Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-08-07
THE FLAMES.
The Victims Of the Disaster on the Ohio
River, near Aurora, Indiana
Selfish, COwardly
Negroes.
Fearful Experiences or Two Young
White WOmea-The Shore Cut
or by the Terrible
Riamfs.

CINCINNATI, August 6.-In addition
to those reported lost off the steamer
Pat Rogers yesterday, the following are
believed to have been drowned: Anna
Cook and two children, Simon Gestner,
Cincinnati; wife and child OF DR.. L.
Gibbons, Madison, Indiana; A. M,
Bots, North Carolina; James Smith,
deckhand. T. NJ. Stone, of North Car
olina, was badly burned; also John g.
Hughes, the mate. They arrived in the
city last night.
The greatest misfortune consisted in
the fact that the fire occurred in thar
particular part of the river, for just there
the river was at such a stage that it was
impossible for her to reach the shore
drawing as much water as she did. The
limit of time between the first alarm and
the time when everybody bad left the
boat is said to be twenty minutes. At
this time there was dry land on the star
board side only thirty yards distant, but
for the wall Of flame intervening; ON the
IarboaTd side land was a leng distance off.
The wind was blowing toward the near
est shore and drove the flames in that
direction. Many Of those who got near
est the shore are disfigured for life, the
exposed part of their bodies being ae-
tually roasted by the excessive heat.
One of the most thrilling and miraeu-
lous escapes was that OF Miss l. J. VIII
Iiams, of Louisville. Miss Williams
threw away her valise and extra cloth
ing, secured the services Of a gentleman
in throwing overheard crate of peaches
and leaped in after it with life-pre-
server. When she attempted to cling
to the crate, however, it revolved, and
after being in the water for two terrible
hours, struggling with the refractory
box, she closed her eyes in despair,
when she was drawn into skif by Mr..
Huff, who rendered such signal service
in q dozen other cases.
Miss K0Wden, Of Louisville, jumped
from the boat toward the Indiana shore,
and the hungry tongues Of fame, licking
along the surface Of the water, terribly
burnt her head aud face. She had no
Iife-preserver, aud only secured one end
of a plank by clinging to the pantaloons
leg of a man who swan past her. she
says that while moving through the wa
ter several gSsping, drowning wretches
extended their hands toward her; some
even grasping her hair and tearing out
handfuls in their terror.
The last living object seen on board
the boat was little child, three or four
years Of age, running about and scream
ing with alright, surrounded by the
flames, and its legs, arms and face ex-
posed to the terrible heat.
The negro crew behaved badly, hurry
ing off the boat before there was any
imminent danger, and mOnOp0lizing all
the available means of support. Two
colOTed and one white man rowed away
s.z.l
twenty or thirty people ashore. The
river is being dragged for bodies this
morning, but up to two o'clock this
afternoon only four bodies had been re-
covered by the party dragging the river
at Aurora. One was a barber named
Minor Muntz, and a young lady, sup
posed to be from CovingtOn, Kentucky;
the other two were an unknown man
and woman.
The bodies of Ferdinand Melter, Mrs.
Smith and Miss Cook, Of Madison, In
diana, have been recovered from the
river at the scene of the Pat Rogers dis
aster, near Aurora Further investiga-
ton has shed no additional light on the
origin of the fire, except to dissipate the
suspicion which rested on the negro
man discharged from the boats employ.
The number on board, all told, is sup.
posed to have been from seventy-twO to
seventy-five persons. The exact list
cannot be had. Reports of the lost have
ranged from sixteen to tWenty-eight
people. Probably twenty-five is the
number nearest the fact. The citizens
and passengers do not attach blame to
the captain and other officers. AT all
events, it has not been expressed The
suspense and uncertainty as to the fate
Of the missing has added intensity to
the painful interest felt in the calamity
here. At this time forty-fve persons
are known to have been saved.