Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-24
FIRE AND WATER.
A Famous Mississippi Steam
boat Burns.
MANY PASSENGERS DROWNED
A Panic Seizes All Except the Officers,
The Hull Drifts Away
and Sinks.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
MEMPHIS, December 23.-The steamer
Kate Adams burned this morning near
Commerce, Miss, forty miles south Of
this city. She was en- route to Memphis
and had about two hundred people
aboard. The fire, which caught in some
cotton near the forward end of the boil
ers, was discovered about 8 o'clock.
The passengers were at breakfast, and
when the alarm was given they. all made
rush for the forward deck. At this time
the steamer was about 300 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 he
remained heroically at his post until she
was safely landed. Harry Best, the Sec
ond clerk, who was seated at table when
the alarm was given, had brought all the
ladies and children forward and assisted
them ashore. Captain Mark r. Cheek,
who was on the hurricane deck, remained
there giving his commands until the
stage plank was safely lowered. The
fire had by this time spread all through
the cabin, and he was compelled to re-
treat to the rear, where he climbed over
the rails and descended to the cabin. Here
he found the flames already at work
Best made an effort to save the mo 1ey
and the papers of the steamer, which
were in The safe. He seized the money.
but nearly lost his life in the burning
cabin. He was rescued by Captain
Cheek, who also assisted several others
in securing life preservers. 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 had seized
the crew and deck passengers. Those
who were cut off from escape from the |
bow were compelled to- jump overheard
to save their lives. The stern of the |
burning steamer had swung out into the |
river, and an effort being made to launch |
the yawl, it was capsized by the crowd !
which Immediately filled it, and many |
occupants we're drowned. They were
mostly oolored men, but there were
three or four women in the crowd.
The lost as far as can be learned are
as follows: George Corbett, third clerk,
aged 20, who had launched the yawl and |
was trying to save the calored women on
the lower deck. He leaves wife who
resides in st. Louis. Joe Porter. Andrew |
Reese, Monroe Jackson, Jim Nelson,
"Senator" Coleman and Hillyard Hor-
ton of the colored cabin crew, Lee Fin.
ley, Frank Wells, colored roustabouts. |
In addition to these about fifteen deck |
passengers, four of whom were white |
men were also drowned. In this list of
unknown were three colored women and
two children. They were coming to |
Memphis to spend the holidays. The |
white men had been working on
the levees and their names and |
their destination are unknown.
The burning steamer drifted |
away after laying at the bank for twenty |
minutes, fioated down the river, her hull
sinking at the head of Peters Island,
four miles below Commerce. The Kate
Adams was owned by the Memphis and
Vicksburg Packet Company. She was
built in 1882 and cost $1Q2, 900. She was
the finest and fastest steamer of her type |
on the river, and her owners this sum-
mer spent $40, 900 in repairing her. This |
would have been the completion of her
BLK uuuuIeu buu boCOuO "Trip IN CQe MEM |
phis and Arkansas City trade.
All the passengers and crew arrived at |
Memphis this afternoon at O'Clock,
having taken the Louisville, New Orleans
and Texas train at Robinsonville, which |
station is eight miles distant in the
interior from where the disaster occur
red. The citizens of Commerce rendered |
the passengers and crew every assistance |
in reaching Robinsonville, conveying |
them there in wagons and in every con-
ceivable vehicle that could be secured. |
There we're 1877 from the ill-fated steamer
that came to Memphis, Capt. Cheek de-
fraying expenses of all those that did not |
have funds. The passengers and crew
lost all their clothing and effects, and |
some made their escape to the shore
from the burning steamer en-dishabiUe,
but were provided with clothes by the
kind citizens of Commerce. Three OF
the colored cabin crew who were rescued |
from the water died afterward. Their |
names appear in the list already given.
The water being very cold, it benumbed
the limbs of those who jumped over
board, and to this is attributed the
greatest loss of lie. All speak in the
highest terms Of the coolness and brav-
o~x, d;ov,lavod bu tho oAioorc 20 ptaip