Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-15
Terrible Disaster on the
Mississippi.
THE STEAMER WHITE BURNED
Sixty Lives Reported Lost-Other
News From the Eastern
States.

Point Coupee, thirty miles above Batol
Rouge. She had quite number of pas
sengers aboard, 22O bales of cotton an,
6S, 900 sacks of seed. Several lives ar,
reported lost, but Captain James F
Muse, who was in command, telegraph
that only ono life, the porter of tn,
boat, is known to be lost. The boat ant
cargo are total loss. The j. M. Whit,
was built in 1878, at q cost of S225, 900
and was regarded by many as the fines
and fastest boat ever run on the Missis
sippi river. The boat was owned by
Captain John w. Tobin. She was valued
at SlOO, 900 and the cargo at $4,000.
The insurance on the boat is S29, 900
The cargo is doubtless fully covered by
insurance.
When the White took fire she was
LAYING at the Pointe Coupee shore, tax
ing on cotton. Thomas Barry, second
engineer of the White, was on duty
when the fire broke out in the cotton
amidships. For some time he thought
the fire under control, but it finally
gained such headway that nothing could
be done with it. Barry states that the
fire then spread SO rapidly that the boat
was wrapped in flames in short time.
He thinks there were ten or twelve lives
lost, including colored fireman and
two colored chambermaids. Barry also
reports the loss of Captain Bird, Super.
intendent of the Visalia Railroad, with
his wife and daughter. Barry knows
nothing as to the number of passengers
that were aboard, but thinks there were
not very many. He believes there were
some women and children on deck.
Evidence accummulates that there were
many lives lost. Some people place the
number at fifty.
A ST. Louis special from New Orleans,
alluding to the burning of the steamer
White, says: All the rescued people
took the Mississippi Valley Railroad
train for this city, arriving this noon.
VIM. McGreedy, Chief Engineer of the
boat, gives statement of the disaster
At about 1910 o'clock last night, while
landing at DR.. Ferrette's place, above
the postoffice landing at Point Coupee,
at which place the boat was loading
cotton seed, fire broke out amidship,
just aft. Engineers Barry and Janney,
who were on watch, gave the alarm
and the pumps were put to work, but
without avail. The watchman gave the
alarm by ringing the bell. The mates
Callahan and Bell at once aroused the
people in the cabin. The fire spread
rapidly and in less than fifteen minutes
the boat had burned to the waters
edge. There were four kegs of
powder in the magazine and the mo.
ment the fire reached them the flames
shot up about hundred feet high. The
sight was the most heartrending one ever
witnessed by human beings. The shrek
ing of women and children was awful.
He saw the Superintendent of the Van
dalia route railroad standing outside
the ladies' cabin throwing his two little
daughters into the water. He stood
there and burned to death with his wife.
There were in the cabin niue lady pas.
sengers and about eight men. AT New
Texas twenty deck hands were taken on
board, and all are supposed to be lost.
1t is learned that Andrew Pierce, sailor,
and Antonio Rebatta, fireman, are the
ones to whom all credit of saving the
survivors is due.
The fire burned so quickly that it was
impossible to see who was saved and
who was lost. The deck was covered
with roustabouts and deck passengers,
thirty of the latter having got on the
vessel at New Texas landing, just above
hnr he k0at h,,r a1 Naorlu oil nj
those were lost, while the passengers and
crew were escaping from the boat, o
steam pipe blew up and was hurled
three hundred yards into the air. The
force of the explosion caused over
twenty bales of burning cotton to be
hurled high into the air, where they re-
volved several times and then fell into
the river. Immediately after the explo-
sion, shrieks were heard coming from
the stern of the vessel. For an instant
two colored women were seen standing
on the galley just back of the wheel
house, and the next instant they were
hidden from view by the smoke and
flames. Those who escaped were taken
away from the scene by the steamboat
Stella Wild, which passed the scene.
The States has the following ad-
ditional particulars OF the loss of the
j. M. White, gathered from the officers
and crew: The cracking of flames and
the shrieks of the passengers and crew
caused the most intense excitement.
When the alarm was first sounded Alex
ander McVay, head cook, was sitting at
the stove in his cabin. The first peal
of the bell caused him to rush outside,
and seeing the flames leap high in the
air, he ran back to the cabin and en-
deavored to get the books and money.
The fire gained rapidly and he was COM
PEELED to leave the Office, but not before
he had secured the sum of money from
the safe. Mr.. McVay then turned his
attention to saving the cabing passengers,
of whom there were about fifteen OF
eighteen, including eight ladies. He
first awoke the second clerk, John Cal
lahan, who ran out of his room in his
undershirt and trousers. Callahan and
McVay went to each room and awoke
the inmates. The terrified passengers
quickly got out, nearly all OF them, in
their night garments.
Col. l.. S. James was taken to his
home, No. 277 Prytania street, on his
arrival here. He is in critical condi'
tion. He stated that the sight was hor'
rifying and could not be told. He posi.
lively declared that there must have
been sixty persons lost, because out oi
sixty.five in the cabin he could only see
himself and four others.
Capt. Henry q. Brown, State Eugi'
reer, who was a passenger on the White,
estimates the loss of life at thirty-six.
Mr.. Brown says: "Wash. Lloyd, for
merly clerk on the Will S. Hays, ran
through the cabin calling up the passen
gers, and nobly lost his life trying tc
save Others. Capt. Muse, the Com
mander of the White, had been i'll all day
and was in bed when the fire broke out
The chief mate was in charge of the
steamer. l had about ten feet the start
of the fire, and although / ran rapidly
forward, when / reached the bank thu