reach, alone, naked,
dancing with pain, crying and shouting.
The flames burned it. Not one of the
OLA CAA0A VuuuICu 0UUBIu WAS SaVCU
Two were brought ashore dead. Four
women, who were afterward saved, stood
on the hurricane deck and shouted till
hoarse, imploring the river pirate on the
Kentucky shore to come over and
help, but he refused. A brave
man came down the river later barely in
time to save them At his own great peril
One young man, Robert ]. Moore, says q
woman copno IN him ~r,s%1, a c1,s1l
begged him to save them. He threw q
mattress into the river. He told her to
jump. Half a dozen men seized the
mattress, and the woman rushed away
half-frantic, bewildered. They lost sight
of her. She is thought to be burned
with her baby.
Capt. Davis says the officers were
wakened promptly, and ran ut once to
the rooms of the passengers.
Mr.. Holmes, the engineer of the
steamer, arrived in Cincinnati on the
noon train, and was interviewed by q
Cincinnati reporter. He gives the fol.
lowing account of the burning of the
steamer:
ut was just about six O'Clock, when
just opposite Laughery Creek, that flows
into the Ohio River o short distance be-
low Aurora, that noticed bright light
among some bales of cotton in the after
part of the boat. fastened to the spot
and found it to be burning rapidly, and
beyond any possibility of immediately
extinguishing it. Ihastened 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 Immediately she became unmanage
able. The pilot stated that he could
turn the wheel, but the steamer would
not answer to her helm. He thinks the
tillcr-rope had been cut. From this fact
| 1t is thought that the fire was the work
of an incendfary. Another theory is that
one OF the deck-passengers, while smok.
ing, dropped sparks from his pipe into
the cotton. When the boat became un.
manageable she drifted on a sand-b a:
| and there grounded. The flames, instead
of spreading along the lower deck, al
once shot up to the cabin and pilot
house, and then swept across the
hurricane deck. The passengers
were all aroused, and the. boats
were lowered and many were car
ried to the shore, but others, in thei.
fright, jumped into the water, and those
who were not drowned reached q safe
landing-place after drifting long time
with the current. There were nearly 1O(
people on board, but what proportion Of
this number were actually lost is no,
known at this time, as many reported
missing have been seen by some on shore
since the disaster"
The boat and cargo, consisting of cat
tie, sheep and hogs, are total loss.
Tie passenger register and all thu
books were lost.