The Iola register., 1882-10-13
ANOTHER STEAMBOAT HORROR! /!
Burning of the Robert E. Lee on tho Mis-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Persons Perish In
the Flames or Plunge into . Watsry

| NIChSBUhG, uIsc.s SSpss oos
The steamer Robert E. Lee, with passen'
gers and freight from this city for New Or
leans, caught fire and burned to the watel
line at o'clock this morning, about ten mile!
below Ashwood, and although tae pilot and
engineer remained at their posts until thu
boat was firmly grounded, many of the pas
sengers and crew rushed from their berths te
meet death by fire or water. In less than five
minutes from the time the fire was discov
cred the Lee was wrapped in flames. Second
Clerk Ovid Bell, who was on watch ut the
time, was the first to give the alarm. he
passed down through the cabin of the i'll.
fated steamer, knocking on doors and waking
up all on board, after which he went
upon the hurricane roof and did tie
same. Here he found his chances
of escape growing smaller by de.
grees. 1t was impossible for him to return
down stairs, so, letting himself down from
| the hurricane roof by one of the timbers to
the boiler deck, he plunged into the stream
and was saved. The Third Clerk, Mr. John
Lutkett, who was sleeping in the texas. es-
| capped with slight burns. Several of the cabin
passengers and deck crew were burnt severe
ly. but none fatally. Two chambermaids
Ophelia Jones and Martha Webb, were seen
! to jump from the starboard wheelhouse into
the river after the boat was landed, but just
at that moment the house gave way, and,
| falling over on them, the unfortunates were
seen no more. Mrs. Daniel Searles, young
wife, took her baby in her arms and. throwing
life -preserver about her person, leaped into
| the murky waters. By some disarrangement
of the life -preserver Mrs. Searles was thrown
| upon her back, an attitude in which she was
| perfectly helpless and this, together with the
shock occasioned by her heavy fall into the
water, caused her to lose her grasp upon the
child, and it passed from her arms and went
down. Half an hour after the burning of the
boat Mrs. Searles was picked up in the middle
of the stream, in an almost insensible condi-
tion. A Mrs. Williams, who had five children
with her, en- route to NatcheZ, with unpar-
alleled fortitude and presence of mind sue
ceeded in saving the lives of all in less than
ten minutes after the discovery of the fire.
Some think the fire was the work OF an
incendiary, while others believe it accidental.
Engineer Perkins first saw the flames
issuing from the pastry room, in which there
were no lamps at the time. Steward
Henry Carnahan states that no oil OF
other cumbustble material was ever
kept in the kitchen, pantry or pas
Try room. He thinks it was of incendiary
origin. Perkins, instantly after the discovery
of 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 wedged. The passengers
not cut off from the bow escaped to the shore.
The casualties occurred among those having
berths aft. Some of them, however, were res
cued after jumping overheard. Those who
succeeded in getting ashore were half Clad
some hatless, others shoeless. and others with
scarcely enough clothing to cover their
nakedness. Much credit is given William
Perkins, who was in charge of the engines at
the time of the disaster. He stood nobly at
his post until the boat landed and Pilot Stout
told him he could go.
Many of the saved owe their lives to the
admirable courage of the pilot, John Stout.
He stood at the wheel, and gave hope to all
by his firmness. As the steamer rounded at
Yucatan Landing the flames were fast en-.
veloping the brave man, who, despite the fire
around him, with almost the last hope of es-
cape gone, remained at his post 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. He
made his escape by the hurricane roof, down
the hogchain to the lower deck, and from
there ashore.
Following is a list of the lost, so far as as
cepained:
f. H. Painter, of the firm of Cox & Painter,
plow manufacturers, of Maysville, Ky.
Mrs. McClelland, New Orleans.
Miss Adams, Il music teacher, on her way to
Baton Rouge.
An infant of Mrs. D. Searles.
Frank Jones, fireman.
Ophelia Jones and Martha Webb, chamber
maids.
Thomas Fisher.
John MurreL .-.
Scott Cox.
Thomas Collins.
Irving Duncan, cabin boy.
Sam Brown, roustabout.
All tie kitchen servants except the pastry
cooks. . .
At Hard Times six miles below the scene OF
the disaster, the steamer J.. NJ. White met o
number of charred bales OF cotton floating
down, and further up saw portion of the ILL.,
fated steamers wheel-house, upon which the
name, "Robert E. Lee" was still intact. When
the White arrived at Yucatan there was very
little of the wreck visible, and the survivors,
vino were standing upon the bank, were ia
ken on board and brought here.
The Few Lee, as she was called in contra
distinction to the T. f. Lee that won the ia
NOUS race against the Natchez in 1870, was
1876, and made her first trip in the New Or
leans and Vicksburg trade, for which she was
built, in August of that year. She was built
from the machinery of the old Lee, and, like
her, was remarkable for great speed, power,
model and beauty. Indeed, she was far
handsomer boat than the old Lee, and, in the
Judgment of many steamboatmen, much
faster The hull was S2l feet long, SO feet
floor, 4sIz feet beam and 10 feet hold, with
feet steerage. The guards were twenty
feet wide, with huge hog chains to
support the piles of cotton intended to be
carried. She had nine boilers, So feet long, ~
inches in diameter, and double f1ues, and an
extra freight hoisting and capstan working
boiler. The main cabin was 265 feet long,
with lofty ceiling, spacious halls and of mag.
nifcent appearance. She was built to carry
a cargo of 800 tons, and 900 bales of cotton
could be easily slowed on board. She was in
all probability the greatest boat of her day.
She had been laid up during the summer
the business season. During retirement she
had received a most thorough overhauling
and repainting.
Capt. ". 5. Cannon states the steamer was
owned by the estate of his father, j. W. Can
non, and her commander was Capt. william
Campbell. She was valued at 500 900 and in.
sured or S50,o00, mostly in local companies.
The crew was composed almost entirely of
men who had been on the river twenty or
thirty years. The boat, besides supply pumps,
had new fire pump with H-inch cylinder
and 100 feet of hose. There were always three
waIchmen on deck. The totfl loss by the
burning of the boat and cargo is Sis 900. The
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