The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-05-06
Disaster in New Orleans Terrible Loss Of

New York, April PA special dispatch
from New Orleans says, in regard to the fire
there yesterday: Albert Myrick the Waterman
Of the Rodfnan, who was saved with the cap
tain, reports about twenty-five or thirty Wom-
ell and children as lost upon that boat, and
the same proportion We're estimated by specta-
tors to have been among the frantic crowd up
on the Exporters forecastle. About twenty
of the rescued, among whom are several ladies,
were provided for upon the steamboat Louis
vile. Some of the rescued are badly burned.
1t will BIZ very difficult to ascertain the names
of all the lost. Among them We're
spectators from shore, w..o Went aboard
the burning boat to assist iii putting out the
fire. Ere they could return they found Them
selves out in the stream enyeloped i'll flames.
One case of heroism is reported. Two wo-
men, who srrang overheard, succeeded in
grasping a ring bolt upon the hull Of the EX-
porter were partly sheltered by the guards Of
the boat, they clulig for about fifteen minutes,
in full view of the shore. In the meanwhile
three skiifs made repeated bat Intellectual at
tempts to reach them. being each time driven
brack by the intense heat OF the flames. just
as the hundreds OF breathless spectators were
upon the point Of abandoning hope, long,
lead colored skif, with q single rover, APP
preached and dashed into their aid. In a few
minutes it emerged in safety, having succeed
ed i'll rescuing both from watery graves. This
gallant action was rewarded with a spontane-
Gus cheer from the crowd lining the river bank.
The latest estimates reduce the loss to about
fifty souls. The burning hull OF the Exporter
is now being towed the river BY tug-boat.
1t now appears that all three boats were tied
to the same ringbolt upon the levee, and that
on endeavoiing to cut the Kyle's mornings, all
three were unfortunately severed at the same
time. The river makes a rapid eddy at that
spot and they are at once (lrifted out together,
thus communicating the fire to each ether
The tugboats Ella Wood Nellie and Dome,
and another, were III the immediate neighbour
hood The two former. it is said, lost both time
and opportunity for saving life i'll vain en-
deayor to extinguish the fires by throwing wa
ter upon the burning boats. An eye witness
to the catastrophe, an old merchant, says he
arrived OIL the levee just as the boats had drift
ed out. The forecastles of the Rodman and
Exporter were then crowded With people, who
just at that moment seemed for the first time
to realize their danger, and became panic
stricken. In a short time he saw over one hum
dred people struggling in the water. Some
jumped over with their trunks, others with bar
rels and pieces of freight. The skifs, of which
some half dozen had been attracted to the spot,
Immediately dashed in and commenced rescu-
ing these people. There was lamentable
want OF order in managing the tugboats, Other
wise, in his opinion. many more might have
been saved. One Of the boats had on board a
quantity OF oil, which fioated in flames upon
the surface Of the water around the struggling
victims, and thus added tcnfod to the horrors
of the scene. Many of the rescued are severe
~ burned about the head, and no t.oubt it pre-
cpitated many into the jaws OF death. :
Information received later than the above
says: Owing to the fact OF numbers of people
running on boats at the first alarm Of fire. it
will be some time before the full extent Of the
,ItS
Inmates now place them between thirty and
forty.
Among the persons who lost their lives by
the burning of the steamers were the following:
On Exporter, Miss Belle Mllsgrove and 4
daughter OF Capt. ReesA, Of Pittsburg. On
Charles Rodmann, Joseph Case, Of NeWpart,
KY, First Engineer, John Fcrrand, Of New
port, KY, Secon Engineer, Allied Goodpas-
turc, head cook from Cincinnati, Mrs. BARLEY
and Mrs. Brent. cl,amberm aids OF New Rich
mond, Ohio; Bill Akers, dick hand, Cincili-
natl; several co!orcd cabin boys and deck
hands whose names have net yet been ascer-
tained When the JOIN. Kyle was discovered
OH fire many persons from shore rushed on
board the Rodmann and Exporter q get Il bet
ter view of the burning steamer, aud were still
OIL board when the vessels were set a,lrift. 1t
is supposed that quite number of shore peo-
pie were lost.
james Thomas, Sam Crutchtied, Rev. Can
field, Bill Sakers, all roasted out Andy Ed
wards, Geo. Edwards, John Robinson, Caleb
Charles, fireman, of Cincinnati. Several deck
passengers have not been seen since the tlisss-
ter. On the Exporter, Ellen Graves. chamber
maid, James Mahoney, head cook, Julius Lett,
cabin boy, Bill Johnson, fireman.
LATER.
NEW ORLEANS, April 2l.-Mr Granalin, of
Nashville, Indiana, ON his way FROM Texas
The daughter of D. Grosllear, aged fourteen, of
Florence, Ky. j. Ii. Ellison, Of Richmond.
Indiana. Many of the rescued were slightly
and some of them severely burned, but hone Of
them dangerously, except MIR. Brown. clerk of
the Kyle, who is doing well to-day. The
steamboat men and passengers on board the
steamers lost their baggage, clothing. etc. A
porter on board the Kyle was also lost.
A $3.50 audience abused the play at u Chi
cago theatre recently