The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-31
LIVES LOST BY FIRE.
DUHNING OF THE STEAMER BR a
DISH JOHNSON.
Statement OF An Eye wituess-Nar
row Escape OF Many OF tine I'm.
fortunate dodgers.

fortunate Lodgers.
MoBI Z, ALA December 80 News
was received here late last night of
the burning of the steamer B ,adish
Johnson, used as a boarding house at
Jsckso1, on the Big Bend river,
eleven miles above Mobile, Wedues-
day night. There is no telegraph line
to that point. The johnson was ly-
ing with her nDee in the bank and
gaog plank out. a. Q. Yeall, one OF
the bosses, gave the following descIip.
ton OF the FIRE: 81 had Just g1ne to
bed when / heard the cry of fire. L
got into NV pants aud seized
my other effects and rushed out
into the cabin. There had been
party of men out there playing
cards end they taw smoke rising.
When / came into the cabin the fire
seemed to be in the etsteIoom aft of
the pantry On the port side, and the
men who had been playing cards were
Standing there at tho door looking in
at the fire. They seemed like they
were dazed and did not know what to
do. They had shouted fire, but there
they stood staring at it. / hallowed,
"For Gods safe, what are you
standing there for! Wake the men
up and let US get out of
here" Thers was an old man,
an Alabam an, in the room next to
mine. 1 don't know his name. He
was asleep when ] went to bed, for /
heard him snoring Whether / got
him awake or not l don't know. l
hammered and pounded with all my
might. You see the smoke was al
ready filling the cabin and the men
wera running around like mad. i
hardly know what happened. l ran
forward through the cabin and my
eyss and mouth got 30 full of smoke
that i did not know where l was
going. Tie negroes were mostly
lodged or the lover deck. They
all came RAINING forward about
the same time we got there. The yes
sci burned very fsst, and was solid
mass of flames in moment. When
had reached the bank turned around
and saw the pilot house and texas fall
in with the negroes. They fed up the
bank in a mob and rushed to the
woods where they huddled like sheep,
and could not be persuaded to come
down to tho bank. They knew that
some OF their number were lost in the
burning boat, and they were seeming
ly supeysttious about IL. They did
not want to 20 near the place, SO
the boat became mass Of flames
and burned for about half an
hour when she sank. AS soon as
got ashore there was report that
there were men in the water. Skiffs
were manned and cent 10 their rescue.
They picked up Mr. Dalv, one Of the
Carson men. William Neal, an En-
glishman ia one Of the skifis, had two
negroes right near him, bot they sank
out of sight. William Downing, the
cook, who received slight burns on
the face and hands, found a white
man lying in a stateroom door.
Dan Hlllhouee came up and
the two dragged the man, supposed
to be McElrOy, cut on the boiler
deck. The man WIS unconscious
from the effects of smoke. Just then
the a mes burst out on the side, and
Daring jumped on the railing to rave
his lie. Hillhouse, however, said ne
heard man groaning just inside the
csbiD, end he went back to rescue the
man. He never came out again and
he was not sean alive after that,
and it is believed he was sacrificed in
the noble attempt to save another
mans life.
There is no telling Just how many
lost their lives in the FIRE. Some say
that ten others are missing, but all
that l know of are the two negroes,
Lewis Adams and Benz amin Bush,
who were drowned, and two white
men missing. think two other white
men were burned with the boat, and
there must have been others, for
don't thiak they he'd a chance to be
awakened and then escape, for it was
all l could do, with the smarteat Find
of running, to get out alive. had
the fire broken out one hour later, i
when all the men would have
been in bed, none of US would have
escaped. As to the origin Of the fire
know nothing. The cook ssys the
boys told him before ne went 10 sleep
that the fires in the galley were sll
out and everything safe. The Bradish
johnson was built in the West for
what is called the Louisiana lower
coast trade, that is, from New Orleans
down to the passes OF the Mississippi.
Capt. ]. Stone brought her here and
ran her on the Alabama and its
tributaries for several years, until it
was sod at Marshal sale. The pur.
chaser was Capt. II. @. Baldwin, who
kept her in the same trade. After his
death Mr.. Rittsnhou9e Moore bought
her. Two years ago she was con-
demned and went out Of commission.
She was not insured, and her value
YVES nominal"