The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-24
The Brave Action of the Captain
Saves Many More
From Death by Fire or Watcr-lIow
the Passengers We're Rescued.
The Names of Some of
the Victims.

was en- route 10 Memphis, and had about
200 people aboard, including her deck
and cabin crew OF eighty, and twenty.
Ave cabin and sixty deck passengers and
twenty-five colored cabin passengers.
The fire, which caught in some cotton
near the forward end of the boilers, was
discovered about s so'ciock. The passen.
gers were ut breakfast, and when the
alarm was given they all made rush
for the forward deck. At the time the
steamer was about 800 yards from the
Mississippi side OF the river, and her
bow was at once headed for the shore.
Pilot Joe Barton was on watch and
lie remained herOically at his post until
she was safely landed.
Harry Best, the second clerk, who was
seated at the table when the alarm was
given, had brought all the ladies and
children forward and assisted them
ashore.
A BRAVE CAPTAIN.
Capt Mark b. Cheek, who was on the
hurricane deck, remained there, giving
his commands until the stage plank was
safely lowered. The fire by this time
had spread all through the cabin, and he
was compelled to retreat to the rear, aud
climbed over the rails and descended to
the cabin.
Capt. Check seized life.preserver,
and placing it on Chief Clerk Banker,
helped him overheard into the water.
He doated down about three miles be.
fore he was rescued. Capt. Cheek as.
sisted several Others in securing life
preseryers, and when it was no longer
possible for him to remain without being
burned, he, too, jumped into the river
and swan ashore.
There were about twenty-five colored
cabin passengers who were saved along
with the white passengers. On the
lower deck, however, a fearful panic
seized the crew and deck passengers.
Those who were cut of from escape
from the boat were compelled to jump
overheard to save their lives. The stern
of the steamer ad'swung out into the
river, and in the effort made to launch
the yawl it was capsized by the crowd
which filled it and many OF its occu-
ppred pd men Int there were three or ionr
women in the crowd.
THE VICTIMS.
The lost, SO tar as can be learned, are
as lolIowS:
years, who had launched the yawl and
was trying to save the colored women
on the lower deck.
JoR PORTER.
ASB2gw BEES.
MONROE JACKSON.
jim NELSON.
SENATOR COLEMAN.
HiLLARD HoRTEN.
LEE FINLEY.
FRANK WELLS.
In addition about fifteen deck passen-
gers, four OF whom were white men,
we're also drowned. In this list OF un.
known were three colored women and
two children. They were coming to
Memphis to spend the holidays. The
whites had been working on the leyees,
and their names and destination are un-
known,
The burning steamer drifted away,
after laying at the bank 10: twenty min.
utes, and floated down the river, her
hull sinking at the head OF Peters Island,
four miles below Commerce.
rur loss
mi, r Ia "- +' .s o,,.,,,, l., A..
Ihe hate AuaHS was o"neu Wy Tue
Memphis and Vicksbnrg packet COM
pany. She was built by James Rces and
sons ot pit,shrrgb IN 1852 and cost
SioS H mn SHE was tho finest and iastest
s,eamep ] Of her type md her owners this
summer spent 10000 in repairing her
St PadncSh She was insured for SSS
7S0
This would have been the completion
NJ her G69nd trip in the Memphis and
Arkansas City trade.
Her carpo consisted Of l,lSl bales Of
cotton 400 sacks al cottonseed, 81 bays
of seed and good list Of sundries, The
cotton was CONSIGNED to Memphis mer-
chants and fully insured in their open
nolicies.
All the passengers and crew arrived at
Memphis tnls 4lterno9n .2I " . . CLOCK, nay
ing taNen ine LouIsHlile, Nq% p;.liS,'' GtIeals q
IeHaa !s Lioa" r.a,;o 'faI d" ,;ioo nt J;o.an, ~,
wh'cn sGa.l9n @ Is e'ghs tleS ILL., ;osan uissan' ~
i the IuLHFlOE LLlG ulbtlAtGE OC-