Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-15
HOLOCAUST /!
Another Awful Catastrophe, Involving
Loss Of Life, Occurs on the
Mississippi River
The steamer j N. white, the Finest
en- All the River. Burned Near
tsayou Sara, a.--To al Loss.
siany People Known 60 HAVE psrished In
the Fleniss-rhe Number Placed
a. high as FIFTY,
INV FIRST RuMoR.


a. High Rs FIFTY.
THw FIRST RuMoR.
MEMPHIS, TENN, Dec. l4.-Thero Is a
rumor anoat that the elegant steamer J
NJ. White. Tunulng between Vlcksburg
ard New Orleans, was burned at an early
hour this morning near Baton Rouge and
nity lives Lost. The report Is not yet
authenticated.
FRGHTFuL LOSS or LiRR.
MEMrnis, TRNN,, Dec. II, III AN
The loss OF the steamer j, nj. White his
been confirmed. She burned to the wa.
ter's edge at II o'clock last night, while
lying az the bank near Bayou Sara, La,
About sixty lives were lost, consisting
largely OF women and children. Nearly
all the crew were saved, Among the pas
sengers reported lost is the superlnten.
dent OF the Yandslls railroad at Natohez,
who, together with his wife and children,
persisted In the disaster. The books OF
the boat were lost
FINEST STEAMER on THE RIVER.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dee. lA.--The
steamer J, NJ, White burned eight miles
above Bayou Sars, La, last night She
was on her way to New Orleans, having
left Natchez a. p. M. Sunday. The
White was the finest steamer on the
Mississippi river She was en- route 20
New Orleans and had cargo OF cotton
ON board estimated at not less than 2000
bales The surviving passengers and
crew were conveyed TO New Orleans this
morning,
A MEAGER RRroRE
NEw ORLEANS, La, Dec. li.-rhe
steamboat j. NJ. White, from Vicksburg
10 New Orleans, burned at 10 O'Clock
last night at Blue Stowe, OF
Point Conpec, thirty miles above
Baton Rouge. She mad quite a
number OF passengers aboard, 2l00 bales
of cotton, and 5000 sacks OF seed, Sew
eral lives ale reported lost, but Capt.
James X. Muse, who was In command,
telegrapns that one life, that OF the porter
OF the boat, is known TO be lost. The
boat and cargo are total loss. The J
NJ White was built In 1878 at cost Of
S226, 200, and was the haest aud fastest
boat ever run on the Mississippi river.
The boat was owned by Capt John w.
Tobin. She was valued at 100000 and
the cargo AZ 100000 The ioaurance on
the boat is $50 600 Tho cargo was
doubtless folly covered by Insurance.
Full particulars are at this time almost
impossible tSoe had,
AN INDgFINITE NUMBER LOST.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. l4..--When
the j. NJ. White took ire, she was lying
al Pint Coupee taking on cotton. She
had on board $500 bates OF cotton and
5000 sacks OF seed. This makes the cargo
valued AZ 100000 Thomas Barry,
second engineer ~ the j NJ. White, was
on duty when the hre broke out In the
cotton amidship. For time he thought be
had got the FIRE under control, hut IL
finally gained such heAdway that nothing
could be done with II. Barry states the
fire then spread 80 radidly that the beat
WAS wrapped In flames IN short time
He thinks there were ten or twelve lives
lost, including the colOr2d fireman aud
two colored chRmbermaids, one named
Martha Washington. The second
eo5k, colored, was also lost.
Barry also reports the loss OF C4pt. Bird
Floyd and the superintendent OF the
Nsndalia read and bis wife, who were
passengers. Barry knows nothing as to
the number OF passengers that were
aboard, but he thinks there were not very
many. He believes there were some
women ard children on deck
Evidence Is sccumualng that there
were many lives lost, az the story Of
Fireman Barry would indicate. Some
people place the number at fifty.
THE NAMES NOT oBTAISABLE.
MEMPHIS, TENN, Dec. IA "A telegram
from j II Powell station agent at Baton
Rouge, TOD NJ Edwards, general man
ager Of the Mississippi Valley route,
says ct Is impo .sble 10 get thenames
Of the lost or saved from the burned
steamer. Only few passengers came TO
Is iton Rouge The balance we're left at
Bayou Sara. The only names that could
be gotten Of the lost are Mr. stafford,
wife aud children, from yendAlia, and g
Wash Floyd, the former captain Of the
Will S Hays. All the officers we're saved
and sre not dispose d 10 talk. II Is under
stood that many other passengers were
lost, b sides seven or eight Of the crew."
FROM THE oFFlcERs AND cREw
NEw ORLEANS, La, Dec. 1.-THE
following account Of the loss Of the j.
M. White Is gathered from the officers
and crew; The boat had landed 70 take
on Pile Of cotton.seed, and there were
between thirty Eve and forty roustsboats
engaged IN THIS WORK when, precisely ~
1915 O'Clock everybody was startled by
the loud ringing OF the bell by the watch
man, Tom Miller. Immediately sitter
ward the cry Of /" fire" WAS
taken up by twenty voices.
Instantly confusion relgned. Men darted
TO aud fro and the work Of arOusipg the
sleeping passengers was begun. The
fire was discovered by Thomas Barry,
second engineer, who, with bis partner
Stephen Jenny, was on watch al The time.
The frat !aiimatlon ne bad Of fire was a
small light on the top row Of the cotton
bales Rmldships, which greatly rcsembled
the flames Of lantern.
Barry left his post 10 investigate, and
wss a,t0nished 70 discover that the light
was caused by bale Of cotton brightly
burning Barry gave the alarm aad his
voice rang through the deck-room Of the
vessel. Waterman Miller took 10 the
-. - hell