The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-01
STEAMER BURNED.
With Heavy Loss of Lie

New Orleans, 80. - Picayltne'S
Vicksburg special says: This morn
ing at 3 o'clock fire broke out On the
steamer r. e. Lee, while on a trip
to this place, about thirty miles be.
low here, resulting in the total de-
struction Of the boat with terrible
loss of life. The following is the
list Of passengers known to be lost !:
Cabin passengers - Mr.. Pointer,
Maysville, KY; MRS. Mcclellan,
New Orleans; Miss Adams, music
teacher, on way to Baton Rouge /;
an infant of Mrs. Searle, Of Vicks-
burg: and two colored women. Also
the following: Frank Jones, fire
man; Aphelia Jones and Martha
Webb, second and third chamber
maids; Thomas Fisher, Joe Murrell,
Scott Cox, Thomas Collins. j. Dun
can, cabin boys; Samuel Brown,
rOustabout; Kardo, carpenter; VIM.
Mestmaker. second engineer; all the
cooks and help except the pastry
cook. The books of the boat and the
United States mail are lost together
with cargo of five hundred bales
of cotton.
The Lee just had been over.
hauled and newly painted, and was
on her first trip this season. She
left Vicksburg yesterday evening
for New Orleans, with SOC bales OF
cotton and good list of passengers.
While opposite Point Unpleasant
at $50 am, she was discovered on
fire, and was Immediately headed
for the Louisiana shore and landed
at Location Plantation thirty-fYe
miles below Vicksturg. In a few
minutes she was completely enYel-
oped i'll flames. Twenty-one persons
are believed to be lost, including
many. of the crew. The steamboat
J. u. White passed the wreck about
am. and took the remaining pas.
sengers and crew to Vicksburg. S
G. Rawlins and Robert Smith, pilots
were both burned and otherwise
hurt. The fire is supposed to have
originated in the pantry room. Sc
rapidly did the flames spread that il
was impossible Tor the passengers
or officers to save anything except
what they had on at the time. Cap
tain Cannon states that the steamer
was owned by the estate Of his
father, John w. Cannon, and hel
commander, Captain VIM. Camp.
| hell. She was valued at 100000
and was insured for $4,000, mostly
| in local companies. The crew was
composed almost entirely of men
who have been on the river twenty
or thirty years. The boat, besides
a supply Of pumps, had q new fire
pump with fourteen inch cylinder
and 700 feet of hose. There were
always three Watchmen on deck.
Wherever survivors are On the
street, Immediately large croW(
gathers to learn whatever they
know of the sad occurrence, MI
Price Bell, second clerk of the Lee
who was up at the time the acciden
occurred states: Il never saw any
thing burn so quick. l was aft a
the time, and whenI heard the alarm
| knowing my partner, who sleep!
soundly, and other officers were il
great danger, L rushed up to awaken
them The fire followed me so fas
that 1 had hardly time wake then
all up. My partner had his hei,
slnged in getting down stair,
from the hurricane, roof and | wa,
forced TO climb over a rail. ThI
boat had just been freshly painted
and she went likegun powder. Mr.
Bell and passengers who were in
terviewed, think the fire originated
| in the pastry room, Though I dom
see" said the fireman, "what a fir,
was doing there so early
| Mrs. Dan SearleS, with heroi
presence OF mind, and motherIy de
votion, grasped her infant and a lif
preserver in her room, and iumDe
in the water; by the disarran &c
ment of her preserver, She wa
thrown upon her back and lost ne
grasp upon her child.
Captain Campbell and surviyin
officers all leave by to-night's trai
for New Orleans, and will brin
out the Ed. Richardson in place {
the Lee on Tuesday.
|