Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-31

second engineer, Robert Kelly, who was
Oh the watch. he called up through the
trumpet, "The boat is on fire. Head her
for the shore, and for Gods sake be quick
about it!
The Shore Reached.
The boat at this time was close in shore,
and Purcell Immediately headed her for
tho bank. Within four minutes she struck
the coal fleet that was mOOred at the foot
of Beale street, just below the Anchor
Line company's wharf but she came with
such force-the engineer having turned on
full head of steam-that, striking the
the tug Orile, she sank that craft and ran
afoul of several coal barges. A line was
thrown and made fast to one of these, but
from some unknown cause it soon parted,
and the burning vessel began drifting
down the river with the current, which is
very swift at the point where she touched
land. When the vessel struck the coal
feet all of her passengers had been
aroused, and many who were able to reach
the forward part of the boat made their
escape by jumping on the barges. But
there were many Especially ladies) pas
sengers in the cabin who had been cut off
by the flames from reaching the forward
part. OF these but few were saved. Al.
most all were either drowned or suffocated.
The Voyage and the Freight.
The Golden City left New Orleans last
Saturday for Cincinnati with about three
hundred tons of freight, including a lot of
jute, 1900 empty tar barrels and some
scrap iron. At Friar's Point, Miss, she
added 600 sacks of oil meal and 100 barrels
of oil. A portion of Stowc's circus was
taken aboard at Vidalia, La, and was
destined for Cairo, III. where the season of
1882 was to have been soon opened. There
were six cages of animals lost, together
with three canvas tents and the ticket and
band wagons. The animals lost were a
tiger, two leopards, an Albino deer,
several monkeys and rare lot of birds.
A buffalo and a grizzly bear were saved
by jumping overheard and swimming
ashore. Three horses belonging to the
circus were also saved in like manner.
The noted circus horse Selim perished
with the rest of the menagerie.
Drifting to Destruction.
The burning steamer, as she drifted
down stream in the early gray of the dawn
| a mass of flames, presented sight awful,
though beautiful, tocitizens who had been
aroused from their slumbers by the ring
ing of bells and had hastily made their
way to the bluffs. The wreck floated
about four miles below and finally sunk
in the chute near the Tennessee shore.
The Engineers Gallantry.
The only members of the crew known
to be lost are the second engineer and
| three colored men, who were crushed be-
tween the bows and the coil barges when
the boat first touched. Kelly, the en-
gineer, could easily have saved himself,
but he stood to his engine until the boat
had been landed, and then it was too late
to escape. One of the crew saw him for
an instant as he stood at his post of duty
with the fierce flames burning all around
him. His form "seemed a mass of fire,
rise again." His death was a truly heroic
duty to give others a chance of life.
How Tney Wero Saved.
Charles Myers, the third cook, was
fished out of the river by William Biorce,
a cotton clerk, who went in a skiff to the
rescue. M: J.. Whelan, the second baker,
was rescued in like manner by Billy
Hodge, pilot of the Dean Adams. Bryce
Purcell, jr.. son of the pilot, was in the
clerks Office when the alarm was first
given. Taking in the situation, he rushed
down to the cabin, knocking and kicking
at every stateroom, shouting Fire fire!''
as he ran along. He it was who aroused
the sleeping passengers and saved those
who were able to get out in time.
The Pilot Stands to his Post.
Bryce Purcell, ST.. remained In the pilot
house until the boat was landed, by which
time the flames had almost enveloped him.
He was compelled to make his exit over
the front of the pilot house.
The Captains Experience.
Captain Mcintyre, as soon as aroused,
ran down stairs to awaken the passengers,
but was driven back by the flames, which
seemed to burst up from underneath in a
dozen different parts of the boat at once.
Going on deck he threw plank on the
coal barge, and assisted by the second
mate, John Hill, made it fast. 1t was
while the boat was thus being held in that
all those on the forward part made their
escape. Some say the rope which held the
vessel burned, while others say the
stanchion to which it was tied gave way.
At all events, she did not remain fast
longer than three minutes.
A Brave Boy.
William Mckinley, a youth of seventeen,
was in stateroom No. %. His grand
mother, Mrs. Percival, and his aunt, Miss
Matsin, were in No. II. When he heard
the cry of "Fire ~ he rushed back
through the cabin and opening their room
found them both up. Grasping his aunt
by tho arm, he pulled her along down the
cabin. His grandmother was following.
The smoke had filed the cabin so it was
impossible to see their way, and they had
not gone far before mass of flames shot
out just ahead of him. knowing the
salty of all depended on their reaching the
bow of the boat, he dragged his aunt
through the flames. His grandmother
recoiled for an instant and sank on the
floor suffocated by the somke. He had
barely time to get down stairs with his
aunt and was compelled to jump with her
to the coal barge as the burning boat
floated away.
Felix Lehman, a passenger says there
was a merry party aboard, and nearly all
the passengers remained up until mid
night. They had one or two gentlemen
aboard who played the piano and enter
tanned the passengers with music and
singing. He was awakened by the bursting
openof his stateroom door and he heard the
cry of fire. Seizing his clothes he ran for.
ward and reached the barge just in time,
as the next minute the vessel foated down
stream.
Keeper of the Animals.\
J. G. Glenroy, one Of the saved, resides