West Feliciana sentinel. (St. Francisville, La.) 1876-1877, 1877-03-31
LOSS OF THE STEAMER GOVERNOR
GARLAND.
TMemphis .4ralanche.1

and Arkansas packet Gov. Car
land turns out to have been more
serious disaster than was at first
reported. The vessel took fire
near 2 o'clock ON the afternoon of
Thursday last. A furious gale Of
wind was blowing at the time, and
in less than FIVE minutes she was
enveIoped in a sheet of flame.
Pilot E. Evans, who was at the
wheel, at once pointed her for the
shore but lodged on sand bar
where the water was three feet deep,
some distance away from the main
bank. The pilot held the boat in
this position unt;! the ch;mneys
were melted by the flames and top
ped over; then he left the pilot
house, and leaped into the water.
Nearly all Of the people on board
had previously jumped overheard
and made the shore in safety.
One, Mr.. w. y. Brent, Of Mud
Lake, Ark, a merchant and men,
Der Of the firm of Brent & Hynum,
was swept away and drowned. He
is supposed to have had a large
sum of money in his possession,
which, Of course, was lost. Mr..
Brent was a gentleman Of integrity
and is highly spoken Of by all who
knew him. He leaves a wife and
two children to mourn his loss.
Two other cabin passengers, be-
sides Mr.. Brent, were found to be
missing after the disaster, and it is
supposed they were also lost, as
nothing has since been heard of
them. The names of the missing
pair could not be ascertained, the
cabin register and the boats books
and papers having all been des~
troyed. The engineer, who ar
rived in the city yesterday by the
steamer Ruth, saved himself by
leaping overheard. He stood al
his post until dr. iven away by the
flames. Capt. Ed. Nowland, the
boats commander, remained upon
the roof of the burning steamer un~
til he was forced to leave by the
flames, with which he was almost
surrounded. Upon reaching the low
er deck Capt. Nowland got into
the river and aided his wife to the
shore. He was compelled to leave
his two children on the deck Of
the burning vessel, and but for the
heroic conduct of one of the hands,
their lives would have been lost
The brave fellow turned back to
save the children, and conveyed
they to shore in safety.
Mr.. Nuckles, one of the boats
clerks, is slightly burned about the
head and ears. He also jumped
into the river and made narrow
escape. Several other persons are
reported scorched, but none are
seriously so All lost their surplus
clothing, only saving what was on
their persons.
Mr.. Elisha Cannon, the bar
keeper of the vessel, lost his gold
watch, having left it in his state
room in his haste to get avs ay.
Between seventy and eighty peo
pie were on board at the time o.
the disaster. These included a
pleasure party on their way down
from Pine Bluff. They had been
induIging in dancing and revelry
and when the cry of fire was sound
ed, the dinner table had just been
cleared from the cabin, preparatory
to resuming the dance. lnstea d
however, of indulging in festival
of pleasure, the passengers aud crew
soon after reaching shore started
through the timber across the coun-
try to the bauks of White River
thirteen miles distant, where they
boarded the steamer Ruth. Ihe
steward aud a part Of the crew
came up from the mouth OF the
AnL-nnsas ON the ThnmnSOn Dean.