The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-07-14
RIVER HORROR.

Sinking of an Excursion Steamer ON
the Ohio River-Heartrending Loss
Of Lifes
From Pittsburgh papers we CLEAN the follow.
ing particulars OF the terrible disaster at Mingo
Junction, on the Ohio river, on the 4th Of
July The Scioto, q sidewheel steamer rum
ming between Wheeling and Matamoras, had
been on an excursion to Moundsville, under
the auspices Of the Wellsville Cornet Band, and
had left East Liverpool about o'clock q. NJ,
taking 900 passengers aboard there At WellsYilie
about 300 or 400 more got aboard, with band,
loading the boat to the guards with mass OF
men. women and children. The steamer landed
1t Steubenville between and 10 O'Clock, and
refused to take any passengers there, although
several men and boys managed to Chamber over
the guards. She went on to MourdsYille; and;
returning id the evening, had reached point
lust above Cross creek, on the West Virgins
side Of the river, when she met the John Tomas
coming down in the middle of the stream. The
latter is small stern-wheel boat, which plies
between Wheeling and Martins Ferry, and had
been to Steubenville with an excursion of about
200 people from the latter place. It was about
$40 o'clock when she came In sight Of the Sci.
OTTO. The clouds had mostly blown away and
1t was quite light on the river. The Tomas ap-
pears to have signaled first, according to regu-
iations with one blast. to pass on the left. Ina
few minutes the Sciolo responded with two, and
made for the middle Of the river. The Tomas
then gave two whistles, but the boats kept COM
ing closer and closer together. Orders were
given to back the engines, but u was too late to
do any good. The boats came together with
tremendous crash, the Tomas stirling the
Scoto on the larboard, or left-hand side, Just
about the ash-box, tearing into her guards and
making large hole in the hull, through which
she began taking water at a rapid rate.
As may be imagined, the confusion on board
was terrible. The number Of women and chill
dren on board was especially large, and as the
boat began to settle at once the scene was
heartrending parents looking for their chill.
dren and vice versa, husbands for their wives
and wives for their husbands, and prayers
and cries filled the air. The officers, to their
credit, tried to keep the people cool, with the
much attention to them. The boat
began going down at once, and in three min
utes there was FIVE feet of water in the cabin.
Those on the lower deck (not less than fifty in
number) began jumping into the river, and the
example was contagious. Many followed them
like flock of sheep, while others more cool
made their way to the hurricane roof, where
there was safety as long as it would hold up
under the weight. There were dozen or if
all we're doubtless hurried into eternity
without warning. The river seemed black
with human beings and debris of all kinds, and
it will be days at least before the full extent of
the disaster is known. There were three boats
on the Scioto, and they were at once lowered.
In the excitement the first was overcrowded
and swamped, but it is believed that none of
the inmates were lost. The other two boats
were managed better, and did good work in
rescuing passengers. The Tomas was not
much damaged by the accident. and, after
landing her crowd on the West Virginia shore,
returned to the help of those on the hurricane
deck of the Scioto. It required the greatest
care in doing this work, first to avoid turning
over the Scioto, and second, to avoid a rush
from the Scioto to the Tomas, which might
have been fatal. Four trips were made, and
those on the boat were finally landed on the
Ohio shore.
The loss Of life cannot yet be ascertained
There was no registry of the passengers, and
tho loss can only be determined by the failure
of the missing to come home. Fourteen bod
les have been recovered up to this writing, and
thirty-three are known to be missing. The
total loss will exceed 100. The crowd in the
boat was certainly not less than 500, and proba-
bly, numbered 600 or 700.