The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-12-27
RIVER DISASTER.
A Mississippi River Steamer Burned
TO the Water.
Thirty People Perish by Flames and
Others Drowned.
Diss D;b bar Again Winding Marsh
Around Her Finger.
A Christmas Jug seized by Iowa
ConstabIes.
RIVER DISASTER.

Constables.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. Pa specia
dispatch from Plaquemine to the States
says: The burning of the steamer
John H. Hannah, last night, near this
place, was one of the most terrible river
disasters that has ever happened in
Southern waters. The loss of life was
very heavy.
About thirty persons persisted in the
flames and large number jumped over
board and were drowned. Among the
lost are Captain J. S. Holmes and the
first clerk, Samuel r. Powell. Cap
tain Holmes body was terribly burned.
Webb Smith, the old pilot of the j. M.
White at the time she was burned was
a passenger of the John II. Hannah
and was burned to death. His body
has also been recovered.
One of the deck hands who escaped
says there were about 100 persons on
board and that only about dozen can
now be found alive.
The engineer and pilot were saved.
All were burned more or less, some OF
them severely.
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 a merry time and
with no thought of the impending ca
| tastrophy. Many of the crew and pas
sengers were asleep when the fire broke
out and spread with indescribable ra'
pidity. The details of the death OF
some of the passengers are narrowing
in the extreme.
The boat had reached a point which
was but a short distance above the
town when negro roustabOut near the
| boiler room ran out to the deck and
shouted that the boat was on fire
John Cullen, Stoker was
near the place at the time and seeing
| the flames bursting forth from the big
| tiers of cotton near the boiler, ran
| hastily to the engine room and gave
the alarm. Engineer Merriman took
| in the situation at a glance and at once
sounded the alarm on the steam
whistle and by ringing the bells. In
an instant, certainly i'll much shorter
| time that it takes to explain it. The
flames shot through the cabin and ove1
| the sides of the cotton, envelOping the
entire boat in fire. Clerk Powell was
upstairs at the time and when he saw
| the flames he theoretically ran through
smoke which was filling The cabin
toward the sleeping people. He kicked
| the doors and in a short time almost
everybody was awake. The confusion
/ was fearful and the frantic people OF
the boat ran to the different exits u
make their escape, but the boat was
piled high with cotton and the passage
| HllnH with Gn0nkA Mnny
! dropped before they were able to get Il
the forward part of the boat and wer,
dead when the steamer went down.
As soon as the fire was discovered
| Engineer Merriam set the pumps
working and tried to battle with tht
flames, but the fire swept through thu
boat like blaze on a prairie and thu
engine room was soon in flames. Then
to add further to the CONSERVATION
a steam pipe burst and filed the place
with scalding steam. Engineer Merri
man was forced to abandon his pos
and he and the stokers and others Ial
to the side of the boat and rushed
through pell nell in order to save thei
lives.
AS soon as the smoke and flames be
gan to start up the sides of the boa
Captain Holmes and the pilot SWUNG
the wheel around and headed the boa
to the north shore. A full head o
steam was on at the time, and the boa
was soon run into the bank. Befor
she did so, however, she was doomed
All of her timber was thel
furiously burning. When the Hanndl
struck the bank she bounded ava.
| again and swung around, drifting
down as she burned.
The sight was wierp one from the
bank. The town wos aroused. Float
ing cotton, charred timber and othe
debris filled the river and many peopl
were struggling desperately in tn
water for their lives. Some OF then
were able to swim ashore, but most o
them were so badly burned, or so thor
oughly exhausted that they struggled
but few moments and sank to rise n
more.
AS the burning boat struck the banl
of the river the crew and passenger
who had been able to reach the FORWARD
end sprang ashore, some of them wit
Scorched faces and bruised limbs anC
many of them with scarcely any cover
ing. Among those who managed +
get off were Captain Holmes and DO
Smith. the unfortunate pilot of the i'll
fated J NJ. White, who was a paSSen
ger. Both men were burned nearly t
death and the story of the manner i
which they suffered is most heart-rend
ing. When the captain jumped ashore d
was burned horribly and in his frantic
desire to be relieved from the pain b
was suffering, he buried his face ant
hands in the soft mud and called mos
piteousIy for some one to help him
Smith was just behind an
was laid out by the side Q
the dy ing captain. Nothing coul
be done for the suffering men and tn
two died together on the river bank.
Plaquemin was not slumbering whe
the fire broke out, and when the discoS
cry was made that the Hannah wa
burning, almost the entire town flocke
to the river bank and watched the YES
sci burn. The struggling unfortunate
who reached shore were taken tare c
and doctors and others came to thei
assistance and tried to alleviate thei
sufferings. The City and CentrS
hotels and private houses threw ope
their doors to the i'll fated people an
! fed and clothed them until morning.
No one saw Clerk Powell, who dii
played such heroism in waking up th
passengers. after he had raped at tn
doors, and it is positive that he wa
: burned to death and went down wit
the steamer. No attempt was made
T save any of the steamers books c