Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-04-04
A RIVER DISASTER.
TWENTY LIVES LOST ON A STEAMER
\ ,hstt shcochcs River Bost faxes Firc in
Mid.>trdsm-ueath A. the Planes
aad la tho River

U
Mid.>trtam--ueath a. the Planes
| sod Ia tho River.
The steam Rebecca Eyerineham. of
the Central liuc, plying between Coum.
bus ard Appalachicola, on the Chatta
hOCchce river, VAS burned to the waters
o!Nc ~ Fitsgerald's landing, four miles
above Florence, Ca, at five minutes past
O'Clock Thursday morning. Besides 30
passengers and a crew of ii men, the
steamer carried 800 bales of cotton and u
miscellaneous cargo of freight. The lire
| is supposed To have had its origin in %
particle of carbon from the electric light
falling among the cotton as tho vessel lay
in mid stream. An alarm was given, but
| before the passengers could be aroused the
boat was enveloped in flames, which.
famed by the wind, leaped high into the
air Tho passengers rushed on deck, only
to tiud themselves faced by almost certain
death, and while some huddled together,
shriekipg and praying, others, in despair,
! leaped INTO the chilling water aud sank in
sight Of their friends on the boat.
Though the flames made his station
almost untcuablc, the pilot stood to the
wheel aud headed the boat for ashore
While the run was being made the excite
mcnt constantly increased and many CON
ttnued u leap overheard aud were
drowned, who might have been saved.
Among these wero thrcc ladies', one OF
whom pressed a babe to her breast as she
sprang 10 her death, Within thirty min
uteS the baUk was touched and the few
whom II was possible to save had been
landed. She burned down to the hull,
| aud. the flames seVeriug her mooriugs,
drif ed into the stream aud sank halt a
mile lower down.
Al
perIshed are W. 7. Kennedy, OF Eulaula /;
Mrs. Evans Cuthbert, Georgia Miss
| Simpson, sister II Mrs. +. Evans. Of Fort
Gaines, Ca Julia Adams, colored, a
Etewardess on the steamer Adolph
Thomas, color,d, deck hand Randall
Singer colored, dock hand A. j..
stephens. co.urej, deck hand Robert
Gritin, colured, steyedore coIored
woman, name unknown an unknown
| child J. II. uIghtOwer, of Eufaula
three white passengers, whose names are
unknown
The death OF many Of these was the
| result ul buns, some being SO badly ia
| juTed when the boat touched the bank
that they pershed when safety seemed
| almost assured,
L. Il. Williams, Of Lagrange, is among
the saved but is So seriously burned that
his recovery is doubtful. Captain George
Whjteside aud Second Eoginer j. r. Cor
rey, with two wagon and two bateau OaGs
OF the survivors, reached Eufauh Ia.o
Thursday afternoon.
Among these was the pilot, George II.
Llpham, 10 whose heroism and that Of his
| young son, those who did escape a'e In
| debted for their lives. When the pilot
saw the danger he did not wait for the
| boat TO reach the bank, but immediately
| ordered htS sou overheard with a rope,
| with which the by swan ashore, making
the rop0 tauut, aud then swan back aud
went 10 work saYlng lives. The pilot was
the last 10 Leave the deck, aud himself
saved two ladies' and his wounded cap
tain. lie says that it is as yet impossible
to give an accurate estimate fthusC lost.
but, from the small number seen alive
after the disaster, he says there is no
doubt that tie death list will exceed
twenty.
Mr.. J. d. Yates had presentimeut OF
disaster, aud spoke of his fears before
leaving home. He slcp: with his clothes
on, aud WIS one OF the first to reach
the deck after the alarm was given, and
the first ashore when the boat struck. lie
says that he is certain that several passon
gers were sufJCated in their berths before
they were awakened he himself had
difficulty n cropping his way out of the
| cabin, and vas TOO terrified to assist any
OF the other passengers.
None Of the boats officers we're lost.
The cotton aboard was valued at sis, 600 {;
200 bales belonged to II. L. Hall & Co of
Eufaula, covered by insurance.
! The steamer was built about two years
| ago and was the newest and haudsOmest
| craft on the Chattahoochee river. She
belonged 70 the Georgia Genital railroad
company, and was valued at S25, 900, aud
is probably insured. The passengers who
reached shore were almost nude, but were
provided with what clothing the needy
people OF FIt2yerald's Landing could
furnish them. This is the most shocking
disaster on the Chattahcochee since the
explosion Of the Confederate gun boat
near Fort Gaines, when eighteen lives
were lost.