Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-14
FIRE AND DEATH.

The steamer Pat Rogers, Running
Between Louisville and Cincinnati,
Burned TO the Waters Edge-Sev-
eraI Persons Find n Watery or
Fiery Death-Interesting Narrative
by One of the Survivors.
At five o'clock on the morning of Aug. 8,
the steamer Pat Rogers, Of the Louisville
Mail Company's line, plying between Louis
vile, KY, and Cincinnati, Ohio, was burned
to the waters edge. The fire originated
from the carelessness of some men who sat
until late at night smoking on deck near II
number of cotton bales. The fire was not
discovered until the steamer was within a
mile of Aurora, Ind, on her way up the
river from Louisville. The scene that ensued
was terrible. Before any material help could
be afforded them the inmates of the ladies'
cabin were surrounded by wall Of
fire from which there was no avenue
of escape The male passengers were par
alyZed by excitement or cowardice, some Of
them fighting like beasts for board or stick
of timber with which to convey their car
casses to the shore, and paid no attention to
the shrieks of the burning women.
DIR. Turpin, of Washington, D. c., who was
one of the passengers, relates how he es-
capped in the whirl and confusion Of
the panic-stricken passengers: He went
forward to the bow, having on only
his shirt and drawers. By the use Of
ropes that were laying near him he let him
self down in the water at point nearest the
shore. The current being swift, he drifted
down half mile or more before he could
effect landing Behind were four or five
others, among them deck hand
floating on a mattress. The doctor, taking
the lead, reached land, followed by the others.
Here he found two or three of the survivors,
while above and below, for stretch of nearly
mile, those saved were gathered in groups,
some partly clothed, others left with only
their night garments on.
The register of the steamer was destroyed.
Fourteen dead bodies had been recovered up
to the 9th, and more than that number were
missing. Among the survivors many are
more or less seriously burned.
Mr.. G. W. Baker, of Cincinnati who was
one of the survivors, furnishes the following
interesting statement:
/ had gone down on the Pat Rogers to
Louisville, and left Louisville on my way back
to Cincinnati Tuesday evening. / was given
the second state-room from the bow on the
port side. went to bed about ten o'clock. l
was awakened early in the morning by hear
ing some one running over the hurricane
deck over my head. The next thingI knew
my roommate, who was occupying the lower
berth, got up, opened the door Into the cabin,
came back, tapped me on the back and told me
the boat was ON fire. This must have been
about fifteen minutes to five O'clock, for my
watch stopped five minutes later when / was
in the water rose at once, opened the door
looking out upon the guards, and saw that the
boat was heading toward the Indiana shore,
Then | returned to my state-rOom, dressed
myself, putting on all my clothes but my
drawers, my shoes and hat, and, with the rest,
took life-preserver. was very cool. / am
naturally exctable, but l knew If saved
myself had got to keep my wits about me.
After was dressed / looked out into the
cabin. could see but very little, for the rear
part of the cabin was full of smoke. ! saw
one lady wearing only her nght-dress running
TO and fro in the cabin utterly fear-stricken,
She was carrying q baby, and kept calling re-
peatedly: Father! Fatherl Whether she
was saved or not don't know. Imay as well
say here that the ladies j saw seemed TO have
lost all presence of mind. | didn't see
any one that had on a life-preserver
Some men who had secured preseryers
had put them on wrong, In their
panic. / then returned TO my state-room,
took my valise and went out upon the guards
j noticed the boat was no longer heading TO-
ward the Indiana shore, but her PROV was
swinging slowly around toward Kentucky
You ask me how far we were then from the
shoreY j couldn't say. II looked mighty
near. We were In the channel, and the cur
rent was setting strongly from the Kentucky
side 10 Indiana. l knew by the turning o.
the boat that either the rudder had beer