Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-04
THE EVERINGHAM BURNS.
15 OR 90 LIVES LOST ON THE
CHATTAHOOCHEE.

Four O'clock in the Morning and Fitz-
gerald Landing the Scene of the Dis
aster-A List of the Dead-AII Asleep
When the Alarm was Given-A Heroic
Pilot and His Son Do Good Work.
EUFAULA, ALA, April 3.-The steamer
Rebecca EYeringham, of the Central Line
of boats plying between Columbus, Ca,
and Apalachicola, Florida, on the Chatta-
hoochee river, burned to the waters edge
at F1tzgerald's landing, four miles above
Florence, Georgia, and twenty-eight miles
above Eufaula, at 4:O5 O'Clock this morn
ing. She was loaded with $50 bales of
cotton and carried about 30 passengers.
The fire is supposed to have been caused
by falling particle of carbon from the
electric light. The boat was amid stream
when the alarm was given and was
quickly envelOped in smoke and flame,
lighting up the sky for miles around. The
shrieks of the terrified passengers and
crew, mingled with the roar of the flames,
were heart-piercing. Men and women
rushed hither and thither in their night
garments imploring aid.
HEADED FOR THE SHORE.
The boat was headed for land by the
pilot, but before the landing was effected
nearly every part of the craft was enyel-
oped in fire. Within thirty minutes after
the bank was touched, and the few that
1t was possible to save had been landed,
the boat burned down to the hull, and sew
ering her mOoring. drifted into the stream
and sank half mile below.
SOME OF THE LOST.
Among those known to be lost are:
w. l.. Kennedy, of Eufaula.
Mrs. Avant, of Cuthbert, Ca
Miss Simpson, of Fort Gaines, a sister
Of Mrs. Avant.
Julia Adams, the colored stewardess.
Dolph Thomas.
Randall Singer.
a. l.. stephen, the last three colOred
deck hands.
Robert Griffin, a colored stevedore.
A colored woman, whose name is un-
known.
A child.
Among the missing are J. H. High
tower, of Eufaula.
Two other white passengers, whose
names are unknown, are fatally burned.
+. b. Williams, of LaGrange, is serious
lY burned.
SURVIVORS AT EUFAULA.
The Captain commanding, George
Whiteside, Second Engineer j. T. Carey,
with two wagon and two bateau loads of
survivors and their effects, reached Eu-
faula at O'Clock this evening.
Among these was Pilot G. II. Lapham,
to whose heroism and that of his young
son those who did escape are indebted for
their lives.
THE BRAVE PILOT AND HIS SON.
When the pilot saw the danger they
were in he did not wait for the boat to
make the landing to make fast, but or
dorad his OVorhoo,.I i,
swan ashore, made taut, then swan back
and heroically went to work to save life.
The pilot was the last to desert the deck,
and then did so only after saving the life
OF two ladies and his wounded Captain.
besides aiding others.
FEARS THAT MORE HAVE BEEN LOST.
Pilot Lapham makes the gloomy fore
boding that it is impossible at present to
arrive at the number that may have per-
ished. The names given above were re-
ceiTed from him. He says that the small
number seen alive after the disaster make
it apparent that the roll of missing is
others who were either burned or
drowned.
SOME MIRACULOUS ESCAPES.
One lady saved herself by jumping from
the cabin to the deck below, distance of
twenty-five feet, on the opposite side from
the flames and another by clinging to the
motionless wheel.
One of the passengers, j. B. Yates, had
a presentiment of the disaster, and spoke
of it the preceding night, and so strongly
was he impressed with the idea that when
retiring he refused to disrobe, but slept
in a rubber coat, with his valise at hand.
He was sleeping nervously when the
alarm sounded, and reached for his
satchel and looked for the shore, with no
thought of the safety of others.
No officers were lost or seriously in
jured.
THE COTTON's VALUE.
The Everingham had a cargo of 800
bales of cotton, valued at $4,000. OF the
number. 234 bales belonged to IL. L. Hull
IL Co., of Eufaula, and are covered by in
surance in the Fire Insurance Company
of Liverpool.
The balance was not insured.
THE BURNED STEAMER.
The steamer Everingham was built
about two years ago, and was the newest
and handsOmest craft on the ChattahOo-
-chee river. She belonged to the Central
Railroad, and was valued at about $40, 900
She is probably insured.
THE SURVIVORS.
The almost nude survivors were pro-
vided as well as possible with clothing
at Fitzgerald's landing, and, together
with the under officers in command of
Pilot Lapham, spent the afternoon in this
city, and leave by the night train for their
respective homes, the officers going to
Columbus, Ga.
This is the most shocking disaster on
this river since the explosion of Con-
federate gunbOat near Fort Gaines, when
eighteen lives were lost.