The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-04-06
APPhLLNG STEAMBOAT CALAMITY,
The Golden City Burned and Thirty.
Five Lives Reported Lost.
Tweufy-0ne Women and SIX ChiIdrcn
Fall Victims.

the wharf at Memphis on the morning Of
March The IRE was discovered by the
second eers Robert Kelly, who immediately
noflhef 9e1f. Brice Purcell, ST., the pilot on
ysfs 8 3'.o boar boW WIS At once .headod
~ II 5of minutes afterward
-shsss sfed the wharf at the foot Of Scale
street, where coal fleet was moored. A line
was hastily thrown and made fast to one Of the
coal barges, but the current being swift it soon
parted, and, burning, the steamer loated on
down the river, mass Of flames, with many
OF her passengers and crew aboard, who were
unable to reach the shore, and were lost.
The Golden City carried crew Of about
sixty. She had aboard forty cabin passengers,
fifteen Of whom were ladies and nine children.
Her cargo consisted of 800 tons, among which
was lot Of jute. The fire had its origin in
this combustible material. The books of the
steamer were lost so it is impossible to gather
q complete list Of the lost and saved All the
officers of the steamer are safe, except the Sec
ond engineer, Robert Kelly. He remained at
his post of duty until cut on by the fiames for
the fire spread like lightning, and he sacrificed
his life to save others. Nearly all the cabin
and deck crew of the steamer saved themselves
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
state-room doors, awaking the passengers.
Brice Purcell, the pilot, made his escape by
climbing over the front Of the pilot-house, As
the fire was all in the rear of him when the
steamer touched the wharf. So rapidly did the
flames spread that within five minutes after the
discovery Of the fire, which broke out amid
ship, the aft part Of the steamer was all ablaze
Those that were saved had to flee in their night
clothes.
The fire was caused by the watchman acci-
dentally setting fire to q lot of jute which was
stored amidship the steamer. She had Just
whistled to land, and the watchmau went
among the deck passengers to notify them that
Memphis was being approached, and those that
were destined for that place must get ashore.
Pat Haley and Mike O'Donnell, the two fremen
who were on watch, say they saw the negro
Captain OF the watch, named Wash, with his
lamp in his hand looking for some Of the deck
| crew, and it was from the lamp that the fire
caught the ,jute stored in the center of the
steamer, and as quick as fash spread to either
side Of the steamer and up to the in. Haley
ran up stairs to notify the chief engineer, but
by the time he reached the hurricane deck the
| flames had mounted almost to the pilot house
| and he was driven back by the fire. He then
rang the alarm bell, and, seeing the boat was
approaching the shore, ran down the forward
stairs and jumped on board the tug Oriole Just
| as the Golden City struck her. Seeing the tug
| was sinking he sprang aboard the steamer
| again, and made his way to the coal barge
| lying along the side. Two negro deck hands
| and white deck passenger were killed when
| the tug was struck, as they were caught between
the bow ef the boat and the side Of the tug.
- Felix -EshmAn, who was passenger, says
there was merry party aboard, and nearly ati
| the passengers remained up until midnight.
| They had one or two gentlemen aboard who
played the piano, and they entertained the
| passengers with music and singing. He was
| awakened by having his stateroom bursted in
and hearing the cry of fire. Seizing his clothes.
he ran forward and reached the barge Just in
| time, as the next minute the vessel foated down
/ the stream.
| A man named Butler, who was on the i'll
fated steamer with his wife and three children,
had the most thrilling escape of all. He
dragged his wife and children ont into the
| cabin, to the head of the stairway, up which
| the flames rushed in grand volume, cutting
| of escape by that means. Butler saw o man
standing ON the swinging stageplank, and
called out to catch his babies. The man stood
firm, and Butler threw the two youngest
children, one at time, into his arms, and put
| them in places of safety. He then help bis wife
| to q spar, down which they slid to the deck and
all escaped.
Stoves Circus was taken aboard at Vidalia,
Louisiana, and six cages of animals and birds,
together with ticket and band wagon, tents
| and horses, were lost. The circus was en- route
| for Cairo, where the spring season was to be
opened. Among the circus horses lost was the
noted Selma. The trick horses promptly
obeyed the call of the keeper and sprang
ashore. A buffalo broke his halter and dashed
through the crowd to the bank; every hair was
burned from his hide, behaving passed through
| the fire. bear, which escaped, swam to q
skiff in mid stream and climbed in. The skiff-
man was in doubt whether to swim for 1t or to
remain, and as the bear quietly laid down, he
buckled to his oars and pulled his strange pas
senger ashore, where the circus people took
chargeof it. Mrs. Stowe, wife Of the proprie-
tor Of the show, was lost. She was formerly
Lizzie Marcehus, once Barnums greatest at
fractions. ]. 81. Crouk, of the side show, waa
lost. John G. Glenroy, of Philadelphia, the
animal keeper Of the show, was lying asleep
under one Of the cages when the fire hssSe out,
and escaped by springing on barge.
The following is correct list of the lost, 90
far as names can be reported:
DR.. Monahan and wife, of Jackson, Ohio.
Mrs. Crarey, of Fremont, near Cincinnati.
Miss Luella Crary, Winton Place, near Gin.
dnnati
Ollie Wood and wife, Rising Sun, Indiana.
Mrs. Anna Smith, Massachusetts,.
Mrs. Helen Perceval, Hawesville, Kentucky
Mrs. L. Koups and three children.
Miss Campbell, relative of Mrs. Kouns.
Robert Kelley, second engineer.
Mary Boyd and Amanda Atchison, chamber
maids.
]. @. Crone, owner Of side show to Stowe
Circus.
Three of the deck crew (colored), and ne
gro boy, servant of W. II. Stowe.
Miss Ionia Matson, of Hawesyille, KY, on
Of the three lady passengers saved, in an II
terview, tells the following touching story Q
her experience Of the disaster.
She was going from New Orleans to he
home. Hawesville, in company with he
mother, Mrs. h. NJ. Percival, and her nephew
VIM. Mckinley, a lad of seventeen year,
There had been a merry party in the cabir
and she and her mother retired after IL O'Clock
Some time after they had fallen asleep, sh
could not tell how long, they were awakene
by Mckinley, who rushed into the stateroor
and said the boat was on fire. She and he
mother got up without waiting to dress them
selves and went out into the cabin, which wa
full Of smoke. They walked hurriedly fol
ward, her mother little behind. On arrivin
at the front guard of the boat she saw that he
mother WAS not with her, and attempted to n
back after her, but was prevented by Mckinney
who said it would only be her own destruction
The cabin was then mass of flame and smoke
"Oh thought she was with US, moaned th
girl, tossing wildly on the couch where she 10.
81 wanted to 60 back to her, but he would no
let me-
The accent Of utter dispair and remorse tha
marked the words would have touched tn
hardest heart. Becoming more composed, SD
said her nephew pulled her out on the guards
and lowered her down to Mr.. Chas. Ross, jr
q passenger standing on the coal barge, WIN
! received her in his arms and took her ashore.
James Meyers says he was travelling Mort
with his sister and brother-in-law, Mr.. and Mr.
Ollie Wood, of Henderson, Ky. He tried
. reach their room, but was driven back by tt
,, flames and smoke, and jumped out on the bars
to save himself. The Woods were his onl
living relatives.
The lady passengers were nearly all partic
pants in dance until after q. M, therefor
! slumbered soundly while the flames spread ov
and enveloped them in their state-room berth
the northwest wind sending the fiery ma
directly towards and through the ladies' cabi