Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-12-15

There were in the cabin nine lady
passengers and about eight men. At
New Texas twenty deck hands were
taken on board and all are supposed
to be lost. 1t 10 learned that Andrew
Pierce, a sailor, and Antonio Rebatta.
q firem IN, are the ones to whom all
credit Of saving the survivors is due.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
BATON ROUGE. La. Dec. IA
special regarding the burned steamer
says: Two streams of water were
brought to play on the fire but the
heavy, black volumes Of smoke drove
the engineers back. They fought the
flames step by step but were at last
forced to drop the hoee and save them.
selves. The fire burned with frightful
rapidity and in less time than II takes
TO tell IL the entire left side of the boat
was mass of flames. The fire soon
caught the railing Of the cabin deck
and before any assistance was to be
had the boat was total wreck. She
was encircled by wreath Of fire and
the cracking Of the flames and the
shrieks Of the passengers now caused
the most intense excitement. When
the alarm was first given Alex Nc
Way, head clerk, was citing at the
stove I'm his cabin. The first peal OF
the bell caused him to rush outside,
and seeing the flames leap in the air
he ran back to the cabin and endeav-
ored TO get the books and money.
The fire gained rapidly on him and he
was compelled to leave the office, but
not before he had secured a sum of
money from the safe.
HERoIsM OF THE CLERKS
Mr.. McVay then turned his attent-
ion to the cabin passengers, of whom
there were about fifteen or eighteen,
including eight ladies. He first awokt
thesecopd clerk. John Callahan, and
they went to each room and awoke
the inmates, the terrified pas sengers
quickly got out, NEARLY all of
them In their night clothes.
Among them was u gentleman,
name unknown but recognized
q superintendent Of the Valley rail-
road. He had two children, girl. Of 8
and IL with him. He called them
around him and bade them follow
him. BY this time the flames had
reached the cabin. through which the
smoke was pouring. The gentleman
referred to was among those that went
to the stern. On reaching the deck he
grasped his two children, one at a
time, and threw them into the river.
Before he and bis wife could follow
the flames had reached them and they
were
BURNED TO DEATH.
The two pilots on watch, John Stew
art and Bob Smith, were in the pilo,
house, and were compelled to JUMP
Into the river, where they We're pick
ed up. The fire burned 80 quickly
that it was impossible to see who wa
saved and who was lost. The deck
was crowded with roustabouts and
deck pessengers, thirty of the latter
having got on the vessel at the
New Texas landing just above
where the boat was burned and
nearly all of these were lost. While
the passengers and crew were escaping
from the bJat the steam pipe blew M
and was spurted 800 yards i'm the air.
The force Of the expIosi"n CAUSED over
twenty bales of burning cotton to he
hurled
HIGH IN THE AIR
where they revolved several times aud
then fell into the river. Immediately
after the ex xplosion shrieks were heard
coming from the stern Of the vesse
and for an instant two colored womer
were seen standing on the the galley
Just back of the wheel house and tn,
next instant they where hid from
view by the smoke and flames.
Survivors give estimates of the losi
Of life as ranging from thirty TO sixt,
persons.