Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-12-27
Another River Disaster.
THE JOHN. h. HANNA BURNED
TO THE WATERS EDGE.
A MOST TERRIBLE SCENE.
The Bewldered Passengers Rush from
Their State Rooms and Perish Among
burning Cotton or are Drowned
-Greht Loss of Life.

PLAquEMINE, La, Dec.2e.-The steam
er John II, Hanna, loaded with cotton,
from Quaehita, burned early Tuesday
morning. The boat and cargo are a total
loss. The number of people who per.
ished is not yet known, but the loss OF
life will be very great, as the boat had
nearly one hundred persons on board and
only about a dozen 8 far are accounted
for. Capt, j. s. Holmes was in com
mand and was burned to death. First
Clerk Sam Powell was drowned. The
old pilot, Bob Smith, a passenge. on the
Inflated vessel, was burned to death.
1t was just before Christmas day was
being ushered In that the fine steamer
was coming down the river. Several OF
the passengers were seated in the cabin
having n merry time. Many of the crew
and passengers were asleep when the
fire broke out and spread with indiscrib.
able rapidity. The details of the suffer
ings and death of some of the passengers
are narrowing in the extreme.
The boat had reached a point which
was but a short distance above town
when a negro roustabout near the boiler
room ran out to the deck and shouted
that the boat was on fire. John Cullen,
q stokar, was near the place at the time,
and seeing the flames bursting forth
from the big tiers of cotton near
the boiler, ran h. stily to the engine
room and gave the alarm. Engineer
Merriman took In the situation at a
glance, and at once sounded the alarm by
blowing the steam whistle and ringing
the bell. In an instant the flames
shot through the cabin and over the
sides of the cotton, en%veloping the entire
boat in fire. Clerk Powell was up
stairs At the time, and when he saw the
flames, heroically ran through the
smoke, which filed the cabin, and tried
to arouse the sleeping people. He kicked
at the doors, ana in q short time almost
everybody was awake. Frantic people
ran to the different exits to make their
escape. But the boat was piled high
with cotton and the passageways were
filled with smoke. Many dropped before
they were able to get to the forward part
OF the boat and were dead when tho
steamer went down.
AS 500 as the fire was discovered En-
gineer Merriman set the steam pumps to
work, but the fire swept through the
boat like blast on a prairie, and the
engine room WAS soon in flames. Then a
steam pipe burst and filled the place
with scalding steam. Merriman was
forced to abandon his post.
As the smoke and flames started nm
the sides of the boat Capt. Jolles, the
pilot, swung her around and headed the
boat for shore. A full head of steam
was on, and the boat soon ran Into the
bank. Before she did So, however. she
was doomed. ALI her timber was furi-
ously burning. Whep the steamer struck
the bank she bounded away again and
swung around,sdrifting down4Lhe stream
as h burned. Then Capt. Jolles jumped
out over the cotton bales, and springing
into the river swan ashore.
Floating cotton, charred timber and
other debris filled the river, and many
people were struggling desperately IL
the winter for their lives. Some were
able to swim ashore, but most of then
were SO badly burned or thoroughly ex
hausted that they struggled but q few
moments and sank to rase no more.
AS the burning boat struck the banb
the crew and the passengers who haG
been able TO reach the forward end oil
the boat sprang ashore, some of them
with scorehed faces and bruised limbs,
and mahy with scarcely any covering
Among those who managed t o get of
were Capt. Homes and Bob Smith, thu
unfortunate pilot of the Inflated White
who was q passenger, When the cap
tain jumped ashore he was horribly
burned, and in his frantic desire to be-
relieved from the pain he was suffering
he buried his face and hands in soft muc
and begged most %piteously for some ont
to help him. Smith was just behint
and was laid out by tho side of the dying
captain. The two died together on the
river bank, 5
No mi saw Clerk Powell, who dis
played much heroism in waking up the
passengers, after he had raped at the
doors, and IL is quite positive that he
was burned to death and went down
with the steamer No attempt was
made to save any of the steamers books
and papers, and everything, together
with the clothes Of the crew and passen
gers, was lost. The boat burned rapidly
after she reached the bank, andin q very
short time after the alarm was given
she had burned to the waters edge. The
hull sank, and nothing was left of the
Hanna but the floating timbers and the
burning cotton.
The general impression is that some
careless smoker threw a cigarette among
the cotton bales and thereby caused the
disaster.
John Grafton, carpenter, was in the
upper portion OF the boat. struggling to
get near. the front end. The flames were
twisting end sweeping all about him.
He tried to reach the bow, but dropped
and burned to death before the eyes OF
the people.
The boat was about fifteen yards from
the shore when a great many people
plunged into the river, and several who
reached the bank In safety became
begged in the soft mud, and SO intense
was the heat that they were burned to
death before they could climb up the
steep bank of the leyse. The fire WAS
so rapid that before the pilot had finished
sounding the three alarm whistles the
entire boat from stem to stern was O
roaring mass of flames, aud the scene
that ehsued was terrible In the extreme.
Men yelled and ran about the decks OF
the burning steamer like maniacs, and
others, screaming at the top Of their
voices, threw themselves into the dark
waters and were lost to sight.
The impression prevails that the mum,
Der of lives lost may not exceed thirty,
although, owing to the fact that the
steamers papers were burned, 1t IL
difficult to get the exact number of PEG
pie on board the Inflated boat.
The Hero of the Day.
NEW ORLEANS. Dec. 2k.-Thc story O,