The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-06-10
TO THE WATERS EDGE.
STEAMER EXCHANGE BtRSE Ed.
She Catches Fire in the Pilot House
and Is Soon Entirely Consumed
Loss on Boat and Cargo
Estimated at $4,000.
Special Dispatch to the Enquirer.


ST. LOUIS, June Sat about hslf-pas
two o'clock this morning a police oticel
discovered that the pilot house of tht
steamer Exchange was on fire. he s.
once turned in an alarm from the cor
ner of Locust street and the levee. The
engines of the district at once responded
but upoa their arrival the fire had
gained such hesdwsy that it was impos-
sible to obtain control Of it, and in forty
minutes she b1rned to the waters edge.
When the engines arrived the flames
had reached from the pilot house to the
upper deck, where they spread rapidly
toward the rear, and soon the sleeping
apartment OF some parties on the lower
deck was surrounded on three sides by
flames. The cook, middle-aged mulatto
woman, and her husband escaped TO the
rear with scarcely enough clothes on to
hide their nskedless, and as the flames
crowded them they climbed over the
wheels.
The Exchange was large, finely pro-
portioned boat, stern-Wheeler, and was
engaged in the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati
and St. Louis trade, carrying both psssen-
gers and freight. She was owned by W.
7. hughes, OF Cincinnati, and Messrs. L.
T. johnson and George NJ Keyes, OF
Ironton, Ohio, and was built in the
sprlpg OF 1876, at a cost of $4,000. She
arrived from Pittsburgh yesterday with
y splendid load of freight, consisting of
5000 packages of glassware, copper pipe
and sheet-iron, and had only discharged
what cargo she carried on deck. The
damage to cargo will reach $4,000.
partly covered by insurance, but in what
companies could not be ssCertsined. The
north wart-boat of the Keokuk and
Northern Line Packet Company, al
which the Exchange was lying, was
damaged to the extent of $500.
Captain NJ. j. WIkoh, the master, re-
tired at two o'clock, and there was no fire
or sign Of any, and he is of the opinion
that originated some time prior in the
boiler furnace and broke out shortly st-
ter he retired. He stated that he WAS
wslksng around the boat long after mid
night, and he finally retired to rest in
his berth in the texas. The Captain had
his little boy with him, whom he bronght
on the journey for pleasure trip, and
who was sleeping in the same room.
The boy swoke him from his sleep by
crying, Papa, pspa, there is something
on firep He states that he jumped up
and aaw and saw the flames coming up
between the two chimneys through the
hurricane deck. He seized same clothing
without having time TO put IT on, and
made his way with the boy, To the
wharf-bOst, which he reached; but so
narrow was his escape that he appeared
on the wharf in his night apparel. 1t Is
really doubtful, If it had not been for the
little boy awakening him, whether Cap
tain Wikof would not have lost his Iif9
He estimates the value oe the boat at
about fifteen thousand dollars, lie does
not know, but he thinks there is 10 in
surance on her. as her proprietors are in
the habit of dong their own insurance.
The freight, whicn can not be very val
liable, was insured in Pittsburgh office,
for what amount could not be sscertslncd
Men are busily engaged now in getting
out the freight from the hold, as the deck
is burned through. No doubt a great
deal of it is seriously damaged.
The Exchange was built at Browns
vile, Pa, in July, 1870, by Captain j. Il
Rhoads and j. and f. Cook. Her dimen-
sons originally were $50 feet in length,
81 feet beam and feet inches depth OF
hold. In June, 1872, she was heightened
3lt feet. Her machinery was all rev
with the boat. She had three double
flued boilers, sc inches in diameter and
% feet long, two lever engines with cyl
inders IA inches in diameter and 3
feet stroke, and full length cabin.
She was repaired at this city
this spring at cost of $4,000, and
loaded here for Pittsburgh, where - re.
loaded and lett Pittsburgh last week for
st. Louis. She was stern-wheel boat,
and valued at $4,000 and insured in
Cincinnati offices for IS GOO. Her owners
were Gus h. Honshell, OF this city, thir-
Mrs. George ". Keys,
of Ironton, fve-.wentieths; Captain T.
T. johnson, of Ironton, two-twentieths.
At the time of her burning, the E1-
change was in commsDd of Captain Miit.
Wikof, with Captain George A, Knight
as clerk. Captain Wash. Honshell, her
principal owner, and Captain George w.
Nesre, the underwriters agent, left for
St. Louis last night.