The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-04-06
Tho Engineer q the Nl-iated Steamer Sac
rifices Els Own Life In Attempting to
Save the Lives Of Others.
A CIRCUS DESTROYED.

+ MEMPHIS, March 30-The Cincin-
natl and New Orleans packet Golden
City, en- route from New Orleans to
Cincinnati, burned at her wharf this
morning at 4:30 o'clock. Between
thirty and fifty lives were lost, prin.
cipally women aud children. The
fire was discovered by Second En-
gineer Albert Kelly who imme-
diately notified Capt. Brice Purcell,
Sr., the pilot on watch. The boats
bow was at once headed tor the shore
and in few minutes afterward she
touched the. wharf at the foot of
Beale street. yt % coal fleet is
moofed. hea hastily thrown
out and made fact to one of the coal
barges, but the current being swift
it soon parted, and the burning
steamer floated on down the river a
mass of flames,s with many of her
passengers and crew on board, who
were unable to reach the shore, and
were lost.
The Golden City left New Orleans
last Saturday, en-. route To Cincin-
natl. She carried q crew of about
sixty. She had on board forty cab
in passengers, fifteen of whom were
ladies, and there were nine children.
Her cargo consisted of 800, among
which was was lot of jute. The
fire is said to have osSSisinated in this
combustible material.
Among those known toNhave been
lost are DR.. Monahan and zsyife, OF
Jackson, Ohio; Mrs. Crazy and Miss
Lulu Crazy, of Cincinnati; w. H
Stowe, wife and children, Ollie
Wood and wife, Of Henderson, Ken.
lucky, Mrs. Anna Smith, of Massa
chusetts, Miss Campbell, Mrs. Helen
Peruval, Mrs. Kounssand three chill
dren. The books of the steamer
were lost, SO it is impossible to get
a complete1ist of the lost and saved
All the officers of the steamer except
second engineer Robert Kelly, es-
capped. After he gave the alarm Of
fire he remained at his post of duty
until cut of by the flames. the fire
having spread with lightning rapid
lily, and thus he sacrificed his life
to save others.
The fire was caused by the watch
man accidentally setting fire to q
lot of jute which was stored amid
ship. The~steamer had just whis-
tied to laad, and the Waterman
went among the deck passengers to
notify them that they were APP
preaching Memphis, and those 6es
tined for that city must get ashore,
when the bottom of his lamp drop
ped in some jute, and before the
flames could be extinguisbed they
s Sss, sssapa all over the deck and the
Al neat Is can be ascertuined
there were twenty-three ladies on
board the Inflated steamer, but two
of whom. so far as known, were
saved.
Nearly all the cabin and deck crew
on the steamer, saved themselves.
Stoves circus was taken aboard al
Vidalia, La, and six cages of an
mails and birds, together with the
ticket and band wagons, tents and
horses. were lost. Marion Purcell,
one of the pilots, was in the Clerk 8
office when the alarm was first
sounded, and he rushed through the
cabin bursting in the state room
doors and awakening the passengers.
So rapidly did the flames spread
that within five minutes after the
discovery-sf the fire, which broke
out amidship, the aft part of the
steamer was ablaze. Those who
were saved had to flee in their night
clothes.