Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-23
a WoaSNs cUHsY
The strange Relationship II HAD to the Barn
rug of Two Great Steamers

tnE OF Two Great Steamers
Col. George c. Northup, now city pasSen.
ger agent of the Jetlersonvilie, Madison &
Indianapolis railroad, in louisville. tells
this story of the terrible river horror. when
the two splendid steamers, the United States
and the America, collided on the Ohio near
Florence and burned 10 the waters cd ge
each with nearly 200 passengers on beard, the
night of December I, lSiS
4" 1t was in November, 1855, that the scCi-
dent occurred. | was working for the Penn
sylvan in road at that time and had my head
quarters here, as now. IL was custom ot
ours tn visit all the boats when they landed
in order to catch ON to some Esstotn hnsi-
ness, and ON the day speak of several OF us
went to the whsriboat a. usual. lhe
splendid steamer America had Just landed,
having come down from Cincinnati We
walked into the office and sat down near
the stove to wait until things got stratghteued
up While we were sitting there a woman
and two children entered. They were
all poorly dressed and carried bundles wrap
ped mp in hsndkerchiefs, which
stamped hem as emigrants. They bad
a decidedly foreign appearance, and 1t devel-
oped when the woman walked up to the
clerk that she was an Italian, and could not
speak a word of English. She endeavored
to make known her wants, hut the clerk
could not understand her. While the pauto-
milne was going on an Italian who couid
speak English happened to enter The
woman made known her wants to him. IL
appears that she had purchased emigrant
tickets at Cincinnati for ST. Louis and was to
have taken passage on the United States,
which went to her destination. Through
mistake, however, some one put her on board
the America, which only came rs far down as
this city. She was allowed to k keep her ticket
and what she wanted the clerk to do was to
take her back to Cincinnati for nothing, so
she could use her tickets to s. Louis as they
were not good from any other starting point
The clerk refused 10 comply with her request.
and she grew terribly excited. Walkiug to
the stove she took the poker, and LAYING it on
the foor proceeded TO go through number
of motions with her hands, at the same time
utterlng some words. She kept this up TOR
several moments, then started Tor the cabin
door. Before reaching ii, however, she STOPPED
and taxing oil her boys cap threw it on the
floor and went on through another exhihi.
ton OF pantomime, winding up with the
same words as before, then walked out, cross.
ing the gang-plauk, went up the levee. We
asked the Italian what she meant and he re-
Piled she had cursed the two boats which
had been the means OF her failing TO reach
her proper destination, and prayed that some
harm might betall them. 1T was not thirty
| days afterward until the terrible collision oC-
| CURED, and both of them we're burned, No
| one knows how many persons were lost that
night All the books of the United States
| were burned and the record OF passengers
| destroyed IL is thought, however, that
about eight lost their lives. Ever since then,
| when recall that night, cannot help think
| ing OF the Italian wOmau's curse and wonder
| ing al the coincidence | have never seen or
heard 0t her from that day to this"