The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-06-01

nfteen or twenty went on the boat. Alter
we started anumber,of the people on the
lower deck began singing and moving
around. Presently / noticed a slightly diff
ferent action on the boat. Being unable to
leave my post at the wheel, l sent a boy
down to the engineer TO ascertain If there
was any danger. She was listing some TO
the starboard, AMI as / was getting more
anxious, / sent a boy down again. He re-
turned with word from the engineer that
unless we could straighten the boat there
was danger. / was looking forward 10 a
sandbar about 200 yards ahead, on which /
intended to beach the boat. That was my
determination, because / was beginning TO
get anxious. Just then a couple of row.
boats came alongside, the occupants of
which were racing, and the crowd rushed TO
the side of the boat to see them. The en-
gineer then sent up word that we had better
try and get the crowd TO go aft, because
made a rush to the port side, and as they
did so the vessel just took a lurch and went
port bow down. Then the boiler shifted
from its position and went through
the side. / believe the vessel would
have recovered herself only for the boiler
going over, and as it went it carried away
the main deck, and that let down the tor
deck with the Grove above. There were
not 100 people on the lower deck. because
the space below is largely taken up with the
boiler and machinery. The aft part of the
boat went down, but the fore part came t.
the surface, and the boat was spread about
six feet apart. The result was that many of
the passengers were imprisoned between the
water and top deck which came down above
them, but they had a breathing space of a
foot or so, which would have saved many
had not the others persisted in climbing on
the floating deck, thus crushing it down and
~smothering those underneath. ! rescued
one man n had been under this deck for
four minute before il ven down, and | did
all | could 10 prevent the people from climb
ing on il. A great number had the presence
of mind to swim out from under the deck at
the side or end, and in this way were saved.
In a few minutes all thus imprisoned were
drowned, and then / swan to the shore and
sent to the city with all speed. The tonnage
of the boat was about nineteen tons, flat
bottom, scow-shaped at both ends and regis
tered TO carry 400 passengers. / don't him
we had more than $50 on board, because
there is not standing room on the boat for
that number at eight inches space to each
person. The boiler left the deck before l
left the wheel. The stanchions from the
main deck were the main supports of the
upper deck. She was we'll sanctioned, but
there were braces. Had left the saving APP
paratus for 400 persons. The boat was going
up slowly, and the syphon and pony pump
were both working. | attribute the disaster
to the fact that the vessel leaked. because
when | sent the boy down the engineer said
there was half an arms length of water in
the hold. L was praying earnestly
that we might reach the sand
bar, where 1 intended to beach her
until We could get help. | spoke TO
the people on the upper deck to keep quiet
and they were tolerably agreeable: on the
lower deck the Purser, a son of Manager
Parish, had the greatest difficulty. He came
up and told me there was a lot of young fell
lows below whom it was impossible TO keep
quiet. / would have run. on shore only the
bank was so steep and knew it was useless,
because she would have turned outward on
touching the bank. The boat was managed
by myself, an engineer, fireman, two deck
hands and the Purser. She made two trips
on Saturday, two on Monday and three yes
terday previous to the disaster. She now
lies in the river with her top works all
broken up. / never was asked to run 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 was
said. They were a pretty bad crowd"
Mr.. Parish, the Manager of the Company,
states the accident was the result of over
loading the vessel. He had not been able
TO ascertain from the number of tickets sold
about the number of passengers on board.
but he estimated them at from 500 TO 600.
The vessel, which cost about ST., 900, is q
total wreck and good for nothing, and as
the insurance policy covers the loss by fire
only, it is not applicable to this case.
ANOTHER VERSION.
r. G. Montgomery, a leather merchant of
this city, n of the passengers who escaped
from the wreck, gives a version of the disaS-
ter that differs in some important partic-
ulars from those already published. Mont
gOmery says the steamer was greatly over
losded. He was on the promenade deck;
does not know what may nave been going
on dow on the main deck, but is sure that
all the people he saw were thoroughly quiet
and orderly There was 10 chasing about
the boat nor pranks of any kind. AS soon
as the boat started, however, she proved TO
be deeply listed to the starboard, and the
passengers on the promenade deck were re-
quested to move over to the port side. Some
then did so, but still the steamer did not
straighten up to any perceptlble extent.
Again the passengers were requested to move
over to the port side, though a large major
ity of those on the promenade deck were
already over there. At this time he looked
down the cOmpanion-way and saw consider
able depth of water on the main deck,
| which. as he then feared, accounted for the
extraordinary listing of the steamer to the
| StarDOaT0. n very SNORT TIME dItef tnIS, anu
only q momen or so before the disaster, the
Captain passed through the crowd, remark
ing: 'If you don't keep over to that (the
port) side, you will have
TO SWIM FOR IT."
At this several more of the passengers
moved over to the port side, and the boat
suddenly righted, and then listed heavily
on the port side. which was not more than
forty feet from the bank. Down she went
with astonishing rapidity, and to save them
selves those on the promenade ciutched the
s~tanchiOns that Supported the awning over.
head, but they snapped like pipe-stems, and
a second later the supports of the promenade
deck gave way and the whole wreck slid
down to the port or shore side of the hull
int the water. Montgomery caught hold
of an iron rod or bracket of some kind in
the awning, and, holding to this, managed
10 keep his read above water for some sec
onds after the collapsed promenade deck
beneath his feet had gone into the waser
His position at this time was terrible Be
low the deck, which had sunk from under
him, he knew scores were perishing, and
drowning
LIKE RATS IN A HOLE,
while the awning, TO which he was clinEing
was rapidly sinking, and burying beneath il
men, women and children, whose pSseou:
shrieks rent the air on every side. Mothers
with children clinging about their Deeks
would beat the water madly with tbeil
hands, and, with ewes starting froSa thC