The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-24
THE GEM CITY.

The following from the 6s0oe-DefnocfdI
gives more particulars in regard to the
burnt steamer:
The fire aboard the Gem City Saturday
morning, as reported in the Globe
Democrat, totally destroyed her, and her
hull touches the bottom of the river but
is not entirely hidden from view. as the
river is very low just now, especially at
the scene of the disaster. Her machinery
and boilers are damaged so badly as to be
of no further use except for old iron.
| The idea of the origin of the fire is that
it resulted from sparks of some passing
steamer. The only fire on the steamer
Saturday was used by the ehambermaid.
but was extinguished long before dark.
! The sparks and cinders from the burning
steamer damaged the War Eagle, of the
same fleet, several hundred dollars.
That one of the most disastrous conha,
grations ever known on the river did not
occur is due solely to the fact that the
wind blew directly from the east, driving
the flames ashore and preventing them
| from spreading to other steamers. There
was but little smoke attending the fire.
and the Gem City seemed some creation of
the scenic art-a vessel of flames.
THE STEAMERS RECORD.
The Gem City was 800 feet long, "a
feet beam, feet hold She was built
nearly on the same spot where she was
DESTROYED, in 1881. She was launched in
May, 1881, and left on her first trip June
| l, going through to St Paul, She had n
battery of four boilers, each 80 feet long
of four fues each and AZ inches in diane
ter Her engines wer % inches in diane.
ter and Z feet stroke.
| She had ffty-nine state rooms in the
main cabin, and was allowed to carry 39S
passengers. She was allowed 1865 pounds
of steam to the square inch and could
carry 450 tons. Her officers, Capt Burke
and Clerk n. B. Hatcher, with pilots and
mate, have been sent to New Orleans on
the steamer Centennial to make trip
while the steamer was repairing Her
repairs, costing $4,000, were just CON-
pleted
Her cost was 100000, and she carried
an insurance of GAO, 900, divided equally
among the following companies: Con
tinental, of New York; Amazon, of
London; State of Pennsylvania,
American, Of Boston; Enterprise
of Cincinnati; Kenton, of Covington,
KY; st. Paul. of st. Paul. and seven
other companies.
A new steamer of the same style, size
and cost will at once be built by the
company The Minneapolis will be placed
in the Keokhk route in place of the i'll
fated steamer.
The vessel was insured in the Carroll &
Powell agency. They had also placed the
insurance on the Alex Mitchell and Wal
Eagle. About noon yesterday the hull, oil
such portion of it as was left. broke di-
rectly across the middle. Its center rested
on knoll, and each end sinking down,
finally brought on break, so that the
vessel is now an entire wreck
THE MISSING WATERMAN.
Shortly after s O'Clock Saturday porn
ing the body of an unknown man was
found floating in the river near the foot
of Bowen street. At a late hour thu
remains were removed 20 the Morgue
From all indications it is fair to presume
that the remains are those of the watcl
man of the Gem City," James Applebet
who has not been seen since the steamel
took fire.
The corpse is that of man apparently
about so years of age, feet inches tai
blue eyes, brown hair and mustache streal
ed with gray. He wore a black alpacf
coat, black cashmere pants and a brown
and white shirt. Upon one foot he wore
n shoe, and on the other merely a cotton
sock. 1t is quite probable that the deceas
ed was asleep on the steamer when thu
ire broke out, and had taken off his shoes
for the purpose of resting easier WheI
heIheard the alarm he, perhaps, hadtime Il
put on one shoe, but the flames then for
ed him to jump overheard.
A CRANK AT THE MoRGUE
After the corpse had been at the morgut
a short time a remarkable promising
specimen Of the crank species, who sait
his name was W. J. ]. p Hinchey, ente
ed the dead room for the purpose of view
ing the corpse. He had been there hui
few moments when he dashed into tn
office of Mr.. Ryan. Superintendent of thu
MOrgue, and startled him with the info
nation that the man was not dead, ant
that it was only case of suspended
animation
MIR. Ryan assured the lunatic that tn
corpse was certainly that of a dead man
After minutes examination Hinche-
became convinced of the truth of tn
statement Then he swore that the decea
ed was his brother, and said they hat
lived together for years. He soon abal
doned this idea, however, and taking
postal card from his pocket, made mos
remarkably correct drawing of the deal
mans face. This he left with Mr.. Ryan
and after informing this gentleman tina
he intended representing the Redeeme
in the yelled Prophets procession ant
+ offering him place as one of the Apostle
he took his departure, at the same tim
drawing Ryan's attention to the fact tina
the corpse of the unknown was breathing
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