Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-24
FATAL FIRE ON THE RIVER
Twenty-four Lives Lost by the
 Burning of a Steamer.
BRAVE ACTS OF THE OFFICERS.


 The Fire Was Discovered While the Pas- sengers Were at Breakfast, and Fear full Rush for Life Ensued-Many Lost Their Lives by Jumping Overheard. MEMPHIS, Tenn, Dec. 24.-The steamer Kate Adams, an elegant passenger packet running semi-weekly between Memphis and Arkansas City, was burned near commerce Miss, about forty miles south of this cHy. She was bound to Memphis, and had about 200 people aboard, including her deck and cabin crew of eighty, twenty-five cabin and sixty deck passengers, and twenty-five col pred cabin passengers
 The list of the dead, so far as can be learned, is as follows: Senator Coleman, or the colored cabin crew; George Corbet, third clerk aged S9, who lost his life in trying to save the colored woman on the lower deck; he leaves a wife in St. Louis; Lee Finley, colored roustabout; Hilliard Horton, Monroe Jackson, James Nelson, Joseph Porter, An drew Rees, all of the colored cabin crew; Frank Wells, colored roustabout.
 In addition, about fifteen deck passengers, four of whom were white men, were also drowned In the list of unknown were three colored women and two children. They were coming to Memphis to spend the holidays.
 
 and their names and destination are un- known. Later accounts, while not stating with any degree of certainty seem to indi- cate that the loss of life may reach thirty five or fifty lives. No additional names are given.
 The fire caught in some cotton near the forward end of the boilers. The passengers were at breakfast, and when the alarm was given they all made 8 rush for the forward IA Al~o .@an tNOYN three hundred yards from the Mississippi side of the river, and her bow was at once headed for the shore. Pilot J. A. Barton was on watch, and he remained heroically at his post until she was safely landed
 Harry Best, the second clerk, who was seated at the table when the alarm was given, had brought all the ladies and chil- drep forward and assisted them ashore. Capt. Mark Cheek, who was on the hurri- cane deck, remained there, giving his com mapds until the stage plank was safely loweFed. The fire by this time had spread through the cabin and he was compelled to retreat to the rear and climb over the rails and descend to the cabin. Here he found Chief Clerk W. c, Banker, who had made an effort to save the money and papers of the steamer, which were in the safe. He managed to grab the money, but was cut off from the bow and forced back into the  stumbled and fell over some chairs and lost all the valuables he had secured, and it was with great difficulty that he succeeded in reaching the rear through the binding smoke and flame which filled the cabin. Capt Cheek seized a life preserver and, plac- ing it on Chief Clerk Banker, helped him overheard into the water. He f1oated down about three miles before he was rescued by parties who had swam ashore and followed him down the river.
 Capt Cheek assisted several others in se curing life preservers, and when it was nc longer possible for him to remain without being burned, he, too, jumped into the rivel and swam ashore.
 There was about twenty-five colored cabiI passengers who were saved along with the white passengers. On the lower deck, how ever a fearful panic seized the crew and decl passengers Those who were cut off iron escape from the bow were compelled to juml overheard to save their lives The stern O. the burning steamer had swung out into thu river, and in the effort made to launch th yawl it was capsized by the crowd whtcl filled it, and many of its occupants drowned They were mostly colored men, but ther were three or four women in the crowd.
 The buring steamer drifted away after lay ing at. the bank for twenty minutes, an' aoated down the river, her hull sinking a the head of Peters Island, four miles beloy Commerce.
 There were 167 from the i'll fated steame that came to Memphis, Capt. Cheek defray ing the expenses of all those who did no have funds The passengers and crew lost al their clothing and effects, and some mad their escape to the shore with but little cloth ing on, but were provided with clothes b the kind citizens Commerce
 Three of the colored cabin crew who wer rescued from the water died afterward: Their names appear in the list already giver The water was very cold and benumbed th limbs of those who jumped overheard, an to this is attributed the greatest loss of lift All speak in the highest terms of the coolne: and lyavery displayed by the officers.
 MlI John Woods Harris, a passenger jumped from the stage plank before it ha been lowered, and was internally injured Mrs Dr. Harris of Laconia, also sustained sprained ankle by falling from a cotton bal in descending from the cabin to the lowe deck. Capt. Elisha Evans, who is an ol steamboat pilot, was a passenger on tE \ steamer. He came down and assisted Cler Harry Best in getting the women an children ashore.
 The Kate Adams was owned by the Men ! phis and Vicksburg packet company, which Major John D. Adams of Little Roc Is president Capt. Mark R. Cheek, superi, tendent, and John M. Peters, secretary an treasurer. She was built by James Rees Sons. of Pittsburg, in 1882, and cost $102 00 She was the finest and fastest steamer of h. type, and her owners this summer spe, s20,00o in repairing her at Paducah. Sl was insured for S33, ,750
 Her cargo consisted of ,161 bales of cotto 1900 sacks of cottonseed, 87 bags of seed ar good list of sundries. The cotton was col signed to Memphis merchants and is fully il sured in their open policies.
 A Ghast1y Find.
 MADISON, Wis, Dec. 22.-Two men fsl ing in the Sugar river, near Mount Verno twenty miles from here, found a bag CO taining a human head sunk in the rive I,nad Gld. Al, Al lin