Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-03-30
GENERAL NEWS.
DISASTER AND DEATH.
Burning of the Steamer Golden
City at the Memphis
Levee.
From Thirty to Fifty Pas
sengers and Deck
Hands Lost.
Startling Details from Last Satur-
days Northern Dakota
Blizzard.

Unsuspecting Land Seekers
Caught in the Storm and
Frozen to Death.
Terrible Steamboat Disaster,
Memphis, March 3O.-The Cincinnati
and New Orleans packet Golden City,
on route from New Orleans to Cinoin-
natl, burned at the wharf this morning
at half past four O'Clock. Between thlity
and fifty lives lost, principally women
and children.
As near as can be learned there we're
twenty .thres persons on board the ill fated
st Gamer, but two of whom were saved.
]. H. Chronk, connected with Slows cir
Gus, is missing and is supposed to be lost.
Jno. Devouse, his wife and three children
were saved and are at the city hospital;
also senior Block. Mr.. Devouse is slight
ly burned on the hands. The Golden
City was three years old and cost S54, 900;
insurance. $4,000 in Cincinnati Offices.
She was owned by Capt. ]. d. Heggler,
w. +. Mcintyre and S. G. Mcintyre. She
lies sunk about three miles below here
in chute near the Tennessee shore
When she foated off from the wharf
about twenty passengers and crew
jumped on barge which foatcd down
the stream, but were rescued by ono of
the harbor boats, who towed it to shore
ono mile below the city. 1t is estimated
that thirty five lives we're lost by the dis.
aster, but no additional names can be
learned.
|. Robert Kelly, second engineer and
three roustabouts are the only ones OF
the boats crew known to be lost. John
Doeffer, steward, Pete Doefer, cook.
John Lamb, second cook. VIM. Lufford,
pastry cook, Mart Whalen, waiter, John
Hill, second mate, Chas. Harvey, watch
man, and passenger named Bloomfield
were saved. The fire was caused by the
watchman accidentally setting fire to a
lot of jute which was stored amidships
of the steamer. She had just whistled
to land and the watchman went among
the deck passengers to notify them that
Memphis was being approached, and
those destined for that place must get
ashore. The bottom of his lamp fell in
to the juts and before the flames could be
extinguished, spread all over tho deck Of
the steamer. Price Purcell, the pilot
made his escape by climbing over tht
front of the pilot house when the fire wa
all in the rear Of him when the steanl
er touched the wharf. The tug Oriolt
did not burn as first reported, but was
sunk by the burning steamer.
Pat Haley and Mike O'Donnell, tn,
two firemen, who were on watch, So,
they saw the negro captain of the watch
named Wash. with lamp in his hant
looking for one of the deck crew. I
was from his lamp that the Gre caugh
in the jute stored in the center Of tn
steamer. and as quick as flash spreas
to either side of the steamer and up {,
tho cabin. Haley run up stairs to motif,
the head engineer, but by the time h
reached the hurricane deck the flame
had mounted almost to the pilot hous
and he was driven back by the flames
He then rang the alarm bell, and seein,
the boat was approaching the shore RAJ
down the forward stairs and jumped o.
board the tug Oriole, just as the Colder
City struck her. Seeing the tug wa
sinking he sprang aboard tn
steamer again and made hi
way to a coal barge lying along sid.
Three negro deck hands and whit
deck passenger we're killed whom the tu
was struck, as they were caught betwee
the bow of the boat and the side of til
tug. Anna Boyd. the colored chamber
maid, and her assistant were both los
Mike Melley and Pat Kinry, freme1
were saved; also NJ. J. Whelan, secon
baker. Whelan he says jumped over
board from the stern Of the steamer a
she foated down the stream. Thel
were about ten men on the front of til
boat who must have been browne,
as when he leaped into the river he sa
three men go overheard and others mus
have shared the same fate. Felix Lei
man, passenger, says there was merr
party aboard; nearly all the passenger
remained up until midnigt
They had one or tw
gentlemen abroad who played the plan
and they entertained the passengers wit
music and singing. He was awakene
by having his state room burst in, AL
heard the cry of FIRE. Selling his cloth,
he ran forward and reached the bars
just in time, us in the next minute IL
vessel foated down stream. The boo
of an elderly white woman was four
floating nearthe wreck but her idcntit
is not yet proven. Stoves circus Vi
,. en- route to Carlo. where tho spring Sc
son was to be opened. A portion of Il
, show is at Vicksburg.
:. ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The steamer Golden City, of the Sout