The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-09-11
LOST IN A FIERCE GALE.
Awful Work OF Cyclone ON the Ohio
River, Near Hudson, Ken
lucky.
A Passenger Boat Upset, and Seventeen
Passengers Find Watery
Grave.
Evansville nnd.l special.

tornado lasting fully an hour struck this
city at $50 this morning. When the storm
ceased and a view Of the damage done was had
IL presented a terrible sight. The city had been
raked from one end to the other. Not a manu-
factory In it entirely escaped injury. Most seri-
ously damaged are the Evansville Cotton Mills.
loss, SIS, 600; wooden mills about $1,000; Rocker
Company, about s.. 200. A large school building
in course of construction, and which needed but
a roof for completion collapsed totally. On ev-
cry street cellars are flooded, trees and fences
leveled, and teeRraphic and telephone commu-
nications almost entirely suspended. Hun
dreds of small dwellings and stables are
RACED to the ground, and families left without
shelter. The scene on the river was awe-inspir-
Ing. Waves dashed themselves into unspeak-
able fury, and, dashing twenty and thirty feet
high, small steamers and tugs were broken
from their moorings and grounded, or hown mp
river to sand bars, where they were grounded The
Louisville and Nashville transfer barge. with SIX
cars, was blown from the railway dock and went
hard aground on bar two miles from where 1t
started. The steamers Josh V. Throop and Sill
verthorn were caught by the wind, chimneys
blown overheard, and boats otherwise badly
riddled. The James Blackman was blown out
in the river and swamped.
But the most horrible and saddest news or all
is the sinking OF the transfer steamer Belmont
and seventeen passengers who were on board
The Belmont left here at 7 80 this morning with
a south bound passenger train on barge.
About eight miles below here the storm came
up, and part of the passengers, horror stricken,
fled from the cars 10 the steamer for SAFETY.
The barge was torn from the steamer and
driven in shore hard aground while the cy-
clone seized the steamer and capsized II,
the boat going down bottom upward.
The pilot, cook, and engineer jumped
on the barge the steamer went down.
All the others were in the cabin, and
unable TO escape. The only officer OF the boat
lost was John II. Smith, the captain. Those
lost are as follows: Mrs. w. 5. Lyon and daugh-
ters; Miss Laura Lyon; Mrs. Sarah Bryant:
Il. @. Roach and son; Capt. John Smith, OF
Evansville; Mrs. John Hay, Of Greensboro, KY
Mrs. Addie Murray, baby, and niece; Mrs.
Laura Morton, of Briarfield, Ala; Mrs. Wood
vile, Henderson, KY; another white lady,
name unknown; Mrs. Arthur Hs milton, colored;
the 12-year-old daughter OF Emma Bell, colored;
colored man, name unknown, with boy and
barge were compelled to sit down with idle
hands and watch the death of their companions.
In conversation with one of the survivors he
said: 1T such a scene as / shall never for
get. We were trying TO get on the bank The
women were huddled in the cabin some weep
ing, others sitting quietly, fearing the worst yet
prepared for the inevitable. Suddenly, without
warning, the boat careened on her side, the guy
ropes to the barge swapping i jumped for the
barge and just reached II when hurd gurgle,
and looking around, the boat had gone down
head first. and there was nothing visible but the
bottom"
The boat lies in fourteen feet of water and Will
be a total loss She was built in Pittsburgh IN
1881, cost 500, 000 and was insured for $4,000.
She has been running as transfer packet about
year and half, and has weatheyed several
gales.