Huntsville gazette., 1888-12-29
APPALLING CALAMITY.
Burning OF the Lower Mississippi
Steamer Kate Adams.
OF the Two Iu ldred Persons on Board
Thirty are Known to Have Been
Eurned to Death or Drowned
-SOne OF the Victims.

cent Lower Mississippi steamer Kate
Adams was burned few minutes before
eight O'Clock yesterday morning near
| Commerce, Miss, and thirty of the two
| hundred people on board lost their lives.
| The boat left Helena at one O'Clock in the
morning, loaded to the guards. Besides
twelve hundred bales Of cotton. the lower
deck had forty passengers, while over a
hundred passengers found quarters in the
cabin. Many were at breakfast when
Peters Island, forty miles below this city,
was reached. Ten minutes later a column
of smoke was discovered ascending out of
the cotton piled on the boat and the crew
rushed to the spot with buckets and hose.
The first bale tossed aside disclosed q
widespread confagration in the cotton
below. The alarm was given, and First
Pilot Barton, who was on duty at the
wheel, turned the bow of the steamer to-
ward the Mississippi shore. The vessel
burned like powder, and in a fash the
flames had taken possession of the for
ward part of the cabin and spread along
the rails toward the stern. The passen-
gers rushed around in state Of panic i'm
possible for the captain to check or the
officers to subdue. Many Of them leaped
overheard and were drowned, while some
few Of the men succeeded in swimming
from the middle of the river to the shore.
Among the deck passengers the panic
was, If any thing, greater. Most of them
We're colored men, and upon the approach
of the fro they jumped into the river
Only L few succeeded in reaching the
shore.
Among the deck passengers were six
colored women, and in attempting to res
cue them, Second Clerk George Corbett
lost his life. An attempt was made to
lower the yawl, but in the struggle to
take possession Of it, the boat was cap
sized and several people drowned.
The pilot remained at his post, though
surrounded by flame and smoke, and soon
had the burning steamer against the
bank. 1t was none too soon, for already a
score of people were cut off and compelled
TO jump into the river from the opposite
s1de, and jfst TlaIiyzEere Iossu III J1Iis
plunge is not known. About one h1In-
dred and fifty half drowned and partially
burned people were landed from the
cabin deck. Those below had been cut
off, and the loss of life was heavy. The
majority of them were forced into the
water on the side of the boat where the
water was deep and the current strong.
Fortunately there were only few women
and children on board.
Captain Mark R. Cheek, who was on the
hurricane deck remained there giving his
orders until the stage plank was safely
lowered The fire had by this time spread
all through the cabin and he was COM
peeled to retreat to the rear and climb over
the rails and desceded to the cabin. As
he was cropping his way aft he stumbled
and fell over some chairs and lost all the
valuables he had secured and it was with
great difficulty that he succeeded in reach
ing the rear through the binding smoke
and flames which filled the cabin. Cap
tain Cheek seized life preserver and
placing it on Clerk Blanker helped him
overheard into the water. He foated
down about three miles before he was
rescued by parties who had walked ashore
and followed him down the river.
The lost, so far as can be learned, are:
George Corbet, third clerk, aged
thirtv-nine years. who had launched a
yawl and was trying to save the colored
women on the lower deck. He leaves a
wife who resides in st. Louis.
Joe Porter.
Andrew Rees.
Monroe Jackson.
jim Nelson.
Senator Coleman.
Hilliard Norton.
This comprised all Of the coiored cabin
crew.
Lee Finlay and Frank Wells, colored
roustabouts.
In addition about fifteen deck passen-
gers, four of whom were white men, were
also drowned.
In the list Of unknown were three col
ored women and two children. They were
coming to Memphis to spend the holidays.
The whites had been working on the
levees, and their names and destination
are unknown. The burning steamer
drifted away after laying at the bank for
twenty minutes, and foated down the
river, her hull sinking at the head of
Peters Island, four miles below Com
merce.
Mrs. Fields is positive that ". A. Gov
ington a planter and merchant Of Rose
dale, Miss, perished in the flames.
1t is reported that a negro murderer
who was being brought back here fol-
trial, perished on board the steamer. He
was hand -cuffed, and the officer in charge
made his escape and left the negro in his
helpless condition and he was burned tc
death.
The cabin passengers who were on
board were: Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Nc
Lemere and two children, Of Bolivar
County, Mississippi; Mrs. Maggie Field
of Memphis; Mrs. John Quehn and five
children, of Rosedale, Mississippi; Mrs
Harrison and wife of LaConis, Mississippi;
Mrs. Johnson and child, Of LaConis
Captain I. G. Gloster, assistant engineer
of Mississippi Levee Board; John A.
Woods; Captain Elisha Evans, of Mem
phis and W. P. Jackman, agent OF the
American Cotton Seed Oil Trust com;
pany.
All the passengers and crew arrived al
Memphis yesterday afternoon at SD
O'Clock. There were 16T from the Inflated
steamer that came to Memphis, Captain
Cheek defraying the expenses OF all thos<
who did not have funds.
Three of the colored cabin crew who
were rescued from the water died after
ward.