The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-11-20

sxyERAI cIaARETvE-sxoKERs PROBABLY PER-
ISM IN TIM FLAMES.

sxyERAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES PROBABLY FIR
IsH IN THE FLAMES.
Anew Orleans telegram OF Sunday says /;
A dispatch from Captain John A. Steven
son. OF the steamer 8. III. Parisot. an
announces the total destruction by fire OF
that vessel al B O'Clock this morning, at
Bullets BAYOU, eight miles above Natchez.
No lives were lost. The Parisot left Vicks-
burg yesterday for New Orleans with 3, 100
bales Of cotton, 1900 sacks OF oil-cake, and
800 barrels OF oil. The total loss Is esti-
mated at over 100000. The steamer was
built by the Towards, OF Louisville, two
years ago. and cost 100000. She Is Insured
for $40, GOO IN st. Louis agencies,
A Natchez dispatch 10 the Picayfne gives.
the following particulars OF the burning OF
the Parisot, which is the flagship OF the
"Pv line OF Vlcksburg: Soon after o
O'Clock this morning the boat was discor-
cred to be on fire, and In short time she
was but mass Of charred ruins. Four
hundred and sixty-four bales OF cotton
were taken on board after leaving Vicks-
burg, making 1854 bales DESTROYED. The
total loss is over $4,000. Just below
Good Hope landing the cotton stored amid
ships was found to be on fire. Engineer
Clarity began working the pumps, hoping
70 extinguish the flames without sounding
an alarm, but the fire burned so rapidly
that the destruction OF the boat appeared
inevitable, and an alarm was gwen. Pilot
Voltz al once headed the steamer for the
Louisiana shore. The boat struck the bank
and lines were put out
Nearly all OF the passengers, OF whom
1here was quite \ number, were still asleep,
but the work Of arousing them occupied
only a few minutes. Had not this time
been well utilized the calamity would have
been rs great as wDen the Lee was de-
stroyed. The passengers rushed TO the
Lank In their night-clothes, carrying other
clothing in their hands, and abandoning TO
the devouring element all other baggage,
including valuable iewelry and large
sums OF money. They left the burning
boat none too soon; for before the
crew had got safely off the lines were
burned in two, and the doomed vessel, en-
veloped IN flames, drifted out into the
stream. Yell Boring. the second engineer,
was one OF the last TO leave. He stood at
his post OF duty until he was entirely sur
rounded by fire. Finding he could do no
more. he ran the gauntlet, jumped into the
river and swan ashore. Some OF the crew
excitement among them. Two jumped
into the river, and one OF them, Phil.
Burdbarg, was drowned.
When the news OF the disaster reached
Natchez the the steam-tug O'Brien started
for the scene. She met the burning steamer
floating down and showed her on a sand
bar. Soon afterwards the powder In the
Parisot's magazine exploded, causing the
stern of the wreck to sink in few feet Of
water. The steamer City Of Yazoo, of the
same line, on the way 10 Vicksburg, took
the Parisot's passengers out OF the cane
brake and brought them to Natchez. The
origin OF the fire is not definitely known.
The boat had fifty-eight deck passengers,
many Of whom insisted upon smoking
pipes and cigarettes. 1t is believed that
the fire was started by their carelessness.
II is feared that two or three deck passen-
gers persisted in the flames. The boats
papers were lost.