Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-13
BURNING OF A RIVER STEAMER.

l from Oetstns
MEMPHIS, Tenn, March so.
AT 1880 this morning the steamer Golden
City, of the Southern Transportation Compa-
| ny, took fire as she was approaching the COM
| pany's dock in this city, and after repeated
| and Intellectual attempts to make her fast to
the dock and number of coal-boats, the
steamer was borne out upon the surging river
/ and carried down stream wrapped n flames.
| In vain the boat was time and again headed
| for the shore, and as each succeeding failure
was witnessed by the perishing passengers and
| crew. great cries Of anguish foared out upon
| the early morning air, almost drowning the
roar and crackle Of the flames.
The alarm of fire was given by Robert Kel-
ley, the engineer on duty, to Pilot Brice Pur-
cell, just as the latter had finished blowing the
| alarm whistle for a landing at the dock The
pilot at once headed the boat for the Shore,
and she came in so quick that, collding with
| the tug Oriole, the latter sunk immediately,
the crew narrowly escaping death, For an
instant the steamer touched the shore, and q
number of ladies and children jumped over
board, and others clambered onto barge near
by. To add terror to the scenes the barge took
fire and fioated of down stream bearing
number of people and six cages of animals be-,
longing to Stoves circus. All were lost.
AS the fated steamer broke away from shore
and foated out upon the swift tly-running riv-
er, the bowling of wild beasts, the heart-rend-
ing shrieks of women and children, the hoarse'
orders of the officers, steam whistles, fire.
alarms and cracking flames, were all blended
in a terrible din of horror and anguish. Never
were human eyes permitted to gaze on a scene
more grandly awful. AZ & tspAg
The fire gained Roadway seArapsdly that
even the most prompt warning to'the passen-
gers failed to reach majority of them in time.
The Golden City was built in 1871 at Cincin-
natl cost S54, Co., and was insured for $4,000
moo ,~c
disaster carried a full cargo of freight, includ-
ing cotton seed, oil and jute. The fire was
caused by the bottom of a watchman's lantern
dropping from the globe into the jute.i
The steamer left New Orleans for Cincinnati
on Saturday, and carried crew of sixty men
and about forty cabin passengers, half of whom
were women and children. The party was
merry one, and most of the passengers had
scarcely closed their eyes in sleep, after g.
night passed in dancing, singing and piano
playing, when they were called to meet ter
rible death. f's 49, tasfS
The books of the steamer were lost, 10 it is
impossible to gather a complete issof the lost
and saved. AL the officers Of the steamer are
safe except the second engineer, Robert
Kelley. He it was who first diseoeered the
fire and gave the alarm, and reanained at his
post of duty until cut off by the inhn1es, as the
fire spread like lightning, and he .sarfifced his
life to save others. sss.fssn sEfx
=, Among those known to have beeps lost are:
DR.. Monahan and. wife, Of Jackson a.; Mrs.
Cary, of Eairment,5 near Cincinnati: sdiss Luz
ella Cary, of Morton place, near CihHnnati;
w. Fl. stowe and wife, Ollie Wood and Wife, Of
Henderson, Ky; Miss Anna Smith. Of Massa-
'chusetts; Mrs Helen Perefval,. ct .HaWesville,
KY; Mrs l.. E. Kounz and three, children;
Miss Campbell, a relative of Mrs. KDsrnk; Rob-
ert Kelley, second engineer; MaryBoyd, Aman-
da Atchison, ;chambermaids; J. c. Crane, own
er of the side-show to Stoves circus; three of
deck crew (colored), and negro. boy servant.
The missing are: j. HI. Krouk, iside-show-
man, three deck-hands, and . number Of deck
passengers, names unknown; two .colored
chambermafds. OF twenty-six men employed
as lower deck-hands, roustabouts and firemen,
three are missing, and believed to be lost. Two
fatboat-men, Milams, of Alien. and Cowles, Of
Henderson, are believed to be lost.,y
An inquest is in progress over the remains
of dead woman found to-day near the wreck.
They are thought to be those Of Mrs. Anna
Smith, Of Massachusetts. An ADJOURNMENT
was then taken until tomorrow morning.
Wash Smith, the coiored Captain of the
watch, was sent to Jail this.afternsop on war
rant charging him with murdst through his
carelessness in causing the f1rsfh dafeamer.
a diver will try tomorrow To- reeoyer the
bodies that are supposed to be In the wreck Of
the ill-fated vessel. .~.----....z-.--.-w.
The steamer burned briskly with the aid of a.
stiff east breeze until she .reaehed point near
the head of Presidents Island, when she sank
in deep water. a complete wrsck aiSTpearing
within thirty minutes after the alarm of fire
was sounded. The entire loss is estimated at
S150,0Oo, 'one-third in the steamer and the bal
ance on freight and circus chattel& Every
animal belonging to Stoves circus, save ono
horse, was burned or drowned. -.
-esf4 &A INCIDENTS tas~t
Miss Ionia Matsin, of Hawesvilie, KY, ono
of the three lady passengers saved, in an inter.
view tells the following touchin9 story of her
experience of the disasters She was- going
from New Orleans tohef h6pR ,,HHKesSille, in
company with her mother, Mrs. H. NJ. Pefrcival,
and her nephew, William Mckinley, lad of
fifteen years. They had sbsepsra msrFy party
In the cabin, and she and her mother re-
tired after eleven o'clock. Some time
after they had fallen asleep, she could not
tell how long, they were awakenfuby dcKin-
ley, who rushed into the state-rapm and said:
" The boat on f1rep' She and her mother got
up and, without waiting to dress thetnselves,
went out into the cabin, which was full of
smoke. They walked hurriedly forward her
mother a little behind. On arriving at the
front guard of the boat she saw that her
mother was not With them,s and she exempt
ed to runsback after her, but dsaX sdrsxented
e h sek oas a. sss sa 0 ~s,
then a mass Of iau1e and smoke. "Oh,
thought she was with u.s. moaned Hh0 girl,
tossing wildly on the couch, where shk lay. 1.
II wanted to GO back to her, but he wouldn't
let nes" Theaeqents 81 utssk despair and re-
morse that marked. the words ,.Wonld have
touched the hardest heatA hetonln& more
composed. she said her neHteN nslie Ter out
on the guards, and lowered her .devnto Mr.
Charles Ross, >Jr, passenger standine<on the
coai-barge, who received her in his erin, and
then took her ashore - Asts - Ht1Issn
J John 81. Trewalla, business agent ofsStbwe'a
Circus, was on the lower deck, and, seeing Mr.
,'A.sBulers Of Donald soHyflIe. xIa, with his
wife and four children on the bailnsdeck
shouted to him to throw hifn Ms cAhdfells Mr.
Butler tossed him two. eThichs Mr.. Trewalls
caught and carried to place Fof4safetE On the
coalbarge. He then assisted MIS-. Butlef with
her infant down from the upper-deck, and
helped her of the steamer, while Nh Butle,
brought downstairs his remaining ,childss
Willie Mckinley, a young man ssevehteel.
years old, gives graphic description Of thu
eva Or, IT, H. Hknxo ~