Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-12-27
PACKET BURNED.
Steamboat Horror on tSe Lower
Mississippi.
THE KATE ADAMS TOTALLY DE-
sTRoYED BELOW MEMPHIS.

A Number of Passengers and Deck Hands
Lose Their Lives BY Fire or BY Drowning
In the River-Tho Captain the Last Per-
son to Leave the III-Fated vessel-The
Loss Estimated at $4,000
MEMPHIS, Tenn, lee. PA steamboat
horror is reported on the lower Mississippi.
The elegant packet, Kate Adams, running
semi-wecllly between Memphis and Arkansas
City burned Sunday near Commerce, Miss,
forty miles south of this city. She was en-
route to Memphis, and had about two hun.
dred people aboard, including her deck and
cabin crew of eighty and twenty-five cabin
and sixty deck passengers and twenty-five
colored cabin passengers.
The fire, which caught in some cotton neal
the forward end of the boilers, was discov.
cred about o'clock The passengers were at
breakfast, and they all made rush for the
forward deck. The steamer was about three
hundred yards from the Mississippi side OF
the river, and her bow was at once headed
for shore Pilot Joe Barton remained hero
ically at his post until she was safely landed.
Harry Best, second clerk, seated at the
table when the alarm was given, brought all
the ladies and children forward and assisted
them ashore.
Capt. Mark R. Cheek remained on the hur,
ricane deck giving orders until the fire drove
him over the rail He assisted several per-
sons to escape and swan ashore
There were about twenty-five colored pas
sengers saved along with the white passen-
gers. On the lower deck, however, fearful
panic seized the crew and deck passengers
Those cut off from escaps from the bow were
compelled to jump overheard. The stern OF
the burning steamer had swung out into the
river, and in the effort to launch the yawl il
capsized and many of its occupants ware
drowned, mostly colored men, but there were
three or four women in the crowd
The lost numbered &steen, all colored deck
passengers and crew except George Corbett
thirty-nine, the third clerk.
Corbett had launched the yawl, and was
trying to save the colored women in the lower
deck. He leaves a wife, who resides in St
Louis. ....
Among the loss are Joe Porter, Andrew
Rees, Monroe jackson, Jim Nelson, Senator
Coleman and Hilliard Horton, of the colorec
cabin crew. and Lee Finley and Frank Wells
colored roustabout.
In addition number of deck passengers,
four of whom were white men, were
drowned. In this of unknown were three
colored women and two children. They
were coming to Memphis to spend the holi
days.
The burning steamer drifted away after ly
ing at the bank for twenty. minutes, ant
foated down the river, her hull sinking a
Peters island, four miles below Commerce.
The Kate Adams was owned by the Mem.
phis & Vicksburg Packet company
The safe contained about 5000; about
$4,000 of this belonged to passengers who hat
given it to the clerk for safe-keeping AL
the money was lost
The 1G7 surviving passengers and crew
were taken to Memphis by rail. They lost
their clothing and other effects.
Three of the colored cabin crew who were
rescued from the water died afterward
Their names appear in the list already given
The water was very cold, which benumbst
the limbs of those who jumped overheard
and to this is attributed the greatest loss OF
life.
Mr.. John Woods Harris, who was pas
senger, jumped from the boat before the
stage plank had been lowered and was inter
nally injured
The loss is S140,000