Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-01-15
SAVING HIS FUTURE WIFE

: The Sequel to q Terrible Steambos
Diaster- The Burning of theStont
wall Eleven Years Ago---A Me-
Orleans Salesman's Bravery--Fir
ding and Marrying the Woma
Whose Life He Saved.
James Fry, young man VIII
was travelling as an agent for
New Orleans mercantile house
took passage for that city at 81
Louis on October 20, 1869, ol
the steamer Stonewall. Their
were about two hundred passen
gers on the steamer from various
points along the river. Th'
Stonewall had about three hun
dred tons of baled hay on board
many cattle and horses, and ;
large quantity of kerosene in til
cans. Among the deck passen
gers were several Italians,a "a rough
lot Of men, who passed the time
in carousing and playing cards
About half-past seven O'Clock
on the evening of October 27tl
the steamer was 125 miles south
of St. Louis, and within two
miles of Neeley's Landing. A
group of half-drunken Italians
were playing cards by the light
of a candle which one of the
party was holding. A dispute
of some kind arose over the
game, and the man who held the
candle placed it on bale of hay
while he joined in the quarrel.
The candle was knocked over,
and in an instant the hay was IN
flames. The fire rapidly spread
among other bales, and in a very
short time was beyond all con-
troll. Both crew and passengers
were seized with the widest pam
ic. The pilot ran the vessel up
on q bar, between which and the
shore he believed the water was
not beyond the depth of any on
board. As the steamer ground
ed scores of passengers leaped
into the water, which, instead Of
being shallow, proved to be of
great depth. A large proportion
of those on board were women.
A few only of the passengers
clung to the steamer, in hope that
aid would reach them before the
fire forced them to take their last
chance in the river. Among
these were a family of three per-
sons-evidently father, mother
and daughter, the latter a girl
of about ffteen-young Fry and
a young lady, apparently seven
teen or eighteen years old. Of
all who had jumped into the riv-
er the light of the burning YES
sci showed only one here and
there struggling in the water, or
swimming away, the river hav-
ing closed over the rest. Those
who remained on the deck hasti-
ly rolled overheard several bales
of hay which the fire had not yet
reached, to be seized, if possible,
if they were compelled to take
to the water. The main spar
was burned down, and fell into
the river before the fire drove
the last person from the steamer.
The flames at last wrapped the
entire vessel about, and the pas
who were huddled to-
gether about the guards were
forced to jump. The family |
mentioned above sprang into the
er,clasping each others hand.
Fry and the other young lady |
followed them. Fry was good
swimmer, and reached the spar.
AS he grasped it the young lady
who had jumped with him came
to the surface near him. He
seized her and helped her to the
floating timber. The girl who
had disappeared with her father
and mother also came up within
a short distance, and Fry at once
went to her aid. He succeeded
in assisting her to the spar. She
never saw her father and mother
again.
Struggling in the river, Fry
could see by the light of the
burning vessel, which penetrated
the gloom for a great distance,
fifty persons. The ter
ror of the scene was heightened
by the shrieks of drowning per-
sons, and frightful cries of horses
and cattle that were roasting in
the steamer. Cans Of kerosene
in bursting scattered their con-
tents around on the river, and
those battling for life
in the water to a new danger.
The flaming oil foated about on
the stream, and drove from one
of the bales of hay that had been
thrown overheard three men who
had been supporting themselves
on it. When this occurred, young
Fry, whose knowledge of swim
ming enabled him to easily keep
afloat, and to render assistance
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