The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-03-31
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
A Western Steamer Burned While
Making Landing.
OVER THIRTY PEOPLE DROWNED OR
BURNED.
A Worthy Rival Of "Jim Bludso" al
Her Throttle Valve.

MEMPHIS, March 80 Steamer Golden City,
when approaching the wharf this morning,
at 4, 80 O'Clock, was discovered on fire by the
second engineer, and the boats bow was at
once headed for the shore, and In four minutes
afterward she touched the wharf at the foot OF
Beal street. where a coal fleet is moored. A
line was made fast to one of the coal barges,
bat the current being swift it soon parted, and
the burning steamer foated down the river
with many of the passengers and crew aboard,
who were unable to reach the shore, and were
lost.
The Golden City left New Orleans Saturday,
enroute to Cincinnati She carried crew o
about 30. She had 40 cabin passengers, 10 OF
whom were ladies and children. Her cargo
of jnte and the fire is said to have had its ORR
gin in this material. Among those known to
nave been lost are DIR. Monahan and wife Of
jackson, Ohio; Mrs. Crary and Miss Lulu
Crazy of Cincinnati; w. n. Stowe, wife and
two children; Allis Wood and wife OF Hender-
Miss Campbell, Mrs. Helen Percival, Mrs. L.
E. Kenney and three children. The books of
the steamer were lost, SO it is impossible to
gather a complete list of the lost and saved.
engineer, Robert Kelly, escaped. He first dis
covered the fire, gave the alarm, and remained
at his post until cut off by the flames. The fire
spread like lightning and he sacrificed his life
to save others.
The saved, SO far as known, are, Capt Nc
Intire; LIST clerk, W. F. McIntire; I'd clerk,
James Wirthlin; Sd clerk, Frank Stern; mate,
D. Dondurant, pilots, Marion PurceH and
Joseph PURCELL first engineer, Mike Kelley;
Miss Maston, William McNeally of Howes-
vile. KY; James Myers OF New Orleans;
Charles Ross and e. G. Underwood, of ST..
Louis, ii. B. Howell of Philadelphia. Robert
| E. Ellbrick, treasurer of Stoves circus. John
III. Trewalla, business agent; Burt Stowe,
brother to the proprietor; Frank Stowe. James
Surft, John Filbert, John Mullan, ]. @. Kem-
pell, John G. Glenboy. James Bloomfield.
| James Burke-all members of Stowe g circus;
w. c. Jewe.t, of Point Pleasant, w. Va; Geo.
W. Green, of Richmond, Ohio; A. b. Vett ch.
of Evansville, Ind; r. III. Chittenden, Of
GAINESVILLE, KY; W: H. Carruthers and j. b.
Jordan, of Ripley, Tenn.
Nearly all of the cabin and deck crew Of the
steamer saved themselves Stoves circus was
taken on board at Vidalis Louisiana, and six
cages of animals and birds, together with the
ticket and band wagons, tents and horses were
lost
Marion Purcell, one of the pilots, was in the
clerks Office when the alarm first sounded, and
he rushed through the cabin, bursting In the
stateroom doors and awakening the passengers
So rapidly did the flames spread, that within
five minutes after discovering the tre, which
broke out amidships, the after part OF the
steamer was all ablaze. Those who were
saved were merely in their night clothes.
| When the burning steamer touched the wharf
| fire communicated to a coal barge and the tug
| Oriole, which were also burned.
SECOND DEsPATCH.]
MEMPHIS, March 30.-As near as can be as
certained there were % ladies aboard, who are
lost, but at present no additional news can be
learned. Robert Kelly, second engineer, and
three roustabouts are the only ones OF the
boats crew known to be lost. A passenger
named Bloomfield was saved. The fire was
caused by the Waterman accidentally setting
fire to lot Of iute stored amidships. Tho
steamer had just whistled to land, and the
Waterman went among the deck passengers to
notify them that Memphis was being APP
preached, and those that were destined for
there must get ashore. when the bottom OF his
lamp dropped in some iute, and before the
flames could be extinguished they had spread
all over the deck of the steamer. The tug
Oriole did not burn as at first reported, but
was sunk by the burning steamer in making a
landing. Seven coal barges and an ice boat
caught fire aud burned. All the passengers
and crew were kindly cared for by @. B. Gallo
way, of the Peabody Hotel, who provided
them with breakfast.
Two negro deck hands and q white deck
passenger were killed when the tug was struck
as they were caught between the bow OF the
boat and the side of the tug. Anna Boyd, the
both lost M. j. Wheelan, the baker, says
that as he jumped overheard from the stern of
the steamer, as she foated down the stream,
there were about ten men on the fan tail OF
the boat, who must have been drowned, as
| when he leaped into the river he saw three
men go overheard and drown, and the others
must have shared the same fate. The body of
| an elderly white woman was. found floating
near the wreck, but her identity is not yet
proven. Those mentioned as being at the hos
pltal were all injured by burns, but not se-
riously. The passengers lost their clothing.
MEMPHIS, March 30.-An inquest is in pro-
gress over the remains of the dead woman
found to-day near the wreck, thought to be
Mrs. Anna Smith of Massachusetts. An adj
journment was taken until tomorrow morn
ing. Wash Smith, the colored captain OF the
watch, was sent to Jail this afternoon on q
warrant charging him with murder, through
his carelessness in causing fire in the steamer.
A diver will try tomorrow to recover the bod
les supposed 10 be in the wreck.
CINCINNATI. March 30.-The Golden City
was one of the best equipped steamers plying
between Cincinnati and New Orleans, and the
government inspectors say she was extraordi-
narily well supplied with every modern appli-
ance calculated to avert the calamity which
has befalen her. She was ZIG ID feet long, 40
feet beam, and feet inches deep in the hold,
and measured GIL tons, but had q carrying ca
pacity of 300 tons.