Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-31
FATAL FIRE.
A STEAMER BURNED AND A NUMBER
OF LIVES LOST
The Bradish Johnson Destroyed by Fire
MANY Persons Burned and Drowned
Description Of the Disaster.
IBy telegraph to the Dispatch. ]

MOBILE, ALA, December 3O.-News was
received here late last night 81 the burning
Of the steamer Bradlsh johnson, used as
| clearinghouse, ut Jackson, on the Blgbee
river, eleven miles above Mobile on Wed
nCsday night. There is no telegraph llnc
! 10 that point. The Johnson was lying with
! her nose pointing TO shore and her gang.
plank out. A. E. Yale, one Of the bosses,
gave the following description Of the fire:
! had Just gone 10 bed when heard cry
Of lire. ] got into my pants somehow and
| seized my other effects and rushed ont into
the cabin. There bad been purity on
there PLAYING cards, and they saw smoke
rising. When | came INTO the cabin the
IRE seemed 10 be in n stlterOOm at OF the
| pantry on the port side, aud the men who
had been PLAYING cards were standing there
at the door looking in at the fire. They
seemed dazcd, and dId not know whit 10
do. They had shouted "Firc !" hut there
lhcy stood looking at il. ] shouted, ." For
Gods sake, what are you standing there
Tor? Wake the men up and let u get
ont of here" There was an Old ALT
bamidn in the room next TO mine.
don't know his name. lie was
| asleep when ! went to bed. for heard him
snoring. | hammered and pounded away
with oil my might, but don't know
whether ! got him awake or not. The
smoke was already filling the cabin. and
the men were running around like mad. |
hardly know what happened. | ran for.
ward through the cabin, and my ewes aud
mouth got 80 iull OF smoke that |
old not know where was going.
Tine negroes were mostly lodged on
| the lower deck. They all came
| running forward about the same time We
| GOT there. The vessel burned very fast,
| and was a sclid mass Of flames IN a moment.
when reached the bank turned around
and saw The pilot house fall in with
some 81 the negroes. Others fed up
| the bank in 4 mob and ri. he'd 10 The woods,
where they huddled like ,necp, and could
| not be persuaded 10 come down to the
| boat. They knew that some Of their num-
| hcr were lost IN the burning vessel, and
they were seemingly ~upcr.tltious about it,
They did not want To 20 near the place.
The boat became a mass OF flimes, and
burned for about an hour, when she sank,
nothing but The iack>tafl remaining out Of.
water.
A. soon a, ! got ashore there wa, a re-
port that there were men IN the water on
the other side OF the steamer. Skifis were
manned and sent 10 the rescue. They
%, kcd up Mr.. Daily, one Of the cai>son
men. Neal, M Engli,hman, In one OF the
,kll> had two negroes near him, but they
sank out Of tight. Bowling. the cook.
VITO received slight burns on the face and
hands, found w.itc man lying in a state
room door. Dan. liilbOu>c came up, and
the two dragged the man, supposed
TO be McElroy, out to the boiler
deck. The man was uncOn>ciOu, from
the effects Of smoke. Just then the
flames burst ont on the side, and
Bowling Jumped over the railing 10 save
hi, life. IIillhou>c, however, SMd he heard
q man crOdning Just inside, and he went
back into the cabin to rescue thi, man. H.
never came out again. and was never seen
alive after that, and il was believed he wa.
sacrificed in the noble attempt TO save
another mans life. Ilillh0u,e wa, from
Sew York, and wa, considered the oldest
pressure man in the cliS>Ou Business. and
WIS employed in building tn Blgbcc
bridge There is ~ t.llIug lust how
mauy lost their lives in the fire
and in the river some say that
ten others are mi,,inr. ! think two
Other White men were burned with the
boat. and there may have been others. for
don't think they had chlnce TO De-
awakened and then escape. for IL WIS all
''hIA Nfs Will lE' NtlliiiiNi hINu 81 IIU-
ming, 10 get out alive. Had thcGrt broken
oui one hour later, when an the men
would have been in bed, none OF u, would
have escaped, for there would have been
nobody in the cabin 10 discover the smoke.
and the whole crowd would have been sui
foaiod. - TO the origin OF the fire,
know nothing. The coO6 was sick, and
knows nothing about il. lie say, the boy,
told him before bp went 10 slppt that the
fines in the galley were all ont and cycry-
thing ,afe. The Walchman on the deck
below did not see the fir until the alarm
va, given.
I he Brdi,h johnson was built in the
West Tor what Is called the Louisiana |
lower coast trade: that is. from New Or. |
lean, down 10 the passes Il the Mississippi. |
She was nImed after Bradi,h johnson.
IcpulCd to be one OF the richest sugar |
planter, IN LOUISIANA. In 1874 Cmttn |
81. stone brought her here from New Or |
leans, and ran her on the Aahlrg and |
ii- tributaries iJT several year, until |
she got ia litigation. and wa, finally sold IN |
the MAJ -hal'> sale. The purchaser was Cap. |
tain II. &. Baldwin. who kept hci in the |
>nmc trade. iftcr hi> death sine passed 10 |
Mr.. Eti'rh0u-c Moore. who ul> owned Der |
ever since Two years ago she Wl, con.
dDmHtd ana Ncrto NJ commission. 81,
Va- NOT Insured. and her value wc>
IurIr4I