St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-10-14
ANOTHER STEAMBOAT DISASTER

| Property and Terrible Loss Oh iIIe-Ah+
Interesting Recital of the Incidents of
the Observation-Disclosures of the Captain
and Other Oficers-Heroic Action of the,
| Pilot, etc, etc.
VICKsBURG, Miss, September 80.
| This morning at three O'Clock fire broke out
| on the steamer X. Z. Lee, while on her trip to
| this CITY, about thirty miles below here result
| .ag in the total destruction of the boat, with
| terrible loss of life. The following is list OF
! persons known to he lost: Cabin passengers:
Mr. Pointer, Marysville, Ky; Mrs. Mcclellan,
New Orleans; Miss Adams, music-teacher, on
the way to Baton Rouge; an infant OF Mrs
! Scale, of Vicksburg; two colored women;
Frank Jones, fireman; Ophelia Jones and
Martha Webb, second and third chamber
maids: Thomas Fisher, Joe Murrcll Scot Cox,
Thomas Collins, Irwin Duncan, cabin boys;
Samuel Brown roilstabOut: kardof Swanson,
carpenter; William Westcrmakcr, second en-
gineer Tom Collins; all the cooks and help
except the pastry cook.
The Lee had just been oyerhaulcd and newly
painted and was on her first trip this season.
| She left Ncksburg yesterday evening Tor
| New Orleans with 500 bales of cotton and
| good list of passengers. While opposite Point
Pleasant, at $3.50 a. m, she was discovered on
| fire, and was Immediately headed Tor the
Louisiana shore and landed at Yucatan plan
| tatlon thrty-fve miles below Nicksburg In
a few minutes she was completely en-
>,eloped in flames. The steamboat j.
| NJ. White passed the wreck about six
| a. H.. and took the remaining passen-
| gersand crew to Vicksburg. S. c. Rawlings and
| Robert Smith, pilots, were both burned and
otherwise hurt. The fire, it is supposed. origi-
mated in the pantry-room. So rapidly did the
| flames spread that it was impossible for pas
sengers officers to save anything except
| what they had at the time CAPTAIN W, 81
| Cannon states that the st amer was owned by
| the estate of his father. John W. Cannon, and
| her Commander, Captain William Campbell.
| She was valued at 100000. The crew was COM
| posed almost entirely of men who had been on
the river twenty thirty years. The boat,
| besides supply-pumps, had a new fire-pump
| with a fOurteen-nch cylinder and 700 feet OF
| hose. There were always three watchmen on
| deck
| The Lee had on leaving here about Ais bales
| of cotton. She took on some few more at
| landings below and about siXty-tve bales
| from small cottOn-Seed boat, so that when
| burned she had about 81 bales, also large
cargo of boots, shoes and dry goods reshipped
| by the Vicksburg & Mississippi Railroad from
| points north and east of Natchez and other
points below this city, 10000 feet of lumber, a
| large quantity of doors, blinds, sash, ETC., to-
gether with Il large lot of miscellaneous
| iIcIEui sue Sloppct 10 "Dcu t"eiNS
miles below here at 1890 this morning, and re-
| manned some time. The last landing made be-
| fore the fire at Ashwood, about twenty
| five miles below this city. At the time the
| alarm given the at was under way. She
was Immediately headed for shore, and struck
| the bank in three or four minutes.
Whenever a survivor seen on the street
| Immediately large crowd would gather
round, eager to learn whatever he knew of the
| sad occurrence. Numbers were seen with
| heads and arms bound up. some of them in
| considerable pain, while others were not so
| badly hurt.
Mr. Ovice Bell. second clerk of the Lee, who
was up at the time the accident occurred,
| stated: " never saw anything burn quick.
| Twas aft at the time, and when I heard the
| alarm, knowing my ,rtner, who sleeps sound
| ly. and other officers were in the tie as and in
| great danger | rushed up to awaken them.
| The fire followed me so fast that by the time
had them all up my partner had his hair
snged in getting down stairs from the hurri- :
| cane roof. and was forced to climb over the
| rail. The boat had just been freshly painted,
and she went like gunpowder."
| Mr.. Bell and Il passenger who was inter
| viewed think the fire originated in the pastry
room of the cook-house. though don't see"
said the former what the fire was doing in
there so early, as the cooks are not called be-
! fore four o'clock"
Mrs. Dan Searls. with heroic presence of
mind and motherly devotion, grasped her
sleeping infant, and, arranging lfepreserver
| in her state-room about her person, jumped
boldly into the water. By dsarrangement Of
her life-preserver she was thrown upon her
| back and lost her grasp upon her child.
! The saved owe their lives to the admirable
! courage of Pilot John Stout. He stood at the
wheel and gave hope to all by, his tirmness,
and as the steamer rounded Mt Yucatan Land
| ing the flames were fast enveloping
the brave man in the pilot-house, who,
despite the fire around him, with almost the
10 hnn T GS no rOn
until he gave word to the engineer that the
boat had made the shore. Not until this was
| done did he for one minute take his hand from
the wheel-s He made his escape by the hurri-
cane roof down the hog-chain TO the lower
deck and from there ashore. Some think the
| fire was the work of an incendiary while 9TH
| ers believe ii accidental
Engineer Perkins first saw the flames issu-
ing from the pastry-room, in which there were
| Carrnahan. states no coal Oil or other COM
bustible material was ever kept in the kitch en-.
pantry pastry He thinks it was Of
| lncendiary origin.
Engineer Perkins, instantly after discover
ing the fire, notified the pilot, and the boat was
| headed for the Mississippi side. and plunged
with such force against the bank as to become
| firmly fastened The passengers not cut or
from the bow escaped to the shore, The
| casualties occurred among those having berths
aft. Some of them, however, were rescued
| after jumping overheard. Those who sue
ceeded in getting ashore We're many OF mem
half-clad, some hatess, others shoeless, and
| others still with scarcely enough clothing to
! cover their nakednesS.
| The steamer was insured for SiO0C0 The
I total loss by the burning of the Lee and cargo
| is S175,OOO. The merchandise was fully in
| sured.
! Captain John Hall, clerk Of the boat, SAID
that he was in the office about three o'clock
| when he heard the cry of fire below He did
not desire to create q pan c., because there
were several parties around him, but When
| the cry was repeated in a manner which lett
| no doubt of the truth of the cry, be ran to his
room to procure sachel in which to place
| thn oY,I 1Inh
| he re ,ched his room it was filled with smoke:
He hurried back to the Office and emptied All
| of the money in the safe into the sachel: by
| that time the cabin had become dense
! with smnlz. extinruishing all the lights. He