St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-26

and many people were struggling deS-
perately in the water for their lives.
Some of them were able to swim ashore,
but most of them were badly burned, or
so exhausted that they struggled but
few moments and sank to rise no more.
AS the burning boat struck the bank of
the river, the crew and passengers who
had been able to reach the forward end
of the boat, sprang ashore, some of
them with scorched faces and bruised
limbs, and many of them with scarcely
any covering. Among those who man
aged to get off were Capt. Holmes and
Bob Smith, the unfortunate pilot of the
iH-fated Lee, who was a passenger OH
his way down to the city. Both men
were
BURNED NIGH UNTO DEATH,
and the story of the way they perished
is most heartrending. When the cap
tain jumped ashore he was horribly
burned, and in his frantic desire to be
relieved of the pain he was suffering, he
buried his face and hands in the soft
mud and begged most piteously for
some one to help him. Smith was just
behind, and lay down beside the diving
captain. Nothing could be done for the
suffering men, and the two died togeth-
er Oh the river bank. Capt. Holmes
body was placed on the train when it
passed Plaquemine this morning and
taken to New Orleans. Plaquemine
was not slumbering when the fire broke
hn, tho AiuonVnrxr M
that the Hanna was burning the entire
town almost flocked to the river bank
and
WATCHED THE VESSEL BURN.
The struggling unfortunates who
reached the shore were taken care of,
and doctors and others came to their
assistance and tried to alleviate their
sufferings. The City and Central hotels
and private houses threw open their
doors to the ill-fated people, and fed
and clothed them until this morning.
The Texas IL Pacific train passed
Plaquemine this morning, and most of
the crew, with the exception of the
deck hands, boarded her. The con-
ductor of the train refused to take any
of the survivors to New Orleans unless
full fares were paid, and the rousters,
having lost all their money and effects,
were forced to remain in Plaquemine,
where they will be looked after. Mr..
Harpin, of the Underwriters, who was
aboard at the time, paid out of his
pocket $40 in money for passage for
those who went to New Orleans.
No attempt was made to save any of
the books or papers. and everything,
together with the clothes of the crew
and passengers, was lost. The boat
burned rapidly after she reached the
bank, and in very short time after the
alarm was given she burned to the
waters edge. The hull sank and moth
ing was left of the Hanna but floating
timber and burning cotton. The crew
of the boat on the trip were j. S.
Holmes, captain; Sam Powell and
jim Jordan, clerks; Lew Rawlings
aud Henry Jollos, pilots; w. Handley
and }. c. Merriman, engineers; Daniel
Carroll, steward; Samuel Bryant. first
mate; Michael Cussiek, second mate;
John Gibbon, sailor man; Ben Duclos
and Willie Higgins, barkeepers, and
carpenter, whose name is not known.
Two chambermaidS, Mrs. Demery and
Mrs Hunt; Jimmy Handley and Charley
Thompson, firemen; John Rueker and
Tom Cullen, stockers. Among those
that were lost were Capt. j. S. Holmes,
master of the boat; Sam Powell. chief
clerk; Bob Smith, a pilot from Smith
land, La; Mike O'Neill, night watch
man; Joe Crane, first cook; Jack
Duff, second cook; Joe Hor-
ney, cabin boy; Jim Watson,
second baker; the carpenter of
the boat. Among those that are badly
burned about the face, hands and body
are: Dan Carroll, steward; Jim O'Neil,
deck hand: Jim Gibbons, sailor man;
Lewis Welch, roustabout; Henry Bar
ber, roustabout, and q number of others.
Coming down on the boat as passengers
were a number of the crew of the Josie
w, all of whom were saved. None of
the men could say what was the origin
of the fire. The general impression is,
however, that some careless smoker
threw
CIGARETTE AMONG THE COTTON
and thereby caused the disaster. The
death of John Crofton, the carpenter,
was sad one. He was in the upper
portion of the boat, struggling to get
near the front end. The flames were
twisting and sweeping all about him
and soon enveloped him. He tried TO
reach the bow, but he dropped and
burned to death before the eyes of peo-
pie who were unable to render him as
sistance. The body of Sam Powell. the
chief clerk of the boat, was found
this morning at about o'clock
near Sunshine plantation, seven
or eight miles below Plaque
mine, floating in the river. The second
barkeeper of the boat said Mr.. Powell
was standing near to him when they
both jumped into the water. Powell,
who could not swim. got on a floating
cotton bale, but two deck hands jumped
on the bale also and turned it over,
throwing Powell into the water and he
disappeared. The boat was about fif-
teen yards from the shore when great
many people plunged into the river, and
several wha reached tha hank in safatu-