The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-02-21
4awaiialt 6azette,
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY "a. 1883.
DREADFUL DISASTERS,
Appalling Accidents ON Sea and shore!

Appalling Accidents ON Sea and Shore!
From our exchanges we clip the following
accounts of dreadful accidents which have
occurred in close succession with appalling
losses of life and property;
ST. Louis. January lith.-A fire broke out
| shortly after four o'clock this morning in the
kitchen Of the Planters House. six story
building, occupying the block on Fourth street,
between Pine and Chestnut streets, and extend
ed to the pantry, storeroom and servants
quarters. These arc all in building in the
| rear of and detached from the hotel, which was
not injured. One servant was suffocated, two
fatally burned and two others have broken
limbs. Great excitement prevailed among the
guests and other occupants of the house
| Nearly three hundred people filed with horri-
bic recollections OF the Milwaukee disaster,
| were rushing hither and thither through the
main corridors and down the several stairways
into the Office and street. The Planters House
was for quarter Of a century the best known
hotel in the West, and its fame was extended
by Charles Dickens in his American Notes, :
ST. PErERsBURG, January l5th.-The fire
| IN the circus at Berdischeff broke out toward
the end Of the performance, and was caused by
| the careless handling OF some fire works on the
stage. The curtain became igniied, and the
| flames quickly spread to the walls and roof
The members Of the orchestra were the FIRST
victims The audience, which numbered 500
persons rushed to the front door, hut it opened
| inward, and as the crowd pressed forward it
| could not be opened A rush was then made
| to the two side doors, both of which were nail
ed up thus compelling people to take 10 the
| windows, from which many spraug into the
| street with their clothes a sheet Of flames.
| The IRE brigade arrived in half an hour, but It
| was impossible to eItinguish the flames, as the
| water in the tanks was frozen. The FIRE lasted
| two hours. An eye witness states that when
the doors we're finally opened a mass Of burn
i ing persons was visible within. The horses
and properties of the circus were all destroyed.
| 4 nan whose wife and three children were
among the victims, stabbed the senior member
| Of the Merchants Guild in the street, and then
| tried to cut his own throaI. 1t is supposed
| the murdered man abandoned his sssailaut's
wife and children in order TO effect his own
escape from the burning building. The circus
was wooden structure. The horses running
4 about wildly increased the confusion. 1t is
stated now that 400 persons were suifocated,
crushed or burned to death.
| SEATTLE, ". I. January I6th.-The steamer
Josephine, which left this city at half past six
o'clock this morning for Skagit river, having
on board full load Of freight and twenty pas
sensers, blew up this afternoon in Port Susan
Bay. fifty miles north OF this point. The Jo-
sepihne was owned by J. B. Ball, Newton
Hartman and Fritz Dibbin, and was valued al
| 5000.
By the arrival Of the steamer Politkotfsky
we have fuller report Of the disaster to the
Josephene. The explosion occurred at noon,
while the passengers were at dinner. The en-
gineer was at the table, and declares that when
he left the lower deck the guage indicated loo
pounds and the glass was half full of water;
the crown sheet went straight up through the
| forward cabin and the pilot house, carrying
johnson, the man at the wheel, high into the
air, causing his instant death The Captain
was on the main deck at tine time and was lost
Neither he nor the purser were seen after the
| explosion. The steward and his helper were
instantly killed while waiting on the table
| The body of the steward was afterwards re-
covered and left on part OF the wreck, but
before it could be picked up it was washed of
and went to the bottom. The fireman was not
seen afterwards, and undoubtedly was killed
s. E. Cannon, commercial traveller, repre-
senting Bates, Reed & Cooley of New York,
was killed, but his body was ssyed and brought
here. Cannon leaves a wife and two children
in San Francisco.
The boiler or some other missile went back
through the boat and tore the wheel into 9
thousand pieces. The boat broke in two pieces
one sinking and the other floating. The In
dians and loggers near by went TO the assist
ance Of the unfortunates at once, and carried
the two bodies recovered, the wounded and the
others on shore, where they were afterwards
picked up by the Politofsky and brought tJ
this city. Captain Frank Smith of the lattel
steamer tore up his clothing and bedding Il
make the untortunates easier, and in this way
credit is given TO him for saving the life of a
least one lady. This is by long odds the worst
steamboat accident that has ever occurred il
these waters, the only other explosion in fact
being that Of the boiler of the tug Resoluts il
| 1855, when one man WAS killed
SAN FRsNINsco, January sO.-News wal
received this morning OF terrible accident OIL
the Southern Pacific Railroad near Tehschap
Station. The regular southern overland pass
euger train that left this city Friday moruiu,
at half-past nine o'clock was wrecked at tn
point mentioned between three and four o'clocl
Saturday morning.
The train consisted Of two engines, one bag
gage car, an express car, mail car, two sleep
ers, smoking Car and a coach. The train wa
in charge of Conductor Reed, an old and ex
perienced employe. The usual time was mad
TO Keene, and at 4 station few miles beloy
the ''heip" engine was attached to the trair
as usual, to assist in pulling it to TehachaT
summit.
The grade is several miles long, and is q
average rise of about ll6 feet to the mile tn
train was pulled safely to tie top, when th
help engine was detached. 1t is supposed tina
the usual precautions were taken TO secure th
4 Lila fbs.
after both engines were of, by some causI
through some possible carelessness or hung
ling, the train was started backward down tn
grade.
The final crash Of the train and possibl
death was expected every second. Down
dashed, keeping on the long, narrow track fc
the distance of nearly four miles. One Of tn
sleepers then jumped from the rails and th
other cars were piled in heap. The wrec
took fire Immediately from the stoves Tweu
ty-one lives were lost,
LONDON, January 2l.-A dispatch froi
Hamburg, sent by the Hamburg America
Steamship Company says: The Cimbria lei
Hamburg on Thursday with $50 passenger
and a crew numbering Ito. She ran agroun
before leaving the Elbe, but got off with tn
food tide, with the assistance of the steame
Hansa, without damage, and she put to sea :
half past two o'clock in the afternoon o
Friday morning she came into collision, dur
ing thick fog, off the island of Borkum, wit
the steamer Sultan. The Cimbria sustaine
such severe injuries in the collision that it q
once became apparent that she must sink al
most Immediately. The officers, therefore di
all in their power to save lives. Without
moments loss Of time life-belts were distribu
ted among the passengers and an order give
to lower the boats. This, however, in conse
quence OF the vessel keeling over on her sid,
was found to be very difficult on one side an
absolutely impossible on the other As ID
second officer was still engaged in cutting th
spars Loose, so there should be as much drii
wood as possible for the people to cling t
when the inevitable laundering should Occur
the vessel went down under his feet. He seiz
ed spar, but as several other persons clun
to it he vas obliged TO let 90, and be swan 1
boat. This boat was subsequently pickei
up by the Theta. The second officer steeret
the Theta to Cuxhaven. Seventeen other per
sons have been saved by the steamer damon
from the Weser Lighthouse, making ffty-si
thus far knUwn to be rescued According t
the latest information, AS lives were lost il
the Cimbria disaster. There were 4l2 pas
sengers and 81 officers and the crew on board
Oh SIX steamers sent out by the Hamburg
American Steamboat Company Saturday night
four have not yet returned, but as two whicl
returned found nothing, there is scarcely an,
hope left that more Of the unfortunates N
alive.