The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-15

out of his room in his undershirt and
trousers. Callahan and McVay went to
each room and awoEe the inmates. The
. terrified passengers quickly got out
nearly all of them IN tIeir night gar
ments Among them was gentleman,
name unknown, but recognized as sup
jerintendent of the Vandalia Southern
Railway. ne hal his wife and two
children, girls of 9 and y years, with
him. He called them around him,
e-d babe them follow him. By
this time the flames had reached
the cabin, througl which thick smoke
was rolling. The psnic-stItcken pas
sengers quickly made for an entrance,
some 10 the stern and others 10 the
front. The gentleman referred TO was
among those that went to the stern.
Upon reaching the deck he grasped
his two children, one at time, and
I threw them into the river. Before he
and his wife could follow, the flames
had reached them, and they were
burned to death Two pilots on watch,
! John Stout and Bob Smith, we're in the
pilot house, and were compelled to
/ lump in the river, where they were
! picked up. They had q narrow escape
/ from death. The fire burned so quickly
/ that il was impossible 10 see who was
I
/ was crowded with rOustabOuts and deck
passengers, thirty of the latter having
got on the vessel at New Texas landing
I lust above where the boat was burned.
| Nearly all of these were lost. While
the passengers and crew were escaping
| from the boat the steam pipe blew up
and was hurled 800 yards in the air.
The force Of the explosion caused over
twenty bales of burning cotton TO be
hurled high in the air where they re
yolYed several times and then fell into
the river. Immediately after the ex
plOsiOn shrieks were heard coming from
/ the stern of the vessel. For an Instant
two cOlOred women were seen standing
on the gallery Just bsck of the wheel
house, and the next instant they were
hidden from view by smoke and flames.
I The first part of the boat to give way
was the wheel house. 1t fell into the
water and a draft being created, the
| flames swept through the centre of the
boat, Those who escaped were taken
away from the scene by the steamboat
! Stella IPild, which plies between Bayou
| sara and Natchez. AS the Wild was
backing out, thIes K IS OF empower
! that were in the hold were hurled IN all
directions. This virtually put the FIRE
ont and what was once a palatial
steamer was now a blackened wreck.
When the Wild reached the river, a
/. loud CRY for help came from the middle
OF the stresm. A boat was lowered
. and was quickly pulled in the direction
: OF the CIV. Through the darkness the
, crew saw the figure OF man era sping a
, bale OF cotton, but before they could
reach him the bale turned over and
when il vas Tighted he was gone.
Captain Henry 6. Brown, state en-
gineer, who was q passenger on the
White, estimates the loss of life at
thirty-six. He gives the names of the
following persons who were saved, but
were all slightly injured, and were left
at Mt. Burgeois: John Stahl, pilot;
| HOrtense Smith, Mrs. Smith, OF Racine,
Wis. and q gentleman and his wife
from Chicago, names unknown.
There we're about thirty cabin pas
sengers IN the BUREAU" The number
of deck passengers Is unknown. Mr..
Brown says: Wash" Lloyd, formerly
clerk on tie VIII :. Hays, ran
through the cabin, calling up the
/ passengers, and molly lost his life
BY trying 10 save others. Captain
I Muse, commander of the White, had
been III all day and was in bed when
the fire broke out. The chief mate was
i
ten feet start of the fire and although |
ran rapidly forward, when / reached
the bank the fire was with in twenty
FIVE meet of me. l had on my under
clothing. ! did not see q soul in the
cabin, as l ran through. The cabin
was in full blaze at the time and the
flames were rapidly eating their way to
the hurricane deck"
Pilots Stout and Smith say that from
the number OF persons they saw around
them IN the river fully forty must have
erished.
Following is list as far as
as sertained Of white persons missing:
S H. SpoiOrd, wife and daughter, OF
Nidalia; Captain g. W. Floyd, well
known steamboat man, Mrs. Murray OF
Nstchez; Miss Agnes McCabb, of West
Felicion; and two other lady passengers
woman were walking on the hurricane
deck when it fell in, and all disap-
DeaTed in the flames. Following is a
list of the colored persons lost: Levi
Robinson, captain OF the watch; two
unknown negro women; Randolph.
fireman; Landry, pastry cook; Lewis
Martin, second cook; Albert Brown,
cabin boy; John Parker, cabin boy;
Piney. Walsa -,chambermaid: i. Martha
Washington. chambermHid; Duncan
Fouth, cook; two negro preachers,
names unknown; q negro woman from
Port Hickey and her son, aged Is; Vol
sen Bell, laboreT, aud Two negro women,
Cachiwith an iafant.
Two white men, William DAILY, Of
Nebraska, and Mr.. Oberchain, of Ken
lucky. are thought 10 be lost. Mrs.
Wode, OF West telicion, had an almost
miraculous escape. Shespsaks in glowing
terms the heroic aud gallant conduct
Of CaDtaIn Floyd. who sacrificed his life
il trying to save the lady passengers.
All OF the officers OF the JPhite were
saved. Among those who escaped were
j. i. Carew and wife, Of Ottawa, Ills.
Is willing to Accept.