Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-26
ANOTHER STEAMER BURNED.
Thirty Lives Believed to Have Been
-Heartrending Scenes.

The steamboat John II. Hanna. from Qua
chita river, with large number of passengers
and cargo of 500 bales of cotton on board, was
burned Monday night at Plaquemine, Miss,
liz miles above New Orleans Many Of the
crew and passengers were asleep when the fire
broke out and spread with indescribable rapid
ity. John Cullen, a stoker, seeing flames
bursting from the tiers of cotton near the
boiler, ran to the engine-room and gave the
alarm Clerk Powell ran through the smoke,
which filed the cabin, and kicked at the doors,
and in a short time almost everybody was awake.
Then confusion worse COMPOUNDED appeared,
and frantic people on the boat ran to different
exits to make their escape. but the boat was
filled high with cotton and the passageways
were filed 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
Then, to add to the CONSERVATION steam
pipe burst and filled the boat with scalding
steam. Engineer Merriman was forced to
abandon his post. As soon as the flames began
to shoot up the sides of the boat. Capt Jolles,
the pilot headed the boat for the shore. and
the boat was soon run into the bank. When
the Hanna struck she bounded away again and
swung around, drifting down as she burned
Floating cotton, charred timber and other
debris filed the river, and many people were
struggling desperately in the water for their
lives. Some of them we're able to swim ashore,
but most OF them were so badly burned or so
thoroughly exhausted that they struggled but
few minutes and sank to rise no more. As the
burning boat struck the bank of the river the
crew 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 covering.
Among those who managed to get off were
Capt. Holmes and Bob Smith. the unfortunate
pilot of the Inflated White, who was passen-
ger. When the captain jumped ashore he was
horribly burned, and buried his face and hands
In the soft mud and begged piteously for some
one to help him. Smith Just behind. and
was laid out by the side of the dying captain.
Nothing could be done for the suffering men,
and the two died together on the river bank.
The struggling unfortunates who reached
shore were taken care of, and doctors and
Others came to their assistance and tried to
alleviate their sufferings.
No one saw Clerk Powell, who displayed
much heroism in waking up the passengers,
after he had raped at the doors, and it is
quite positive that he was burned to death and
went down with the steamer. The boat burned
rapidly after she reached the bank, and in a
very short time she sank.
Among those that were lost are: Captain
Holmes, master of the boat; Samuel Powell
chief clerk; Bob Smith, a pilot from Smith
land, La: Mike O'Neil, night Waterman; Joe
Crane, cabin Waterman; Monroe Deck, first
COOK; JACK DuH, second COOK; Joe harvey,
cabin boy; Jim Watson, second baker; John
Grafton, carpenter.
Among those who were badly burned are:
Dan Carroll. steward; Jim O'Neill. deck hand;
John Gibbons, sailor-man; Louis WEIGH. roust-
about, and number of others.
Coming down on the boat as passengers were
a number of the crew of the steamer Josie W.,
all of whom were saved. The survivors were
all warm in their praise of the humane people
of Plaquemine. who spared no pains and no
money to furnish them with clothes and shelter
after their terrible experience.
None of the men could say what was the
origin of the fire. The general impression,
however. is that some careless smoker threw a
cigarette among the cotton bales and thereby
caused the disaster
1t is believed that the total loss of life was
about thirty