Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-15
FIRE ON THE MISSISSIPPI
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE ON
THE BIN ZING BOAT.

ana hls wife Burned TO Death Side
by Side ON The Deck In sight of The
Survivor, After hrowing Their Two
Children Into the Water
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 1.-THE steam
boat j. NJ. White, from Nicksburg for
New Orleans, was burned Mt 10 O'Clock
last night at Blue Store, Point Coupe,
thirty miles above Baton Rouge. She
had number OF passengers on board
several lives were reported 20 have been
lost, but Captain James +. Muse, who
was in command, telegraphed that only
one person, the porter of the boat, is known
to be lost. The boat and her cargo are a
total loss. The J. NJ. W aite was built in
1878 at cost of $225,0OO. She was re-
garded by many as the finest and fastest
boat ever run on the Mississippi river
She was owned by Capt. John w. Tobin
The insurance on the boat is 800, 600, and
her cargo is undoubtedly fully insured.
When the White took fire she was lying
at Point Coupe taking on cotton. She
had on board $500 bales Of cotton and
5000 sacks of seed. This makes the cargo
valued al $150,000.
Thomas Barry, second engineer of the
White. was on duty when the fire broke
out IN tine cotton am 'dship. He says that
Tor time he thought the fire was under
control, but 1t finally gained such head
way that they could do nothing with it.
He states that the fire spread so rapidly
that the boat In a few minutes was wrap
ped in flames. He thinks there were ten
or dozen lives lost including
the colored firemen and two
c0lored ambermaids. One Of
them was named Martha Washington.
The second cook (colored) also lost. He
also reports the lOss of Capt. Bird FLOYD,
Superintendent of the Vidalia railroad
with his wife and daughter, who were
passengers. He knows nothing as to the
number OF passengers that were aboard
hut thinks there were not very many. He
believes there were some women and
children on the deck. Evidence is ac-
cumulating that there were many more
lives lost than the story Of the engineer
given above would Indicate, nOtwlthstand-
ing the reassuring telegram from the
steamers captain.
SURVIVORS AT NEW ORLEANS.
Several survivors OF the disaster
reached this city to-day by the Missis-
sippi Valley railroad from Baton Rouge.
rhey had been taken to that point by the
steamer Stella Wilde, which came a alOng
soon after the destruction OF the W bite.
Col. ). James, passenger who was In
his staterOom, was seen at No. 227 Pry-
tania street on his arrival, where he is In
a critical condition. He stated that the
sight was hOrritying and could not be
described. Col. James positively de-
clares that there must have been sixty
persons lost.
VIM. McGreevy, chief engineer OF the
boat, says that about 1910 O'Clock last
night, while lying at DIR. Frette's place
above the post office landing at Point
Coupe, at which place the boat was load.
ing cotton seed, fire broke out amidship
between the engines on top of tue cotton
below the boiler deck. Engineers Barry
and Jauney who were on watch gave the
alarm and the pumps were put to work,
but without avail. The Waterman ga We
an alarm by ringing the bell. Clerks
Callahan and Bell aroused the people in
the cabin.
FOUR KEGS OF POWDER FIRED.
The fire spread rapidly and in less than
fifteen minutes the boat had burned TO the
water's edge. There were four kegs OF
powder in the magazine and the moment
the fire reached them the flames shot about
100 feet. The sight was the most heart
rending ever witnessed. The shrieking OF
the women and children Tor help was
awful. He saw the Superintendent OF
the Vidaia railroad, standing att
Of the ladies' cabin, throw his lit
lie daughter into the water. He stood
there and burned to death with his
wife. There were In the cabin nine
lady passengers and about eight men. At
New Texas twenty deck passengers were
taken on board. All are supposed to be
lost. IL is learned that Andrew Pierce.
sailor. and Antonio Rebutta, a fireman.
are the ones to whom o II the credit of saw.
ing the survivors is due. All OF the
officers and nearly all Of the crew escaped.
Four or five of the cabin crew only are
known to be lost. No authentic list OF
the lives lost can be made. The names
given are OF those personally known TO
some OF tue survivors.
SWELLING THE DEATH LIST.
A special TO the Picayune from Bayou
Sara saws: "Tbe Picayune correspondent,
IA company with Mayor Irvine, Captain
Muse and others, wentup TO the wreck of
the White this morning. IL was a sad
-iQht. st. Maurice's landing, where the
White burned, is about i've miles above
and within sight OF this point. The fire
illuminated the river and coun-
Try for miles and the burn
ing, floating cotton made a
chastity procession down the river. II is
i'm nDossible even after intervening the
officers ana some OF the passengers 10 as
Ger ain the total number Of lives lost, but
pilots Stout and Smith say that from the
number OF persons they saw around them
IN the river fully forty must have per-
ished. Following Ia a list as far
as ascertained OF the white persons mis-
sing: l.. II. stafford, wife aud
daughter, OF Vidalia; Wash Floyd, a
well.Known steam boat man; Mrs. Mur-
ray, from Natchez; Miss Agnes McCabe,
Of West Feliciana, aud two other lady
passengers whose names are unknown.
Three men and one woman were walking
on the hurricane deck roof when the roof
tell in, and all disappeared in the flames.
They we're dou ubtess burned TO death.
Two men, whose names are unknown, in
charge Of a premium OK, jumped over
board and were drowned.
Mrs.Dr. Wade, OF West Feliciana, had
a most miraculous escape, but s almost
frantic with grief at the loss OF her sister,
Mrs. McCsbe. she speaks In glowing
terms OF the heroic and gallant Capt. G..
Wash. Floyd, VINO sacrificed his life In
trying 10 save the lady passengers. All
Among the saved are j. K. Carew and
wife, OF Ottawa, Ill.
ALL IN ALARM.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. "a, p. M.-The
States has the following account, gath
cred from the officers and crew:
The boat had landed TO take on pile OF
cotton seed, and there, were between
thirty-1ye and forty roustabOuts engaged
in this work, when, precisely at i0:l5
o,elock avarvbody was startled by the