Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-12-23
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Fifty Lives Lost and SsSo,oOo Worth
OF Property observation-disclosures
Description or the Horror

NEw OMEANs, Dec. 14-Tho steamer :.
NJ. White from visksburg, NJ sslsslppl TO
New orleans, burnel At t"n last night at
Blue Store Point Coupee, thirty miles above
Bat N Rouge She had quite number OF
passengers aboard, aud two thousand bales OF
cotton, Aad six thousand sacks Of seeds. Sew
ersl lives were reported lost but tho captain
telegraphcd that only one lie, the porter OF
the boat, Is known 70 be lost Tho boat and
cargo are total loss, the steamer which cost
two hundred aud twenty-five dol ats, was con-
sidcred by many as the finest aud fastest boat
ever run on tho MISSES ppi river Tbs boat
was valued at one hundred thousand dollars;
cargo a. ninety thousand; insurance on the
boat is twenty thousand dollars, aud the
cargo, undoubtedly Is fully covered, When
the steamer took fire she was lying at Point
Coupee taking on cotton. She had on board
thirty-hye hundred bales OF cotton and eight
thousand sacks of seed, this makes the
cargoes valued at ono hundred aud
0fty thousand dollars. Thomas Barry,
second engineer OF j, NJ. White last night was
on duty when the fire broke out In the cotton
Amidship, aud for time no thought no had
the fire under control, but II finally gained
such headway, that nothing could DO done
with II. Barry states that the nro then spread
so rapidly that tho boat was wrapped In flames
In a short time. He thinks there were ten or
twelve lives lost, including the colored fireman
aud two colored chambermaids. barry alsa
reports the loss OF Captain Bird Floyd and the
Superintendent OF the Vnndalia Railroad,
with his wife and daughter who were passen'
gers. Barry knows nothing AS 10 the Eambcr
OF passengers aboard, but thinks there were
not many. Evidences accumuatlng show that
there were many lives lost Some people place
the number ut flity
New ORLEANS, Dec. A.--Capt Brown state
Engineer. who was passenger on the steam
or White, estimates the loss OF life at thirty.
ak. He gives the names OF the following per
soma who wers saved, but were all slightly In
jurod aud left at Mr.. Burgois''
John stahl, pilot,
Horton z. Smith and Mrs Smith, Of Racine,
Wisconsin.
Gentleman and his wife, from Chicago.
Names unknown.
There were about thirty cabin passengers
and q number Of negro cabin passengers In
the bureau" The number Of deck passon-
gers Is unknown, Brown says Walsh Lloyd,
formerly clark On WIN g. Hayes ran through
the cabin calling up passengers aud nobly lost
his life trying 10 save others. Captain Muse,
commander 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 ]
had about ten feet ofa start OF the fire, and
although ran rapidly forward when reach
cd the bank the FIRE was within twenty five
feet ~ M hal On my undertaking. !
did not see soul In tue cabin us I ran through
The caD.a Was ~ II full blaze ut the time and
the flames were rapidly eating their way 10
the hurricane deck.n Pilots Stout aud Smith
say that from number OF persons they cav
around them In the river, fully forty must
have persisted. The following Is the list, as
far as ascortalned, OF the white persons
missing
s. H. Spofford, wife and daughter, OF VI.
dalla, Capt. q. w. Floyd, q well-known steam
boat man, Mrs Murray, Of Natchez, Miss
Aguess McCabb, OF west Frclion, aud two
others, lady passengers, names unknown.
Three men aud one woman were walking on
tho hurricane deck when u fell in and all dls'
appeared in the flames, The following Is the
list OF colorcd persons drowned! Lew Rob.
inson, captain OF the watch; = unknown negro
women; ID OK Randolph, fireman. Oscar Ran
dali, pastry cook; James Martin, End cook;
Albert Brown, cabin boy; John Parker, cabin
boy; Perry Williams, cabin boy; Amos Morse,
porter; Edward Jackson, cabin boy; Penny
Walker, chambermaId; Duncan Fourth, cook /;
Q negro preachers, names unknown; negro
woman from Port Hickey aud her sou aged 49,;
yolsin Bell, laborcr, and negro women, each
with an infant; Q white men VIM. Daley, Ne
braslia, and Mr. Oberchain, OF Kentucky, are
believed 10 be lost. Mrs. Wade, OF FellcIna,
had an almost miraculous escape. She speaks
In glowing terms OF the hero and gallant con
duct OF Capt. lloyds, who sacrificed bis life In
trying to save lady asscngcrs. All OF the Of.
fcers OF the White were saved. Among those
who escapcd we're j. Y. Carew aud wife, Of
Ottawa, III.