Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-06-04


way they were saved. In a fey
minutes all thus imprisoned wer
drowned, and then SWAN to shori
and sent to the city with al speed
The tonnage of the boat was ub0u
nineteen tons, flat bDttofn, scoN
shapen at both ends, aild registered
| to carry 400 passengers. / do no
think we had inorel than 450 on
! board, because there isfot standing
room on the boat for that number
at eight inches space to each person.
The boiler left the deckt before / left
the wheel. The stanclIions from the
main deck were the main supports
of the upper deck. She was well
sanctioned, but there were braces,
and life-saving apparatus for 40o
persons. The boat wsls going up
lslowly, and the syphon and pony
/ pump were both working. / at
1 tribute the disaster to the fact that
| the vessel teaked, because when /
sent the boy down to the engine he
said there was half an erm's length
of water in the hold. I was pray
ing earnestly we might reach the
sand bar, where | intended to
beach her until we could get help.
spoke to the people OH the upper
deck to keep quiet, and they were
tolerably agreeable on the lower
deck. The purser, a son Of Mana
ger Parish, had the greatest difficult
ty. He came up and told me that
there was lot of young fellows be-
low whom it was impossible to
keep quiet. | would have run on
shore, only the bank was SO steep /
knew it was useless, because she
would have turned eutWardS on
striking the bank. The boat was
managed by myself, an engineer
and fireman, two deck hands and
pur5er. She made two trips on Sat
urday, two on Monday and three
yesterday, previous to the disaster.
She now lies in the river with the
top works all broken up. / never
was asked torun the boat ashore, as
was stated by Parish. The people
standing forward of the pilot-house
were obedient to my orders, but
those on the lower deck. would not
mind what we said. They were a
pretty bad crowd.
Mr.. Parish, manager of the COM
pany, states that the accident was
the result of overlooking the YES
sci. He had not been able to ascer-
tain from the number of tickets sold
about the number of passengers
who were on board, but he estimat-
ed them at from 500 to 600. The
vessel, which cost about ST, 900, is |
a total wreck, and good for nothing,
and as the insurance policy covers
the loss by fire only, it Is not appli-
cable in this case.
r, G. Montgomery, leather mer-
chant of this city, one of the passen- |
gers who escaped from the wreck, i
gives version of the disaster that |
differs in some important particulars
from those already published. |
Montgomery says the steamer was |
overloaded. lie was on the |
deck does not know what may
have been going on down on the |
main deck; is sure all the people he |
saw were thoroughly quiet and or
derly. There was no chasing about |
the boat, nor any prankS of any |
kind. AS soon as the boat started, |
however, she proved to be deeply |
listed to the starboard, and paSsen-
gers on the promenade deck were
rauuested to move over to the port |
side. Some of them did so, but still |
the steamer did not straighten up to
my extent. Again passengers were
requested to remove to the port side
though a large majority of those on
he promenade deck were already
over there. At this time he looked
lown the companionway and saw
depth of water on the
main deck, which he then feared
accounted for the extraordinary list
NC of the steamer to starbOard. AT
,verv short turn after this, and only
| moment or so before the disaster,
he CAPTAIN passed through the
,rowd remarking, eff you don't
leep over to that, the port side, you
viii have to swim for it." At this
everal more of the passengers NOV
d over to the port side and the boat
righted, and then listed
heavily to the port side, which was
lot more than forty feet from the
and. Down she went with aston
shing rapidity, and to save them
elves those on the promenade deck
lutched stanchiOns that supported
he awning overhead, but they
mapped like pipe-stems and a mo-
nent later the supports Of the prom
made deck gave way, and the whole
wreck slid down to the port or shore
ide of the hull into the water. |
caught hold of an iron
od or bracket of some kind in the
Wning and holding to this mana
ed to keep his head above water ,
mr. some seconds after the collapsed
romenade deck beneath his feet :
ad gone into the water. His posi-
ion at this time was terrible. Be
DIV the deck, which had sunk from :
nder him, he knew scores were ,
drowning, like rats in a :
old, while the awning to which he 7
yas clinging was rapidly sinking
nd carrying beneath it men, Wo- r
zen and children, whose piteous !
hrieks rent the air. On every side !
lothers with children clinging
bout their necks would beat the :
.ater madly with their hands and !
18th ewes starting from their sock =
Is utter shrek after shrek till the Z
.st half-smothered cry that ended =
, a sickening gurgle told that they n
ae gone down beneath the floor Z
ut even this was not the mnst hor- +
BILE of Montgomery's experience. j
Whilst he still held his head above q
,e water he could feel drowning y
lildren, whose little heads swept 7
nder the water some seconds be- /
re his own, clutching at his legs n
| what he knew were their dying f
rugglea. Drowning mothers grasp q
l him frantically, and piteously y
nplored his help. Montgomery n
,serts that there was no lettering i
. rolling of the steamer from side =
, side. She was listed to the star Q
Dard all the way up the river till 4
Ist at the time of the accident, and :
zen she rolled suddenly to the port d
I'd wentto pieces, just as one would h
weep a house of cards off a table. q
[ontgomery Is of the opinion that q
le upset would not have been at &
nded with half as fatal results had O
le steamer been properly construct fl
|. Many, or perhaps nearly all, b
light have been saved, had it not n
zen that they were swept down by Il
Ie sudden collapse of the flimsy 8,
oper works and hurled in the Il
reck, where strong men and pratt a
Ing children were alike helpless. q
To day this is a city of the dead. n
x.As Ill al !