Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-28
Fearful Loss Of Human Life from
the Burning of a Steamboat.
The Inflated Vessel Carried a Heavy
Load of Passengers, Most of
Whom Met their Death.
Scenes of Heroism-Reign of CONSERVATION.
Cause of the Calamity-DiscOyery Of
the Flames-0ther Fires.
Another steamer Disaster. .

Ouachlta river, with large number of
passengers and a cargo of $500 bales of
cotton, was burned last night at Plaque
mine. 1t is stated that of 100 persons on
board only fourteen are known to be
saved.
The John Fl Hanna was built in Madi-
son, Ind in 1887, and hailed from LOU
isville, KY. She was of 377 tonnage
owned by the Ouachita River Consolidated
line, valued at SIS 900, and was insured
for Sl2 900 in local and foreign COM
panies.
Captain J. W. Blanks, president of the
company, says the latest adyices he has
are to the effect that the steamboat left
Monroe landing Sunday morning at 6
O'Clock with 1900 bales of cotton. The
captain estimated that enough additional
cotton had been picked up on the way
down to make the total number of bales
$500. Being questioned as to the number
of passengers on the Hanna, Captain
Blanks said he thought it was small, as
there was little travel IN that section at
present.
The officers of the boat are as follows
| Captain, J . S. Holmes; master, S. R.
| Powell; first clerk, James V. Jordan;
second clerk, Henry Jones; pilot, Louis
! Rawlings; first engineer, William Han
ley; steward James Carroll.
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
| New ORLEANS, La, Dec. PA
! special dispatch from Plaquemine to the
States says the burning of the steamer
John H. Hanna last night near this place
was one of the most terrible river disas-
tiers that has ever happened in the south
ern waters. The loss of life is very
heavy. About thirty persons persisted
/ IN, ha AnrY and lnr
Bef jumped overheard and were
drowned. Among the lost are
| Captain J. s. Holmes and First Clerk
! Samuel r. Powell. Their bodies have
bsen recovered. Captain Holmes body
was terribly burned. Bob Smith, the
old pilot of the ] NJ. White at the time
she burned, was a passenger on the
| Hanna, and was burned to death. His
| body has also been recovered. The en-
| gipeeF. and pilot were saved. y.
1t was just before Christmas was being
ushered in that the fine steamer was
coming down the river. Several of the
passengers were seated in the cabin hav
ing merry time, with no thought Of the
impending catastrophe. Many of the
crew and passengers were asleep when
the fire broke out, and it spread with in
describable rapidity.
THE DETAILS OF THE SUFFERING
| and death of some of the passengers are
narrowing in the extreme. The boat
had reached a point which was but
short distance above town, when a negro
roustabout near the boiler room
ran out to the deck and
shouted that the boat was on fire.
John Cutler, q stoker, was near the
place at the time, and seeing the flames
Nf
near the boiler, ran hastily to the engine
room and gave the alarm. Engineer
Merriam took in the situation at a glance,
and at once sounded the alarm by blow
ing the whistle and ringing the bells. In
an instant, certainly in a much shorter
time than it takes to explain it, the
| flames shot through the cabins and over
the sides of the cotton, envelOping the
entire boat i'll fire. Clerk Powell was up
stairs at the time, and when he
saw the flames he herOically ran through
the smoke which filed the cabin and tried
to arouse the sleeping people. He kicked
at the doors and in Il short time almost
everybody was awake. Then confusion
worse COMPOUNDED appeared and the
frantic people on the boat ran to different
exits to make their escape, but the boat
was piled high with cotton and the pas
sage ways were filled with smoke. Many
dropped before they were able to get to
the forward part of the boat and were
dead when
THE STEAMER WENT DOWN.
AS soon as the fire was discovered Engi-
neer Merriam set the steam pumps work
ing and tried TO battle with the flames,
but the fl re swept through the boat like
blaze Oh the prairie, and the engine
room was soon on fire. Then, to add
further to the CONSERVATION, the steam
pipe burst and filled the place with
scalding steam. Engineer Merriam was
forced to abandon his post, and
he and the stokers and others ran
to the side of the boat and rushed
through pell nell i'll order to save their
lives. As soon as the smoke and flames
began to start up the sides of the boat
Captain Holmes pilot swung the wheel
around and headed the boat for shore.
4 full head of steam was on at the time,
and the boat was soon run into the bank.
Before she did so, however, she was
doomed. All of her timber was then fu-
riously burning. When the Hanna struck
the bank she bounded away again and
swung around, drifting clear as she
burned. Then Captain Jolles jumped
out over the cotton bales and
sPRINGING INTO THE RIVER,
swan ashore. The sight was a wierd one
viewed from the bank, and the town was
aroused. Floating cotton, charred tim
Der and other debris filed the river, and
many people were struggling desperately
in the water for their lives. Some of
them were able to swim ashore, but most
of them were so badly burned or so
thoroughly exhausted that they strug-
gled for moment and then sank to rise
no more. ::
As the burning baat struck the bank of
the 1dveg, the Grew 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 COW
ering. Among those who managed to
get off were Captain Holmes and Bob
Smith, the unfortunate pilot of the i'll
fated White, who were passengers. Both
men were
BURNED NIGH UNTO DEATH,
%lr in rr-nI ala