Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-23
Accounts Gathered From the Officers ant
Crew.


Accounts Gathered From the Officers and
Crew.
New ORLEANS, Dec. 1.-THE States has
the following account of the loss of the
d. W. White, gathered from the officers
and crew: The boat had landed 20 take
on pile of cotton seed, and there were
Between thirty five amd forty roustabouts
engaged in this work, when precisely at
1915 O'Clock everybody was startled by
the loud ringing of the bell by Watch
man Tom Miller. Immediately after
cry of fire" was taken up by twenty
voices. In an instant the direst confus-
ION reigned, men darted to and fro, and
the work OF arousGng the sleeping pas
sengers was begun. The fire wss discov
cred by Thomas Barry, second engineer,
who, with his partner, Steven
,Janney, was ON watch at the
time. Barry gave the alarm and his
voice rang through the deck room and
vessel. Wstchman Miller took in the sit
uation at once and rang the huge bell
located on the second deck. Miller stood
at his post ringing the bell until he YVES
forced to retreat by the eneroaching
flames. The noise of the changing bell
aroused William McGreevy, chief en-
tgineer, who was asleep in the texas. He
sprang out of bed and CROPPED his way
through the smoke TO wake up his part
ner, John Ealasier, second assistant en-
gineer, VINO was asleep in the forward
part of the texas. about midway he met
Pallisier, who had also been aroused by
the bell and was on his way to hunt for
fa(r ha typn haf, al ~
hest they c0nld through the sitting smoke
for the others who slept in the Texas but
not seeing any one and believing that all
balt themselves had left they crawled out
on the hurricane deck and were compel
lett to climF diown on one of the stanch-
ems to the eight side of the beat from
whence they got on shore. In the mean
time
TWO STREAMS OF WATER
wene brought 60 play ON the fire, bat the
heavy, black volumes OF smoke drove the
engineers back. They fought the Games
step by step, bnt were az last forced to
drop the hose and save themselves. The
fire burned vita. frightfai rapidity, and
in less time than it takes to tell it. the
entire left side OF the boat was n mass of
flames. The fire soon caught the railing
of the cabin deck, and before assistance
was to be had the boat looked as if
she were eucircled by stefan of fine.
The cracking OF the flames and the
shrieks of the passengers aud crew caus-
ed the most intense excitement. When
the alarm was first sounded Alex. McVay,
the head clerk, was sitting at the stove in
his cabin The first peal of the bell caus-
ad i'm IN Ia "a
flames leap high in the air he ran back to
the cabin and endeayored to get the
books and money. The fire gained rap
idly on him snd he wac compelled to leave
the Office, but not before he had secured
a sum of money from the safe McVay
then turned his attention to
SAVING CABIN PASSENGERS
of whom there were about ID or Is, in
GLIDING eight ladies. He first awoke
Second Clerk John Callahan, who ran out
of his room in his undershirt and trousers.
Callahan and McVay went to each room
and awoke the inmates. The terrified
passengers quickly got out, nearly all of
them in their sight garments. Among
them was gentleman, name unknown,
but recognized as the superintendent
of the Vidalia Southern railroad. He
had his wife and two children, girls of .
and ~ years Of age, with him. He called
them around him and bade them follow
him. BY this time the flames had reach
ed the cabin, through which thick smoke
was rolling. The paaic stricken passen-
gers quickly made for the enhances,
some to the stern and others 10 the front.
The gentleman referred to was among
those who went to the stern. Upon
reaching the deck he grasped his Two
one at time, and threw them
into the river. Before he and his wife
could follow the flames had reached them
and they were
BURNED TO DEATH.
The two pilots on watch, John Stout and
Bob Smith were in the pilot house and
we're compelled to jump into the river,
where they were picked up. They had a
narrow escape from death. The fire
burned so quickly that it was impossible
to SEQ who was saved and who was lost. |
The deck was crowded with roHstabouts !
and deck passengers, thirty of the latter
having got on the vessel at New Texas |
landing Just about when the boat was
burned and nearly all of them were lost. /
While the passengers and crew we're es-
Gaping from the boat steam pipe blew
up and was hurled three hundred feet IN !
the air The force of the explosion caus
ed over twenty bales of burning cotton to |
be hurled high in the air when they re-
volved several times and then fell into the
river Immediately after the explosion
sHRfEKs WE'RE HEARD