The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-26
TnE TERRIpLg pErAlI.S.
a Frfghtruf Ushrrins fn of Christmas Day
for Over Thirty People.


for Over Thirty People.
NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. 25.--It was
Just before Christmas day was being
ushcred in that the fine steamer Hanna
was coming down the river. Several OF
the passengers were seated in the cabin
having a merry time, and with no
thought OF an impending catastrophe.
Many OF the crew and passengers were
asleep when n fire broke out and
spread with indescribable rapidity. The
details of the sutEerings and death OF
some Of tho passengers are narrowing in
the extreme. The boat had reached q
point which was but short distance
above the town when negro roustabout
near the boiler room ran out TO the deck
and shouted the boat was on fire.
AS soon as the fire was discovered En-
eincer Merriman set the steam pumps
working and tried to battle with the
flames, but the fire swept through the
boat like blaze on prairie, and the
engine room was soon in flames. Then
to add further to the CONSERVATION
steam pipe burst and filled the place
with sCalding steam. Engineer Merri-
man was forced to abandon his post, and
he and the stokers aud others ran to the
sides OF the boat and rushed through
pell nell in order to save their lives.
Many people in the confusion jumped
overheard. Some OF them were able to
swim ashore but most OF them were so
badly burned or so thoroughly ex-
hausted that they struggled but n few
moments and sank to rise no more.
TIE VICTIMS.
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.
Plaquemine was not slumbering when
the fire broke out and when the discov-
cry was made that the Hanna was burn.
ing almost the entire town tlocked TO the
river bank and watched the vessel burn.
The struggling unfortunates who reached
the shore were taken care OF and doctors
and others came to their assistance and
tried 10 alleviate their suffer.
ingi. The City and Central hotels
and private houses threw open their
doors to the ill.iated people and fed and
clothed them until this morning. No
one saw Clerk Powell, who displayed
such heroism in waking up the passen-
gers after he had raped at the doors,
and it is quite possible that he was
burned 10 death and went down with
the steamer. No attempt was made to
save any Of the steamers books or pa
pers and everything, together with the
clothes OF the crew and passengers, was
lost. The boat burned rapidly after she
reached the bank, and in a very short
time after the alarm was given she had
burned to the waters edge. The hull
sank 0ud nothing was left Of the Hanna
but floating timber and burning cotton.
PARTIAL LIST OF THE LOST.
Among those OF the crew killed and
missing are: f
Captain ]. S. HOLMES, master Of the
boat.
SAMUEL POWELL, chief clerk.
Bon SMITH, pilot, from Smithland, La.
MIKE 0'NRIL, night watchman.
JOSEPH CRANE, cabin watchman.
MONROE PECK, first cook.
JACK DUFF, second cook.
JOE HARVEY, cabin boy.
JIM WATSON, second baker.
| john CEA3ToE, carpenter.
Among those who were badly burned
are Dan Carroll, Steward; Jim 0'Neil,
deck hand; John Gibbons, sailorman /;
Louis Welch, roustabout, and a number
OF others
None OF the men could say what was
the origin OF the fire. The general i'm
preston, however, is that some careless
smoker threw cigarette among the cot
ton bales and thereby caused the dis
aster. The death Of John Grafton, car
penter, was a sad one. He was in the
upper portion OF the boat, struggling to
get near the front end. The flames
were twisting and sweeping all about
him. He tried nobly to reach the bow,
but he dropped and burned to death be.
fore the eyes Of the people, who were
not able to render any help.
TERRIBLE SCENES.
The FIRE was SO rapid that before the
pilot had finished sounding three alarm
whistles the entire boat from stem to
stern was roaring mass OF flames and
the scene that followed was terrible
Men yelled, and ran about the decks o.
the burning steamer like mauiacs, aud
others screaming at the top OF theil
voices threw themselves into the darE
waters and were lost to sight in the
, twinkling OF an eye, The second bar
keeper said that several persons neal
r him struggled in the water and beggeC
. pititHlly Tor help, but he could not rem
3 der them any assistance because tn,
water chilled him to the marrow and hi