The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-07-10

u0VC Aully 0ApIOoscu ilSclls uS IL SuIcs
ly will. the days Of tax resisting and
repudiating demagoguery will have
ended.
The Seawanhaka Disaster.
The burning Of the steamer Sea.
wanhaka. on East River. was one Of
the most hcart.rending disasters re-
corded for many years. The Morgue
was crowded with dead bodies. some
OF which were so badly burned as to
be unacceptable. and q wailing
multitude In search OF missing friends.
Many acts Of heroism and selt.sacri-
fee are recorded, as we'll as many
acts OF ghoulishness and depravity.
The following graphic description OF
the scene the day following the dis.
aster We clip from the World Of June
Goth:
The boatmen on the East River Oh.
posite Wards and Randall's islands
were astir long before daybreak yes
terday patrolling the river in their
skifrs looking for the dead. The re-.
mains OF the steamer were still
smouldering On the suuken meadows
where she had been beached by her
brave commander the night before.
The fire had nearly died out, but
here and there the woodwork Of the
hull, the forward part Of which at
low water was firmly settled ia the
soft mud Of tho meadows, was still
burning. All the upper works Of the
steamer had been burned off and
nothing remained, but the hull, which
blazed away until the tide rose
over 1t and put out the fire in the
coal bunkers forward. The moon
had risen about midnight and ena-
bled the boatmen from the two
islands to patrol Little He'll Gate
and other points Of the river front
and watch for floating bodies and to
see plainly every object on the sur.
face OF the water. At daybreak q
dozen fresh boats put of from vari.
Gus points on the New York and
Long Island shores and made the
best Of their way to the wreck. The
fire was all out, but the iron work
Was still too hot to b. handled, Grad
ually the number OF small boats in.
creased to q hundred or mOre-boats
Of every conceivable design, from
the hOmely tlat.boat to tho neatly.
modelled skin. Nearly every boat
had two occupants. and some had
more. Most OF their occupants were
impelled by curiosity alone. while
some OF the crafts had Il decidedly
suspicious look, and the faces of some
OF the oarsmen would have looked
decidedly better behind the barred
door OF prison. 1t Was low water.
and the bow OF the Seawanhaka was
high and dry on the low beach of the
su0ken MeadOws 1T q point almost
directly opposite the northeastern
extremity Of Ward's Island. The
stern lay floating IN the water. The
hull wac burned off In an irregular
line about two feet from tho water
at the after portion, while for.
ward on the beach nothing but tho
bottom planks were left. The keel.
sons were entirely burned off and
there was nothing to denote where
they had been hut q long spike here
and there. A small part Of the cut.
water was left. Not y vestlge Of the
decks remained. and the rudder.po
was burned of. allowing the rudder
to hang loosely In its place. The
boilers were still In place, and do not
appear to be In any way injured.
The door OF the port boiler was open.
The door OF the other was closed fast.
The smoke.stack still stood, but was
held In position only by the pipe Of
the whistle, which passed through
Its flange. The woodwork support.
ing the walking beam Of the engine
was burned away, and the beaM it.
self was twisted out OF all shape.
The piston rod. which was bent al.
most double just at its entrance to
the cylinder, held the beam In posi-.
ton and rendered It safe for men to
work under It. The hull is covered
with copper and the draught OF wa
ter required IL very light. All around
the hull lay pieces Of the woodwork
which had burned of and tumb|ed
into the water. The port paddle
wheel Was scarcely charred, but the
otetb0ard.wheel was twisted out OF
all shape. On the meadows 10 front
Of the bow Was collection Of small
articles, including toilet utensils.
cafpet.bags and half.burnt clothing.
IN the wreck among tho ashes two
dozen men and boys we're scraping
and digging for valuables and any.
thing else that might como to Light.
One man It was said had found q gold
watch and another Q silver one, but
what they did with them nobody ap.
pexred to know. Besides the people
10 boats there were about fifty on
the shore engaged IN picking up what
they could End. Ono small boy
amused himself by making q collec.
ton OF walking. sticks dropped by
gentlemen who had jumped over
board and selling them for souvenirs
Of the wreck. There were any mum.
Dor Of wharf rats and river thieves
about, ready to steal anything they
could move away. One boat, in
which we're two boys, had pulled off
quite . quantity OF sheathing copper
and displayed It In the bow OF their
boat. The police on the Harlem
River, who were Watching for thieves.
llresJed two mon who had q Quan.
aty OF junk In their boat. It ia
thought that there are more bodies
u tho mud close 20 where the wreck
~ W. Thos. O'Neil,.s boatman.
DoveWo yoanG women clasp each
eeeoeb arms, lump Overheard ma
I'D not 80 them tloo again. 4e 0loo
nv another woman. With . child IN
aer arms jump overheard who never
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