The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-18
STEAMBOAT DISASTER.
The Steamer VIM. s. Pike Burned
at the Landing.
Several Lives Supposed to be Lost.
Loss About $6S,OOO.


near the head of Canal street
The flames spread so rapidly that it was
impossible to go on board the boat to render
any assistance. Her stern swinging around,
struck the Canal street ferry landing which
Immediately caught fire, and also the wharf
where the burning steamer was made fast.
The Harbor police were compelled to remove
their books, papers, valuables and telegraph
instrument from the station to secure place
on the levee, as the station was liable to take
fire at any moment.
Two men, one named John O'Brien, pas
senger from Baton Rouge, the other unknown,
were severely burned about the body, and the
former had his right leg broken. He was re-
moved to the Charity Hospital in butcher
wagon rendered by Mr.. Dominick Laroy.
Several cab drivers were called upon to assist,
but it is said, they all refused to lend help
ing hand to those in distress The other man,
whose name could not be ascertained, was Sc
verely bnrned about the head and body and
was removed to the hospital on stretehsr
by the police.
The Pike arrived at her landing at a quarter
to o'clock P. ~, and was laden with
cotton, cotton seed, molasses and sugar.
The following is the manifest of her cargo,
which was almost entirely destroyed:
lao bales cotton to Lehman, A braham &
Co., 1873 Meyer. Weis & Co., 1872 Norwood l.
Richards, 1877 J L Harris & Co, 81 A. Levi,
n Clapp Bros. & Co., 81 S Gumbel Il Co.,
SO McGehee, Snowden & Violet, 80 T, NJ.
Simmons, 20 Richard Flower & Co., "a Alcus.
Scherck Il Autey, % Bush Il Leyert, 20 Prit-
chard Il Bickham. Is H. q G. Newman, IL
J. W. Burbridge Co.. 8 ]. Chafs & Sons,
7 Ben Gerson, Wyche Il Morgan, 6 L.
Bloom & Co., Chas. Gallagher, 6
Lanaux & Son, W. E. Hall, S
Richardson & May, Temple S. Coons & Co.,
4 Nalle & Cammack, Adams & Cockburn, 3
I. L. Airey & Co. 2 Chism & Boyd, LANCE
& Legendre, l John 1. Noble, l Renshaw,
Cammack & Co., Is sacks seed cotton Beraud
& Gilbert, 925 sacks cotton seed New Orleans
Cotton Seed Association, 2 hogsheads sugar
Bush & Levert, do. and l barrel molasses
John I. Adams & Co., 16 Katz & Barnett, 8
Richard Flower 4 Co., so L F. Berje, II
Chsm & Boyd, 3 do. and So hogsheads sugar
E. J. Gay & Co., Is do. and 4S barrels mo-
lasses Clapp Bros & Co., 76 do and % hogs
heads sugar Vairin & Mortimer, Is barrels
molasses E. Bourgeois, sc do. and 16 hogs
heads sugar p. Maspero & Co., 16 Nv.
Groebel, IA E. J. Hart & Co., 10 E.
N. Montardier, 6 do. V. II Bernard, "a do,
IS bbls. molssses Richard Miiliken, sc do. II
hhds. sugar JAS. A. Ware. 20 do. j. W. Bur
bridge & Co., - bbls molasses, half bbls.
do. Avendano Bros, Is bbls. do. S. Gumbel
Il Co., 100 do, A hhd5. sugar E. c. Palmer
& Co., "a do. l.. d. Sarpy, II do, IL bbls.
molasses Lanaux & Son. half bbls. sugar G.
A. Lanaux, Dbl. tallow Lehman, Goud-
chaux g. Co., sacks rough rice j. Forester, 3
packages hides N. D. Wetmore, bag hides
A. Coycault, Is bales moss Oiel & Wright,
2 kegs molasses Avendano Bros, bbl. sugar
E. G. Palmer & Co. Total 997 bales cotton,
925 sacks cotton seed Is sacks seed cotton,
208 hhds. sugar, 593 bbls. molasses, halt
bbls. do.
One hundred and sixty bales Of cotton were
removed from the boat medstely after she
landed, and the rest of the freight was on
board when she caught fire.
It can not as yet be ascertained whether
there are any lives lost or not, but it is feared
that Mr.. Bonnie, the third clerk or the boat,
is lost, as he is rs yet missing.
The tugboat Aspinwall came to the assist
anoe of the Tyler, that was up to her a
few minutes after the fire, as did also the
entire fire department. but were I'M
able to check the devouring flames, which
had by this time completely covered the boat.
l.
which her hull sank, leaving numerous bales
of cotton floating on the surface of the water.
The Canal street ferry landing Was consid-
erably damaged, and portion of the wharf
where the Pike landed
Some of the outside piles under the station
house caught fire, but were extinguished by
the police.
The steamboat Rapides which was at the
time lying next to the Pike, was slightly
damaged by fire about the upper works in the
after part of the boat.
The Pike was built at Jacksonville, Ind,
six years ago, and was irst.class side-wheel
passenger steamer, and has been running
during this time in the Bayou Sara and Coast
Capt John J. Brown. The boat originally
cost 100000. The cargo was valued al fully
500, 600.
Several of the deck hands on the boat are
missing, and it is thought that they jumped
overheard in order to keep from being
burned. and were drowned.
A boy named John Burchant, aged 16
years, a native of New Albany, Indiana. was
found at the corner of Camp and Gravier
streets, suffering from wounds received at
the fire on board the steamboat W. S. Pike,
and sent to the Hospital
Thomas Bird, snephew of Mr.. W. Won
HQuI, arrived uSI6 Oh tuo ms
night and spent the evening at the Academy
of Music. After the performance was over it
WAS too late to 60 home and he went back to
the boat, since which time be has not been
seen or heard from. The supposition is that
he was lost
Mr.. VIM. ODonnell, the Waterman on the
Pike, states that he went on duty at 8 o'clock
Thursday hight, with an extra man to assist
him in watching the boat. Nothing took
place until about l o'clock in the morning
when he discovered the deck leaking, and got
two of the strikers up and made them pump
her out.
They got through work at o'clock, after
which he walked around the boat
and found everything right, and no
smell or appearance of fire anywhere
man named O'Brieu, a deck pas
senger and two roustabouts we're asleep on
the cotton when he made the round. An
hour afterwards the man that was with him
on duty suddenly cried out, "The boats on
fire !" He looked around and saw the flames