The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-12-24
A RIVER HORROR.
burning or tho Magnificent Steam
or J. ~. White.


Nxw ORLEANS. Dec. 1.-THE famous pas
.errer nacket and cotton carrier, J. N.
White caught Are AZ ten o'clock last
night ana burned 20 the waters EDGE ~
mint i've miles above Bayou Sara, whiie
~ her way down the river. All the res
cued took tho Mississippi Valley train TOT
| this city. arriving this noon
Nrw ORLEANS. Dec ia-From inter.
| viexvs with men and officers OF tho ill-fated
stcambcat, J. NJ white. the New Orleans
| Xfsf<x has collected the following details OF
/ the disaster:
The White was hauled up 70 the dock
| ana thirty or forty roustabouts were get
tine cotton seed aboard. when Waterman
4 Tom Miller began TO ring the alarm oell
ana shouts Of ..firer were heard Great
confusion cnsucd. Employees ran quickly
about 10 wake up the sleeping passengers
who hurried out partly dressed ana panic
stricken.
second Engineer Tom Barry wasthe man
who frst saw the fire. II was IN cotion
bale amidship. He cried "hre' ana NIL.
Ter NJ once began ringing the bell ana
stayed at his post until driven away ~
the advancing flames.
WIN Mct;reevy. chief engineer, was
aslecp in the texas. Being awakened by
the changing bell. he sprang from MS pea
and Qropcd his way through the smoke 70
arouse his partner, John Palasier, second
assistant en- gineer. Meeting Palasier about
midway. the two men began q search
through the suffocatng smoke Tor others
who silent in the texas They We're unable
70 discover any one and believing all had
ESCAPED. they crawlcd TO the hurricane
deck. from whence they climbed down on
one of the stanchions 70 the right SIDE Of
the boat and escaped to shore
Two streams Of water had been orougnt
, 10 play upon the fire. and the engineers
. fought the flames step BY step, but were
finally forced 70 drop the hose ana save
J themselves.
The flames made very rapid progress,
and in a short time the entire left side q
the boat was mass OF flames The rail-
!, ing OF the cabin dock was soon on nre'
. ana the entire boat was encircled ID
flames. The shrieks Of the passengers
! and crew and the cracking OF the nre
0 caused great excitement
Head Clerk Mcvay was in his cabin
= when he heard the first alarm, he mao
barely time to secure some OF the money
Z from the safe and the most valuable
papers. before the flames were upon nm
I Ne then ran out and devoted himself Y
I efforts to save the passengers. ne says
Il there were fifteen or eighteen cabin pas
i sen gers. Of whom eight were ladies' h'
e frst awakened second clerk John Gala
. han. who did not stop 70 put any clotnin'
: on except his shirt and trousers. McNa'
\ and Callahan made rapid tour 81 70.
|. rooms TO make sure that no one was iei
4 unwarned Of danger
i Among the passengers who crowded y
rether on the deck. most Of whom wer
-. - rtftnufe was gentle
!, maa who was recognized as the supcrr
l. tcndcnt or the vidaiia Southern railroad
Il. who was travelling with his wife and IVY
he girls. nine and twelve years old. As "
h. roaring flames drew near the group N
be father. seeing that they would be burnc
10 10 death il they remained, grasped ms y
~ t1c c,rls- one after the other, and thrc'
- them into the water He was urging n
Y, wife 10 take the leap when burst {
a flames developed them. They soon fcl
- apparently suffocatcd BY inhaling the mr.
he and were burned 70 death.
70 John Stout and Bob smith. the pilots
lal watch were in the pilot-housc and WEI
he compelled 10 jump into the river. whc'
~ They were picked IN. They had mario
- escape from death.
SO quick was the spread OF the hame
that II was impossible a. sec VINO escape
and who persisted. The decks were crow
"a While they were escaping, a. be-
they could. the steam pipe blew up. II
n force OF the explosion was terrific MAI
n balcs Of cotton was thrown high into Y
$. AIR where they rcvovcd several times a.
CO then fell into the river. Just aftef Y
k exnlosion shricks were heard coming fro
I'd the stern OF the boat. where two color'
10 women were seen envclOpcd BY name
~ moment later they had fallen and d
appeared.
TX lowed the starboard cabins.
vi The rescued were picked up by :
a. steamboat stella Wild. As the last we
n being taken aboard the four kegs OF 20
he der on board blew up and hurled the oul
he ing wreck in all directions. This virtual
DR. put the fire out, as but little was lett
"a burn.
III a minute or two after the explosion
" cry forward was heard from md-strca
De- boat was lowered from the Stella "
IN and pulled in the direction Of the call
i'd helm a man was seen through the da
ness clinging to a cotton bale, but Just
he the boat was nearing him the bale turf
over. the mans hold was loosencd, and
The sank to rise no more.
T. SURVIVORS STORIES.
sry Nearly all Of the persons rescued II
NJ, the steamer reached here today
gave vivid accounts Of the dcstruct
Of OF that splendid vessel James Coli
the the deck Waterman, said:
chad Just como out Of the hold IN
ex- minutes before the frc started.
ted down there seeing how the water
ght AL was responding 70 the call Of the m!
one OF the cabin boys shouted.
4 in boats a-hrc.' ran amidsf
re- and saw smoke and co
sed emen the cotton burning. y
ICES ran upstairs to the hurric
! deck and rang the bell several times. I
g Of / came down stairs and tried TO fight
will way 10 the deckroom 70 sec what as
the ance could render, but was driven ?
this by the dense smoke and the flames. wi
by this time were fast cnvcloping the ,
ltcd then returned upstairs and met the ,
the cook. and told him that the boat wa
IRE. and he returned 70 the cabin 20
zero IN tho other cooks. BY this time
Bur entire boat was on fire. and the scene
ono that can not describe. have y
Or many trips on the Mississippi and !
vcrc seen boats 20 70 the bottom with to-
stricken souls on board, but never
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