Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-12-25
A RIVER DISASTER.
A FINE sTxAsER RUINED ON TIE
MISSISSIPPI.
A Large Number OF Persons Drowned
Origin Of the Fire-fravsry
o. tho officers.

Origin Of the Fire-fravsry
o. tho Officers.
A Memphis Teun.) SPECIAL Of sunday
saws: The elegant passenger steamer Kate
Adams. running M a semi.weckly packet he.
tween Memphis and Arkansas CITY, burned
this morning near Commerce, Mss, forty
miles south 81 this city. She was an route
10 Memphis and had aboutiwO hundred peo-
ple on hoard, including her deck aud cabin
crew % eighty and twenty-five cabin and
sixty deck passengers and twenty-five colored
cabin passengers.
The fire. which caught In some cotton nesr
the forward end % the boilers. was dlscoy-
cred about o'clock. The passengers we're
at breakfast. and when the alarm was given
they al made rush for the forward deck.
Al 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
i. 4. Baton was on watch, and be renamed
heroically at his post until she was safely
lSnded.
Harry Best, the second clerk, who was
seated ct the table when the alarm was given
bad brought al the lsdiea and children for
ward, and asesled them ashore. Capiain
Mark Cheek, Who vas on ihe hurricane deck.
remained there giving his commands, until
the stage plank was safely lowered. The
fire bv this time bad spread all through the
cabin, and he was compelled 20 retreat 70 the
rear, and climbed over the rails and Dr.
scended 10 The cabin. Here be found Chief.
Clerk ". g. Bunker, who hsd made an effort
to save the money and papers % the steamer.
which were I'm the safe. lie managed to grab
the money, but was clit Of from The bow
and forced back into the cabin "A he
o. Of ffffrInNr1
and fell over some chars and lost al The val-
usbles he had secured, and d was with great
difficulty that be succeeded 10 reaching The
rear through the binding smoke and flames
which filed the cabin. Captain Cheek
seized a liic.preseryer and, placing it on
Chiei-Clerk BANTER. helped him overheard
INTO the water lie 6Oatcd down about three
miles before he as rescued by parties who
had walked ashore aud followed him down
the river.
CAPTAIN Cheek assisted several others in
securing Iiie-pregeryers, snd, when 1t wss no
LONGER possible for Inn 10 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 tue white PASSENGERS. On the lower
deck. however. q fearful panic seized the
cut on from escape from the bow were COM
PEELED 10 Jump overheard 10 save their lives.
The stern Of tht burning steamer bad swung
out INTO the river. and an Effort was made ~
launch the yawl. II was capsiz1d by the
crowd which Glle1 il. and many ~ it, 0ccu-
pants drowned. They we're mostly colored
men. bat there were three or four women
in the crowd.
The lost, so far as can be learned, are as
follows:
George Corhei, third clerk. aged thirty
nine y,ars, VINO had launched the yawl and
was trying % save the col0rcl women on the
lower deck. lie leaves a wife, who resides
iu II. Louis.
Joe Porter.
Andrew Rres.
Monroe Jackson.
JIm Nelson.
Senator Coleman and billiard Horton, Of
the colorcd cabin crew.
lee Finley.
Franz W,us. colorc1 r0ustpbout.
Ia addition about fifteen deck passengers.
four OF whom were white men, were also
drowned. In th. llst Of unknown were
'bfoe lorcd women and two children.
They were coming 90 Memphis 10 spend The
holiday. The whites had been working on
toe lcvce and their names ana destination
are unknown.
by Associated Pressl
PROBABLY SIXTY LIVES LOST.
MfWHls. December William Dono-
buc one ~ The clerks ~ the burned steamer
Kate Adams, came up tbs forenoon from the
wreck. lie WIS IN a yaWl with TIE clerk
George C0rbctt when u capsiled. and the
last me- saw ~ bis colleague he was floating
down the river cunQing 40 q small ladder
Douobue managed to catch babe o. cotton.
| and WAS swept ont into the current, and wa,
rescued some slN miie, below the Commerce
toy some negroes on the Arkausa, side 0i the
river lie says Corbglt may possibly have
been rescued further down the river. The
loss Of lie ia not vet definitely knOTn, and
the prospects arc that Toe exact number who
were drowned never will be- accurately
stated. IhIiy-Gye is the most conservative
estimate. Outot party Of fifteen white la-
lorcrs which boarded the steamer below
Friar's Point only two ere said TO have been
saved. II this he true, and there ere 40
means Of substaniiatug the fact the loss Of
iic may reach sixty, o. May negroes who
were on The lower deck lost their lives in
attempting t0Fwim ashore from the stern OF
the burning steamer. The boat End her
cargo were valued at Sll5.00o. The Kate
Adams had record Of Toe fastest time Doe
tween Helena snd Gemphis. In the spring
% 1888 she made the run IN Eve hours oud
seventeen minutes. She vas thc steamer That
conveyed President Cleveland snd his wife
f,om West Memphis toth.s city ou tuc occl,
sion Of their VISIT TO the South.
ANOTHER STEAMER BrRSEp AND sEvCN LIVES
Lu,C
SEATTLE, w. r., December 2l-Thc
sle1mel Lief Erickson burned si Alki, I've
miles west oi this city, at O'Clock this after
noon. She IS total loss. seven lives were
lost Miss \. a. Tolner, Of sidney, Mason
county; j. u. Norreu, manager Of Noirru,
Buck.lorl Company, sidney; Jack sim
mons. hali-brced fisherman; $. smith, OF
smith, Gylor & Co.,. Colby unknown man
aud wife, aud an unknown woman.