Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-27
THE SECOND HORROR.
Another Steamboat Disaster on
the Lower MISUNDERSTANDING
Of the
John Il. Hanna at Plaquemine, La.
With Loss of at Least Thirty
Lives.
Rapidly of the TRANSPORTATION and
Tsrror-Ths Brave Captains Pitiabls
Death.

PLAoUEMINE, La, Dec. 26.-The steamer
John II. Hanna, loaded with cotton from
Ouachita, burned here early yesterday
morning. The boat and cargo were a total
loss. The number of people who persisted
is not positively known, but the loss of life
will be at least thirty and may be much
beyond that number, Captain j. s. Holmes
was in command and was burned to death.
First Clerk Sam Powell was drowned.
The old pilot, Bob Smith, passenger on
the Inflated vessel, was burned to death.
Several persons persisted in the flames
and number jumped overheard and were
drowned. Captain Holmes body was ter
ribly burned. Bob Smith was the pilot of
the J. N. White at the time she was burned.
One of the deck hands who escaped says
there were about 100 persons on board and
that only about a dozen can now be found
alive, but this was not confirmed by the
officers who made their escape.
It was just before Christmas day was
being ushered in that the steamer was
coming down the river. Several of the
passengers were seated in the cabin hav-
ing merry time and with no thought of
the impending catastrophe and many of
the crew and passengers were asleep when
the fire broke out and spread with indes-
cribable rapidity, and the details of the
sufferings and death of some of the pas
sengers are narrowing in the extreme.
The boat had reached point which was
but short distance above the town when
a negro roustabout near the boiler room
ran out to the deck and shouted that the
boat was on fire. John Cullen, a stoker,
was near the place at the time and seeing
fha a hur {bo =
of cotton near the boiler ran hastily to the
engine room and gave the alarm. Engineer
Merriman took in the situation at a glance
and at once sounded the alarm on the
steam whistle and ringing the bells.
In an misunderstanding in a much
shorter time than it takes to explain 1.-THE
flames shot through the cabin and over the
sides of the cotton, enveloping the entire
boat in fire.
Clerk Powell was upstairs at the time
and when he saw the flames he heroically
ran through the smoke which was filling
the cabin to wake the sleeping people. He
kicked at the doors and in a short time
almost every body was awake. Then
terrible confusion ensued and frantic peo-
pie on the boat ran to different exits to
make their escape, but the boat was piled
high with cotton and the passage ways
were filled with smoke. Many dropped
before they were abe to get to the forward
parts of the boat and were dead when the
steamer went down.
As soon as the fire was discovered, en-
gineer Merriman set the steam pumps
working and tried to battle with the flames,
but the fire swept through the boat like a
blaze on a prairie and the engine room
was soon in flames. Then, to add further
to the CONSERVATION, a steam pipe burst
and filled the place with scalding steam.
Engineer Merriman was forced to aban-
don his post, and he and the stokers and
others ran to the sides of the boat and
rushed through pell NELL in order to save
their lives.
As soon as the smoke and flames began
to start up the sides of the boat Captain
Jolles, the pilot, swung the wheel around
and headed the boat for the shore. A full
head of steam was on at the time, and the
boat was soon run into the bank. Before
she did so, however, she was doomed, as
all of her timber was then furiously burn
ing.
When the Hanna struck the bank she
bounded away again and swung around
drifting as she burned. Then Captain
Jolles jumped out over the cotton bales,
and, springing into theriver, swan ashore.
The sight was weird one, viewed from
the bank, and the town was aroused.
Floating cotton, charred timber and other
debris filled the river and many people
were struggling desperately in the water
for their lives. Some of them were able to
swim ashore, but most of them were so
badly burned or so thoroughly exhausted
that they struggled but a few moments
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
sprang ashore, some of them with scorched
faces and bruised limits and many of them
with scarcely any covering.
Among those who managed to get off
were Captain Holmes and Bob Smith, the
unfortunate pilot of the ilfated White,
who was a passenger Both men were
burned nigh unto death, an d the story of
the manner in which they suffered is
heartrending. When the Captain jumped
ashore he was burned horribly, and in his
frantic desire to be relieved from the pain
he was suffering he buried his face and
hands in the soft mud and begged most
piteously for some one to help him. Smith
was 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.
Among those that were lost are: Captain
j. S. Holmes, master of the boat; Samuel
Powell, chief clerk; Bob Smith, pilot, from
Smithland La; Mike O'Neill, night watch
man; Joe Crane, cabin watcLman; Monroe
IaaG -.
Joe Harvey cabin boy; Jim Watson, Sec
ond baker; John Grafton, carpenter; John
Barlow, colored; Jim Blank, colored, roust-
about; Dick Blank. coiored, mess room
tender; Steploe John; Monroe Diggs, cook ;
A child of Percel!a Wright (colored).
There were foit four roustabouts on
the Hanna, of whom thirtythree are
known to have been saved, leaving eleven
unaccounted for.
liz ar