The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-12-29

tson ssemo stem, and screaming like
B AL1VING THING IN roRTtRA; 4
came the great steamer, iilowirga
throogh the hisstne, .awny Sufrent|
straight for the right bank.
In the ghassiy light Of t. at awful
funeral pyre as it nearvd them, the
orror-stricken spectators could see the
forms OF men, red As the flames which
them. -ts1shing -rnadfy over
the burning decks, crawling over the
blazing cotton baies, or like. flaming
brands, Vomiteda Cor r. ffom that roaripg
eratersin4board only to falt.~ shriekine
into the tireylit! flood below. On she
came. nearer and nearer, at full speed,
but above the DALI roar Of the -Aames
and the qseream otescapiagsatesG4,e ever
aud anonswould HpgSthepateops,' ptesE
Ing shrieks of men in mortal agony,
iiif those who stood heartsick and
aghast on shoseFwoull fain have STOP
ped their care.
-. At 4ast;w ith q, dull shock the fs.e,:,p-
er struck the muddy bank, the roarine
flarnes, till nowibent backward with
the breeze, shot up toward heaven. and
burning bales Of cotton rolled into the
paas Il ut tne me ~ pi SGwe e1e
had COME. Swiftly ibe great stage
plank was swpDga Qat, as it, isslias Tor
Fane .anoI - u
rush too eagerly upon il, Ahe,guys give
WY, and drsppt6g sjt syipgS around
uselessly under the steamef's Rusrd,
and uore than half It's load Of humanity
ia plugged into the water. But now
the horrors Of the scene were trebbied.
The steamerSi1ad struck the bank, but
her stage plank was useless and she
could not be- made fast. Slowly her
! bow swung out from the, tbauk while
her stern drifted into the shoa! water
and stuck there. Now she lay broad
tside osthe winds which:soon swept the
| flames through, aud through~tbe doom.
cd boat with redoubled fury. Freuzied
! and adespairinxi men lsnped intost he
| water hopiDgsso gain the ls:1oreysbut,
| sc0Fcbed with IA mes aud Nall st0ottfer-
| ed with smoke, many sank to rise no
more, while others, after struggling
through the deep water stHl tt,eyS felt
the bottom beneath their tcet,s Sank
deep In the soft ooze, ana too weak I'd
escape from its fatal grasp, were bsld
in the muddy water Till the intense
beat from the burning boat literally
roasted them to death.
| And all tho while, by the light Of
the blazing steamer, men could be seen
/ q >tS,v.-
burning bales of COTTON sand here md
hands were alway outsfretchcti to heip
them and cars fur them. Ear down the
river, into hedarkness, npated blazing
bales Of cotton like drifting islands in
an inky flood. It was a Wiered sight,
that would have been picturesque but
Tor the awful tragedy in the foreground.
7z TIE STORY. OF TILE CALAMITY,
as told, by the survivors, yis indeed a
i pitifut one. Henry Jolles was on. duty
In the pilot-house. The alarm whistle
was sounded, and In q few seconds tho
thames burst out from the coitonsop the
4 main deck, and directly the steamer was
enyeloped in sheet Ut IRE Pilot
Joiies, by order Of Capt. TTotmes, head
led the boat for shore; and then, hurry.
ing through clouds Of fame and smoke
! along the texas, and hurricane decks,
made his escal,e down the after guards
to the fan tail, sprang in;o, the water
andrssvan1 ashere. -
Capt. Holmes n,as!c 4 gallant struggle
to save the lives under his charge. He
descended TO The main deck, but little
could be dona,with PANIC stricken mob
of roustat,outs. AS the staseplank was
overcrowdeds he, with Engineer Han
ley, spraugs overheard and struck out
for shore. AS they stuck the soft bot
tom Hauley made his way to the shore,
but he heard tho captain cry out
"Will, for Gods sake save me-"
Scorche0 with the intense heat of the
burning boat the brave engineer respon-
dedlto the pitiful appeal Of his dying
captaiu, and pushed him before timup
the oczy, sloping shadows. Capt.
Holmes 1oundereu on for a few strides,
and then sunk in the shoal water, with
both hands and feet sunk keep in the
soft mud and his face half immersed in
the water. The heat was Intense, and
Will Hanley was himself SO exhausted
that he could not eXtricate the unfurtu-
| nate man. .Es r. ---
| Capt. Holmes remained in this fear
full situation for some minutes, aud was
being -.--r-r..-
| SLOWLY ROASTED TO DEATH
| In the preSenca of tho hel Mess horror.