The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-11-04

from the cabin Of the steamer Bismarck,
and In less than twenty minutes tbereaf--
ter, nothing but the blazingan smoking
ruins OF that magnificent steamer could
be seen.
The Bismarck, at the time the fire broke
out, was lying Just under the south wall
OIL the Arsenal, where she has been wait
Ing her tnrn according to the present
pool system OF loading The St Louis and
New Orleans steamers, and was 10 leave
torNcw Orlcansa week from tomorrow,
THIS MORNING Inf f-
q fire was built under the "nigger' boil.
CT situated OH The starb0ard side of the
boat. This was made necessary as Capt.
Spane, the master OF the Bismarck, had
received orders from the authorities at
the Arsenal ~ move the vessel away
from the front OF the Arsenal, and this
could not be done with safety without
working the capS,an. The work OF drop.
ping down in front OF the Arsenal
10 point some fifty feet below was sue
cessiully accomplished and the lire al
lowed to'remain under he"nlgger' boiler
to die out OF itself.
b This was the only lire burning on the
boat, and this on the main deck at the
time the boat was discovered TO be in
flames; and as all the reports as 10 the
origin OF the coniiagration agree that the
fire originated in the cabin, it is hardly
possible that the flames could have start
cd from this source.
THE ALARM
was turned on as soon as it could be
reached, and engines Nos. 3, Il and IT,,
responded promptly, but too late to be of
any service. The wind was blowing at a
terrific rate, and hardly had that tanner
Of lame touched the little blaze that was
first seen tucking its head out of the cabin
window, when with almost Simultaneous
rush OF flames, wind and smoke the up
per portion Of the boat was blazing
Undertook from stem to stern. At the
time the fire broke out there wore some
twenty wOrkmen, principally ship car.
pentcrs and painters, employed on the
Bismarck, getting her in readiness for
IlcE uCAl mp soutH.
CAPT. JOHN sPANE
was on board experimenting the i'm.
proyements which was being conduct ted
in the vicinity of the wheel house. Upon
realizing that tie boat was on fire he
made rush for the office for the purpose
of securing what books and papers he
could lay his hands on, but the smoke
and flames had already taken control of
the situation, and, almost snfocated he
reiinqulsLcd The project. A portion Of
the books Of the boat are safe in the hands
Of the fret clerk, Dan Hewitt, at his
rooms In the city.
The Bismarck was owned by the Bis
marck Transportation Company, Capt
John Spane holding controlling inter-
est in her. She was Differed as follows:
Capt. John SDane. master; Dan Hewitt,
first clerk; Robert Hull, second clerk;
Henry Lucas, bill clerk, ....-,
THE BISMARCK ta
was built in St. Louis in the year 1867 by
VIM. Mcpherson, at cost of 500, 600,
and was considered one OF the finest
boats In the st. Louis and New Orleans
trade.
Her dimensions were as follows:
Length, PSI feet; breadth, Az feet; hold,
0 feet, and drew 3 feet of water--light.
She was well fitted out, possessinga pal
atial cabin. ..'
Yesterday she would have brought
$40. 600 in the steamboat market, to day
she is total loss. The Bismark was
insured entirely in Cincinnati companies.