Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-06

OANIANAAlig Os-1IC OpcidlOl al
Aurora, Ind, reports that the steamer Pat
Rogers burned this morning, one mile
below Aurora. About twenty lives were
lost. The particulars are coming in slowly.
About five o'clock this morning several
bales of cotton which formed part Of the
cargo, caught fire, it is supposed from sparks
from the chimneys, and the boat burned to
the waters edge, boat and cargo, the latter
consisting Of cattle, sheep and nOgs, a total
loss. The passenger register and all the
books were lost. The boat was valued at
$4,000, and insured in Cincinnati for
Sj2,"OO and Louisville for 5000. The
value of the cargo is not ascertained.
The Names OF the Lost,
as far as ascertained, are J. r. Stuart and
Mrs. Smith, of Madison, Ind, w. G.. Brown,
OF Cincinnati, son of III. w. Brown, of the
Union Line Transportation Company,
Charles Dittman, pilot, Sherley Snider and
Jacob Light, of the crew.
1920 Il. M.-The following named per
sons are also missing, and supposed TO be
drowned Charles Reesinger, Stoker, Minor,
-. Das.l,e-- arAj savaIal lady rpaSsenpars
names unknown. Mrs. Tuttle and child,
and Harrison, of Ohio, were drowned.
Those known TO be saved are w. K. Jones,
VIM. Hall, of Rising Sun, Ind, Henry
Faust, d. NJ. White, &. b. Plato, Geo. e.
Buchanan, Mrs. j. l.. Williams, Of Louis
vile, Mrs. Eastman, and Miss Sturges, of
Hanover, Ind, and a. NJ. Perine, of Nash
Vile.
The Engineers story.
2P, Mr.. Holmes, the engineer, AZ
rived IN Cincinnati on the noon train, and
was interviewed by Times reporter, and
gives the following account of the burning:
alt was just about O'Clock when just OPP
Dosite LOughery Creek, that flows into the
Ohio river, two miles below Aurora, that
noticed a bright light in some bales of cot
ton in the after part Of the boat. hasten
ed 10 the spot and found the cotton burn
ing rapidly and beyond any possibility of
Immediately eXtinguishing it. haSteued
to the hurricane deck and gave the alarm
TO the pilot that the boat was burning and
told him to run ashore. The pilot at once
turned the boats head to the shore and i'm
mediately she became unmanageable. The
pilot states that he could tnrn the wheel
but the steamer would not answer to her
helm. He thinks
The TiIIer Rope had been Cut.
From this fact it is thought the fire was
the work Of an incendiary. Another theory
is, that one Of the deck passengers, while
smoking, dropped sparks from his pipe into
cotton. When the boat became unmanage-
able she drifted on to a sand bar, and there
grounded. The flames, instead Of spread
ing along the lower deck at once, shot up TO
the cabin and pilot house, and then swept
across the hurricane deck. The passengers
were all aroused and the boats lowered,
and many were carried to the shore, but
Others, in their fright, jumped into the
water, and those who were not drowned
reached a safe landing place after drifting
a long time with the current. There were
nearly hundred people on board, but what
proportion Of this number were actually
lost is not known ar this time, as many re-
ported missing have been seen by some on
the shore after the disaster.
HeaFtrending Scenes.
F.N.-The lost. missing and casualties
by The burning Of the Pat Rogers sum up
az 9 o'clock tonight As follows: Missing
nine saved fOTty-five; known To be lost ten;
nine of the passengers aud 1--WE Of the crew
cannot j. found. Thirty-seven Of the forty
i've saved passengers came from Cincinnati.
Some Of the most seriously injured are
cared for at Aurora, the citizens doing all
they can for the distressed. Tomorrow
the river will be dragged to recover the
bodies of the lost. The living occupies the
care of the citizens today.
River Pirates
in skiffs are lowering around the wreck
picking up what they can tonight. The
boat burned near the shore, the flames en-
velOping the shore side of the vessel. Pas
sengers who jumped over on that side were
nearly all lost. None who used life pre-
servers were known to be lost. Many sank
10y
CIinginG 10 Each Other
in the water. The fire was discovered
about twenty minutes before O'Clock. All
the passengers were asleep. The crew
don't know much about il. Heartlessness
and heroism were displayed in awful con-
tras.. The officers exerted themselves no
bly, to save the passengers. \ man who
claims TO be the last that left the boat saws
the last object he saw was
A Child Three Years Old
beyond his reach, alone, naked, dancing
with pain, CRYING and shouting, the flames
burning it. Not one of the small children
aboard was saved. Two were brought
ashore dead. Four women who were az
saved stood upon the hurricane
deck and shouted till hOarse. implOring a
river pirate 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-Robt. MOOTe-sayS a woman came
to him with child and begged him to
save them. He threw
A Mattress
in the river and told her TO jump on it. A
dozen men seized it. The woman rushed
away trantically. lie thought she was
burned. Capt. DOwd says the officers were
awaked promptly and ran at once to the
rooms Of the passengers and tried to save
them.
The insurance on the boat is, Etna,
5000; American, $500; Farmers and
Kenton, and Louisville Merchants, $500;
Commercial, Eureka and National, 5000
each; Enterprise, $1,000; total $1,000.
4 Black Fiend.
LOUISVILLE. Aug. about two weeks
ago a negro thief was detected by the
Waterman on tie Rogers, who tired at him
with a pistol and missed. This negro
took deck passage on the Rogers
and was heard TO say 10 several negroes
that he would make it hot as hell for that
before the bOas reached Cincin-
natl. The opinion is expressed by one of
the officials of the line here that this negro
set the boat on fire and cut the tiller rope.
BREEDING CAMELs IN NEVADA.