The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-02
STEAMBOAT
OCCURS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Tho Steamer Robert L. lee Burned 10 tho Mater.
Edge below VIskAburE-bont and Cargo To.
th Low-ovcrS SThIttJ ,Ptrsoas Burned
or rDrouned-Setnesa aud Incidents. Il

list Of persons known to be lost: Cabir
passengers, Mr.. Painter, Maysyille, Ky.
Mrs. Mcclellan, New Orleans; Miss Adams
music teacher, on her way 10 Baton Rouge
All ininnt'of Mrs. Tearlr, Of Vicksburg and
two colored women. Also the following
Frank Jones, fireman, Ophelia Jones aud
Martha Webb, second and third chamber
maids, and Thomas Fisher, Joe Muarell
Scott Cox, Thomas Colllnsand Irvine DIM
can, cabin boys, Sam Brown, 4 rouslabout
Kardo, the carpenter, William \Nestmaker
second engineer, and all the cooks and
help except the pastry cook. The books
OF the boat and United States mail were
lost, together with cargo Of 500 bales o.
cotton. 2l-4FsEIff,1 I,gEtfiI5.
Tile Lee had just been ovcrhaulcd and
newly painted and was on the first trip .o
the season. She left Nicksburg yesterday
evening for New Orleans with five hun
dred bales Of cotton aud Il good list of pass
eneers. While opposite Point Pleasant Il,
2:3O O'Clock a. VI. she was discovered to be
on fire and was Immediately headed TO,
the Louisiana shore and landed at. Yuca.
tan plantation, IS miles below sYicksburr
II is estimated that in less than five min.
utes from the time the fire was discovered
the Lee was wrapped In u perfect sheet OF
flames. Second clerk Ovid Bell, who was
on watch at the time, and who displayed
wonderful amount Of foresight was iirsi
to give the alarm. Hepassed down through
the cabin Of the jll-fated steamer, knocking
in doors and waking up all on board, after
which he went up on the hurricane roof
and did the same. Here he found his
chances OF escape growing smaller BY dc.
erees. It was impossible for him 10 return
down stairs, so letting himself down from
the hurricane roof on one Of the timbers
TO the boiler deck, he plunged out into the
stream and was saved. =
The third clerk, Mr.. John Luckett who
was sleeping in the texas, made his cscapc
with several slight bruises, and several Of
the cabin passengers and deck crew were
burnt severely, but not fatnly,S'g ~ -.
Two chambermaids, Ophelia Jones and
Martina webb, were seen TO jump from
the starboard wheel.heusc into the river
after the boat was landed, but lust Mt that
moment the wheel:housc gave way, and
falling over on them the uniortuna,es were
seen no more.
Mrs. Don. .Searles, a young wife with her
intant son only one year OF age. with tho
courage aud calmncss Of Spartan mother
in the face OF danger, took her baby in he.
arms, and throwing 4 life pteserver about
her. person, leaped from the after.cabin
into the murky water beneath. By some
dlsarrangement Of the life preseryer, Mrs.
searles WIS thrown upon her back, an
attitude In which she was rendered per.
lectly helpless, and this, together with the
shock occasioncd by her heavy iall into
the water, caused her 10 lose her grasp
upon the child, and 1t passed from her
arms into the depths beneath. Half nm
hour after the burning Of the boat, Mrs,
Searles was picked up in milstream, in an
almost inscnsible condition. X
The majority. OF those who were forth.
nate enough to make shore alive were many
OF them without hat or coat, and in several
instances were only mcagcrly clad,
Mrs. Williams, who had 1--we little chill.
dren travelling with her On route 10 Nutchc4
with unparalleled fortitude and presence q
mind, succeeded in saving the lives Of all,
IN Ices than ten minutes after the dis.
covery OF the fire, which was almost in its
lncipiency, the boat was burned to the
waters edge, and sunk, and only few
clarred timhcrs-and an ugly hulk are all
that was LEFT OF that magnificent floating
palace and champion OF Western waters, :
The } zee sunk ia about twelve ieet oi
water. She Isl total wreck, and William
Perkins. her engineer, says that all her
splendid machinery will be 1T only ior
scrap iron. = :
The United States mail was lost, bag.
gage Of passengeis lost and nothing WIS
At Hard Times, six miles below the dis.
aster, the J. NJ. While met a number al
charred bales OF cotton floating down the
river, and further up saw q portion OF the
lll'lated steamers wheel, upon which thc
name Of Robert Z. Lee was still intact
When tho White arrived at i'ucatan there
was very little OF the wreck visible. and the
passengers, officers and crew were stand
inE out on the bank.
= The new Lee, rs she WIS called in contra.
distinction to the r. L. Lee, that won tho
famous race against tho Natchez, in 1S70
was built by the Towards, ut Louisville
Nv. She was built from the machinery Of
the OLD Il. Z. Lee, and like her, wus re.
maIkab!e for great speed, power, model
aud beauty; indeed she was far handsomer
boat than the old Lee, and in the judr.
ment ol many steamboat men, much
faster. She was built to carry cargo Of
$500 tons, and 1000 bales Of cotton could
be easily stored on board. She was in NH
probability the greatest boat OF her day.
She had been dup during the sum.
me: months, and was Just making her.
first trip Of the business season. During
retirement sue had received a most thor.
ough overhauling and repairing. She was
buiit.by the .lamcnted John ". Cannon.
The Lee was valued ut Sls7, 900 when she
came out, and at the time Of her dcstrrc.
ton 100000. She waA insured for $4,000.
All the officers left by to onight's train ior
New Orleans to bring out the Ed. Richard.
son on Tuesday in place Of the ill.iated
Lee. 5...
1 Tho fire was discovered In tile cook.house
but The origin OF II Is not known. The
White broushtup all tho passengers md
officers and crew Of the Lee free, OF charge.
NEw ORLEANS, September 3O.-The Rob.
ert E. Lee, Captain William Campbell, was
one Of the largest md finest OF the Missis.
1lppl river ateamerG III nm
She run from New Orleans to Vicksbury.
md left the former city on the first trip q
the season, last Tuesday She was valued
in the neighborhood Of Sl5O,0OO. &,lti'iEI'i' !
The Siaies says: The announcement al
the destruction by fire OF that rvand old
steamboat, Rober. E. Lee, will be heard
with universal sorrow. The champion Of
the Mississippi waters, iayorite Of iii the
people from New Orleans 10 VicEsburu,
and named Nlter the greatest at heroes and
ststesmeH her destruction just ut tho 10.
ginning Of the cotton season, and after un.
dergoiug thorough repair and overhuuling,
will be a serious blow to her owners, 'Isa rs
well as 10 tho trade in which the lee has
been 90 long and faithfully engaged.
The PieayMes Vicksburg special saws:
The Ice bud, on leaving here, about, 4l5
bales Of cotton.a She took, on. some few
more Mt landings below and about sixty.
Il t.ola